Huge Npower Bill - Advice Needed!

88Steph_

Three years ago I moved into a 2 bedroom flat with a friend for university.
We were only there 4/5 days a week as we went home most weekends and it went un occupied during most of the xmas/easter and summer.
In the first couple of years our electric bills (for 2 people in a 2 bed flat that were only there 4 days out of 7) was around £200 per quarter.
To me that seemed expensive at the time and it was more than my parents were paying for a 4 bedroom house that was occupied 7 days a week.

Three years have passed, and now we have received a bill from Npower demanding £730!:(
The bills were estimated, but with high bills anyway, this amount of debt seems ridiculous?!
Does anyone know how often an electric company must do a reading and send an accurate bill?
Thanks for your help!

Premier_2

Their licence says they need to attempt to read the meter once every two years at least.

What attempting means isn't defined. Perhaps knocking on the door to gain access but getting no response is attempting.

(With gas, the licence is somewhat different in that it specifically states obtaining a warrant if necessary to read the meter)

The question that must be asked is why didn't you read the meter and provide this to the supplier when you saw the bill was based on an estimated reading? :huh:

Did you not get the meter readings included on the outgoing inventory/statement of condition and agreed by the landlord/agent when you vacated the property?

PNPSUKNET

if all electric not that much

Terrylw1

The licence conditions for elec are reasonable endevours within 2 years. However, Suppliers make attempts before that since they pay their elec bills at month 14 and they get poor estimates off their meter reading agents if they don't ensure getting access or a read. The 2 year effort is more about viewing the meter and less about readings. The newer ERA agreements seek to improve getting more reads. The old licence conditions are very badly enforced and don't work anyway since it's all based on a Suppliers view of what 14 months for safety is. so, if someone keeps moving around, it's 14 months from when a Supplier gets you...hence why some people never seem to get any reads! Very stupid and even worse, no one cares if it's enforced or not.

Gas works in a better way for one reason - the schedules are based on meter reading agencies, not Suppliers. So, at the moment, it's better.

Make a complaint about it. Npower are getting a lot of complaints for similiar reasons and they have the ability to write off (despite the Ofgem backbilling policy) so the more you shout, the more of a chance you will get some knocked off.

You need to ask them what attempts they have made to contact you. Given you were students, this could have been going around for a while with the landalord, new tenants, etc. The less attempt they have made, the more chance you have of complaining at them for unfair backbilling.

But honestly, never rely on them to get your reads and bill you. Thats how the situations occur. Take reyou use your reads anytme you get a bill ensure, your reads are used.

Ofgem & Elexon are terrible at governing this industry. Rely on yourself for the future.