Npower extortion

Markhughes406

After 12 months of arguments with npower we have been landed with £4227.00 electric bill for 12 months usage. We live in a 2 bedroom flat with storage heaters but both me and my brother work away a lot and the amount of electric consumed would be minimal!

Storage heaters are turned off when we are not there npower agree that there is a problem with our meters as the day meter is clocking up a 1000 kw every half hour, but all they do is ask us to take meter reading during the day at half hour intervals. We relay this info to them and they send us a letter asking us for more. On a few occasions they have sent someone out to check our meters but ether dont turn up or call on un arranged days when we are not there.

we are unable to change suppler as this is the landlords preference and they wont let us change or help in any way.

Can anybody help or know how we can resolve this issue as its a debt i dont want??:mad::mad:

davidgmmafan

I can't see how taking the readings every half hour will make any difference to the billing or help to check the meter accuracy (other than on a very basic level). There are really only a few possibilities. If the consumption you quote is accurate there is a reasonable chance (something I don't normally say) that the meter is inaccurate. This can be tested, it is very rare for a meter to be inaccurate but I can't see any other reason for the consumption you quote other than

Option B The meter is being mis-read, or the meter you think is yours in fact isn't. A good way to check this is to check the meter serial number, it shoud match what is on your bill. Is there a business that has a meter nearby?

1000 Kwh per half hour is HUGE amount of electriciy, average consumption is usually quoted as 3300 per YEAR.

If you've tried a few times and not got anywhere raise a complaint, I am at a loss to understand why you haven't done this already.

BTW I would've though 1000 Kwh per half hour woul produce a much larger bill than the balance you refer to. There wasn't a digit after a decimal point you were reading was there?

KimYeovil

(The OP says he has a 1 kW per half hour ie 2kWh background daemon, not a 1000 kWh one!)

The most likely culprit is miswired storage heating/meter/timer that is continually charging. What are the night meter readings like? You can also get your landlord involved - THEY are more responsible to ensure the heating and electrics are wired up correctly than your supplier.

As the nPower engineers are unreliable I would ask your landlord to get an electrician to inspect the set up.

Markhughes406

We have raised a complaint and they passed it straight to there doorstep collections department. I have managed to get it passed back to npower who now insist on more meter readings and the meters are ours. We are taking legal advice but like all things it takes far to long

Premier_2

Markhughes406 wrote: »

... We are taking legal advice but like all things it takes far to long

Over what? What legal advice are you seeking?
Whether or not you should pay your debts like the rest of us have to?
Let's save time and money ... you do!

Look, there's essentially two possibilities here.
1. The meter is faulty. No suggestion of this but if you can come up with something, the supplier will probably agree to check. They will probably charge you about £70 for the privilege (which you'll get back in the unlikely event you are right)
2. You've consumed the electric recorded and now need to pay for it.

Edit:
Just seen your two other threads.
This one from last year
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2013403
and this one from today:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2774462

Bye!

(Explains why probably there's so many new user accounts being created on MSE recently ... :cool:)

G51shopaholic

hi - I worked in letting for several years.

We had a hugh problem with a specific type of "electric" heating - what was called wet central heating. A bit like gas central heating but with an electric boiler.

Basically the problem was that the boiler was on constantly even if the tenants didn't have any heating on - a bit like boiling your kettle 24hrs a day. This resulted in the tenants having a bill for over £5000!

I was puzzled when you said the landlord preferred NPower - as you pay the bill you have the right to change the supply to whom ever you choose.

Also if it is old fashioned white meter storage heating you need to make sure every switch is off - including your hot water boiler.

You may find it is faulty wiring and that is your landords responsibility.

Good luck

maxmycardagain

1. Switch EVERYTHING off at the (2) RCDs in the property overnight, read the meter before and after to ensure only YOU are using the leccy passing thru it, if the readings rise then you know why....

2. If the readings dont rise then put your "day" RCD back on and read meter over a 24hr period, have your NSRs on at thier "spurs" but with thier RCD off

3. If the NSRs heat up you have a wiring fault, if they dont ......

4. Switch the NIGHT ONLY RCD back on and leave 1 NSR on, someone now has to find out what time its being fed, economy 7 (which i HOPE your on) should start between 00.30 and 01.30 depending on your supplier, the NSR thats "on" will start warming up when fed, if its coming on before the cheap rate leccy you have a faulty timeswitch

Frankly id wanna know ASAP and do my own "leg work", as soon as you have the FACTS you can hammer the supplier for a mutually agreeable solution, part-discount, part-refund and part-payment

You dont say if its a council flat, or a private landlord adaptaion, etc or which tarrif you are on or if you have a 2 rate meter

Markhughes406

Some good info thanks will check it all out

undaunted

Although they too will be slow, have a tendency to side with utility co.s in most cases (stated in their own annual report) if it's been going on this long you could complain to the Energy Ombudsman & see whether they can sort it out.

PNPSUKNET

Even if you dispute with them, make sure you pay every month then they cant say you just dont want to pay. Get them to test the meter.

Terrylw1

You need to turn everything off and see if it still moves. If so, you could have other things wired to your fusebox e.g. communal areas or even another property. Someone coujld have tampered as well.

Do your heaters come on in the day when the meter switches to the day dial? Just wondering whether the timeswitch is turning the night appliances on in the day? This happens if a ) the tails into the meter are the wrong way round or b) an electrician wired or marked up your fusebox/tails incorrectly.