E.on - more than doubling direct debit

Misty_Blue

I'm asking this on behalf of my boyfriend, but I've tried to get as much info as possible - apologies for the long post!

He moved into a rental property last August. It's a two bedroomed terraced barn conversion in which he only spends two or three days a week. He works full time during the day and spends most evenings and nights at my house.

He has Economy 7 heating (this was not on at all over winter!) and immersion heater, an electric cooker (rarely used), microwave (rarely used), a washing machine, tumble drier (never used at all), electric shower, TV & DVD player, and fridge freezer. He doesn't leave things on standby.

E.on set his monthly direct debit for electricity at £40 (standard tariff). He last received a bill in December, saying he was slightly in credit. This week he received another bill, saying he is over £400 in debit and that they are increasing his direct debit to £87.

My boyfriend has called E.on and asked how this can suddenly be the case, but they just keep repeating things about heating costs being higher in winter, etc etc. He has tried to explain to them that he spends very little time in the property and that his heating was switched off all winter.

According to this latest bill (I think he is billed 6 monthly), he has used 224 day units at 26.95p each and 2423 night units at 4.71p each. At the top of the bil it also says 4714 kwh - I presume this is for the 6 month period, but seems very high! :eek: The bills are based on estimates, but the actual meter reading isn't very far out from what the bill says.

My housemate and I live in a three bedroomed terrace, the TV is always on, as is the PC, we have two electric showers, the washing machine, microwave, dishwasher and tumble drier are used frequently, and I keep tropical fish....but we are using considerably less electricity than E.on say my boyfriend uses. :huh:

E.on have been very unhelpful over the phone, just saying "electricity meters don't just add numbers on!" but we're sure there must be something wrong somewhere. Any advice as to how to proceed would be greatly appreciated!

spiro

You say he has used 224 during the day (17hrs) rate and 2423 during the night (7hr) rate. If you use the 224 day rate figure this gives a 'base load' of 13.17 units (224/17) which multiplied up gives you 316 (13.17*24). Therefore there must be something on during the night rate that is using the 'extra' 2100 units.

It would be helpful if you could confirm the length of time the bill cover.

You say the heating was not on at all but how long was the immersion heater on for.

Also get you boyfriend to read the meter once a day/week for a while so that he can see how much he is using on average each day.

DVardysShadow

What spiro says. Additionally, if it is a barn conversion with another property in the same building, there could be some wiring mix up which means his meter is feeding another property. Shouldn't happen but it does . I suggest taking daily readings - or as near to, leaving everything as it is. Then repeat with all of the circuits switched off at the consumer unit, except for the one to the fridge freezer, and see if it makes a difference.

specialsparky

Hi, I am puzzled. Last winter which was one of the coldest and longest on record, the Eco 7 heating was not on. How was the preoperty heated then? Surely it wasn't left all winter without any heating?

Misty_Blue

Thanks for the advice - will pass it on.

The last bill was issued at the end of December, so this one covers January - June as far as I know.

specialsparky wrote: »

How was the preoperty heated then? Surely it wasn't left all winter without any heating?

Yes, it was - which will give you an idea of how little time he spends there! The heating wasn't working, and by the time he got around to getting the landlady to sort it, it was March. :eek: The property was completely unheated until then.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi Misty Blue

I'm sorry the help your boyfriend received from our agents wasn't up to scratch. Can I clarify a couple of things?

Is the 4714 kWh you mention the total usage for the period the bill covers? If this is the case and 2423 kWh were used during the Economy 7 times, then there is a shortfall of 2291 kWh.

I suspect the 224 kWh are the first tier or primary daytime units. The price quoted of 26.95p per unit would support this.

Take these units from the 2291 kWh to leave a total shortfall of 2067 kWh of daytime usage. Does the bill list this amount of kWh at a rate of something like 13-14p per kWh (without VAT)?

If the above is the case, then it looks as though there could be something at the property which is on fairly well throughout the day and night.

I understand your boyfriend has not had the heating on. However, what about the immersion heater? I have known quite a few instances where people have had the immersion heater on 24/7 without realising it. Not saying this is the case here Misty Blue, but certainly worth checking.

As DVS and spiro say, ask your boyfriend to keep a check on the meter. See what happens when certain items are turned off.

Going forward, if there is going to be continued low usage at night, it would probably be of benefit to go on to a single rate tariff rather than Economy 7. This can be done easily without having to change the meter; just give us a call.

There are other tariffs available with extra discounts for managing the account online.

Also, check out the comparison sites. See what options are available from both us and the other providers.

Again, I'm sorry your boyfriend didn't receive the advice I would have expected but hope the above helps point you in the right direction.

Malc

Misty_Blue

Hi Malc,

Thank you for taking the time to respond; I'll pass on all the information in your post. As far as I know, the immersion heater isn't left on for any real length of time.

One other thing which is strange, is that the letter from E.on informing him of the direct debit change says "we are reducing your direct debit to £87 per month." £40 to £87 is a very strange idea of a reduction! :huh:

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

No problem Misty Blue.

I agree about the letter; sounds really bizarre.

If you are able to let me see a copy, I will gladly feed this back to the relevant people. There's an email address in my Profile if you are able to send me the details.

Malc