Sudden Hike in Electricity Direct Debit. Help!

Chris1708

I've lived in my current home since January of this year and agreed a flat monthly payment of £30 with NPower for my one bed flat based on past tenant's usages.
I moved to Hull from Teesside to take up my current job following redundancy and money is very tight right now as I'm paying off accumulated debts from six months unemployment. At the moment for this month I will take home around £200 after rent, bills, car expenses etc.
Due to my situation I have become a frequent user of internet banking which is invaluable for keeping track of every last penny. I get paid tomorrow so went on to check pending transactions earlier today online only to discover that NPower have made a request for payment of £130 via direct debit for this month. I have received no notification of any such increase and can't believe this could be correct.
As I said I live alone, work full time and the place is only a small one bed flat. How could I have used more than four times the estimated amount of Electricity in one month?
I've sent instructions to my bank to recall the payment until I find out what's going on because I literally can't afford that kind of increase. I'm living on a very tight budget and that increase is equal to about half of my monthly take home pay right now.
If anybody has any advice I'd really appreciate it as I'm worried sick about this right now.

macman

DD amounts are meaningless-have you read your meter regularly and worked out what you are actually consuming? If not, do so today and make sure you update Npower with that reading. It may be that the increased DD is in effect a catch-up process because you have been paying far too little.
If it is an all-electric property then £30 is far too low on a year-round basis-that's only about 300kWh. If you have electric heating that you have switched on in the last billing period then yes, your usage could well quadruple-electric heating is 2 to 3 times more expensive than gas.
Is your recent bill based on estimated or actua readings?
Basing it on the previous tenant's consumption is meaningless (for all you know they might hardly have been living there).

Chris1708

When I say I've used the heating I mean I've switched it on for maybe half an hour occasionally just to warm up the place when I get in and I've only really done that in the past couple of weeks.
I don't have direct access to my meter as I live in a large apartment block and the meters are all in a locked cupboard and only accessible by the custodian. I obtained a reading when moved in and as far as I know NPower carry out regular readings.
Even if I have been regularly underpaying I can't believe it was by as much as they appear to think.

macman

You are entitled to have access to your meter to read it as often as is reasonable (as are your suppliers in order to read it), so enforce that right. Without knowing your actual consumption you won't ever solve the issue.
Have NPower explained why they want the increase? I suggest you get a current reading and then call them. Recalling the DD will just mount up more debt as the weather gets colder.
Surely you don't seriously think you can heat, power and light a property for £360pa? That would be around 3,600kWh, which is what the average property with gas CH and hot water uses. And as I already said, electric heating is much more expensive.

Chris1708

I understand that and I was expecting an increase of some sort, maybe even double. Thing is the building is really warm so I very rarely use any heating. As I said maybe for half an hour to warm the place up after work and that's it.
I just think a more than four fold increase is far more than I expected.

KimYeovil

... and if you moved in in January during the coldest winter for thirty years there must be a lot of catch-up included in the hike. Nov to Mar is only five months - so £130 seems reasonable - that would be an annual bill of £860 (7x30 + 5x130) - less than that, really, since that includes a payment for arrears accrued last Jan to Mar - so knock £150 off for that leaving an annual estimate of about £700 - only £60 per month. Hardly an "I can't believe it" sum.

macman

Indeed, which is why you need to determine your actual consumption. Without knowing this, all is speculation. You also need to check that the meter reading on which your last bill was based is correct, as misreadings are invevitably far more common in HMI's with several meters.

moonrakerz

Chris1708 wrote: »

and agreed a flat monthly payment of £30 with NPower

I'm afraid you got suckered by the oldest trick in the energy suppliers book of underhand tactics.

"Agree" a low monthly figure, which is WAY below what the consumer will actually use, then let the customer run up a huge bill - which he can't pay off, and the customer is then trapped with that supplier ! A certain meerkat has a word for that.........

KimYeovil

By the way, which electricity tariff are you on with nPower? I do hope it is not their standard tariff as you could then be being charged 40% more than if you were on cheaper tariffs. nPower's standard electricity is more expensive than Ebico's!!!

spiro

As you have been there since Jan you should have 2 or 3 bills. Check them and see if the end reading of the latest bill is an A(ctual) or E(stimate). If it is an A and the previous one is a E then its a catch up bill. You need to remember that suppliers only have to read your meter once every 2 years.

Also you say you put the heating on after work, are you on an E7 tariff? If so thats a no no because you pay lots more during the day than at night.

What sort of heating do you have? Night storage heaters, panel heaters??