Landlord using my supply for communal lighting

poppysarah

So it's dark in communal areas now? What if someone has an accident?
Nightmare situation to be in.

You could run the lights for a week taking readings and then turn them off and run without for a week. The difference is what the communal lights use. Then you have a starting point for how much it costs and how much you want paying.

ali-t

The communal lighting has minimal running costs. In my previous flat this was also the case and I also had the security door electricity coming from my flat so paid for the electricity for this. It made no noticeable impact on my electricity usage.

casper_g

ali-t wrote: »

The communal lighting has minimal running costs. In my previous flat this was also the case and I also had the security door electricity coming from my flat so paid for the electricity for this. It made no noticeable impact on my electricity usage.

How can you know this? Maybe in the OP's case "communal lighting" includes a couple of 1000W floods in the parking area!

flibblesan

poppysarah wrote: »

So it's dark in communal areas now? What if someone has an accident?
Nightmare situation to be in.

You could run the lights for a week taking readings and then turn them off and run without for a week. The difference is what the communal lights use. Then you have a starting point for how much it costs and how much you want paying.

Emergency lighting is on.

flibblesan

ali-t wrote: »

The communal lighting has minimal running costs. In my previous flat this was also the case and I also had the security door electricity coming from my flat so paid for the electricity for this. It made no noticeable impact on my electricity usage.

4 hallway light bulbs that are on 24/7 (no switch). One outside light on 24/7. Security light on a PIR.

I don't care if it's minimal costs or not. I'm paying way too much for electricity in a one bedroom flat and I really should not have to be paying for the landlords lighting. The other three flats don't have to so why do I?

I've sent her another email. Still unable to get through on the telephone so if I get no joy I'll go down in person or visit citizens advice.

flibblesan

Just when I thought it couldn't get any more confusing.

I've had a look at the wiring in the meter cabinet and it appears that the meter that I was told by the agent and E.ON is actually the landlords and my meter is the one that I thought was the landlords.

Basically as I can tell the supply comes into a meter (which I thought was mine) then to a master breaker, then into a box with several circuit breakers. One of these is listed as "Flat 2 RCD" which kills power to my flat alone but not the communal lighting. There is a meter above this box that seems to be powered by the flat 2 rcd feed. I switched off everything in my flat and observed the disc in this meter. It didn't go round. I turned my kettle on and the disc was spinning at a high rate so this seems to indicate that, for some reason, my flat is coming off a second meter. Why, I don't know. Nothing in my contract mentions this.

I'll need to speak to citizens advice. This is all confusing now.

Mrsunseeker

More then likely the LL meter is recording all the electric in the block being used.
He then can take meter readings for each flat. He can then total them up and it should come out about the same has is meter. If it does not he knows someone is fidling the electric.
Also the small difference between the other meters and is could be what the lighting is using.

ConfusedDep

Ask an electrician to come round you may have to pay but hopefully in the long run it will be worth it.

He can look at the lights and estimate how much electricity has been used / is used per week. Then try and find your old bills (if you cannot ask EON) and you can work out roughly how much the electricity has cost you.

Then write to the landlord above including your costings and say obviously it has been an oversight but you would appreciate it if he could rectify it as soon as possible, and ask what he proposes to do about the overcharge.

Regardless of what the person from EON said if the landlord already has a meter there which has the capacity in the same area. I don't think it would be a hugh job to get either yours on the communal lighting split to the other meter. We have had many areas of this done where I work, it tends to be more of an inconvenience and a good electrician can usually split out the wires quite easily. If nothing else he could have a sub meter put on your supply and only charge you what you actually use, we have done that where I work for communal supplies.

poppysarah

flibblesan wrote: »

Emergency lighting is on.

And what powers that?

Fire_Fox

flibblesan wrote: »

4 hallway light bulbs that are on 24/7 (no switch). One outside light on 24/7. Security light on a PIR.

I don't care if it's minimal costs or not. I'm paying way too much for electricity in a one bedroom flat and I really should not have to be paying for the landlords lighting. The other three flats don't have to so why do I?

I've sent her another email. Still unable to get through on the telephone so if I get no joy I'll go down in person or visit citizens advice.

If you are paying too much for electricity you need to look in the mirror to find the culprit. Lighting uses relatively little energy - it's heating, hot water (shower, washing machine) and tumble dryers that eat electricity. £40 a month is actually very low even for a one bedroom flat.

!!!!!! don't waste the time of an overstretched charitable organisation on your personal vendetta, behave like an adult and send a recorded delivery letter to your landlord.