New Electric Meter

oshb5

Hi

I have been with my first supplier for quite a few years and our electric has been on average 10-12 units a day.. with them Anyway I had decided to move suppliers anyway I did all the paperwork to change suppliers and have been tied in to the new supplier for a year.
But i got a letter saying to ring for a new meter to be fitted as they have to be changed every so many years.. They came within a couple of days and fitted a new meter
So i had the first 20- 30 days still with my old supplier and the rest of the time with the new supplier But i had noticed that my usage had gone down quite a lot after the first reading. (yes we have changed some appliances and stuff and do red of an electric fire and bits and bobs like you do but i did not think it would change the usage that much)
Anyway I then rang the new supplier and said i was concerned that my usage has gone down so much the lady said Dont worry its probably the change over Then they did not come again for 6 months again the usage was really low I again rang them and told them of my concern The lady said Let it settle down and we will see after the first year. But i said to her even though you had read it i dont seam to have had a on-line bill has yet.. She said it was in the pipe line.. So i let her go I was not happy with what she said so i rang again and got a man I asked him where my bill was because the meter had been read but no bill had been sent.. He said to hang on while he checked . He came back and said there was a problem as it was showing that i had not used enough electric.. I asked him what he meant and told him what had happened over the last 9 months He said he would look into it, But that he had sorted out the problem and my bill would be ready the following day. (So it looks as they had thought there might be a problem with my meter Yes?) The bill was ready the next day and again it showed my low usage.. Anyway we are now coming up to the end of the year with the latest supplier who I was tied to and i can now change again without penalty..
What would happen If For instance i change to another new supplier and told them that I suspect my meter is reading wrong and get them to check it and if they find out it is reading low. Then they will odiously have it changed again to another new meter correct??

But would i have to pay the last supplier for what i had used actually used over the year even though i am no longer with them. That is if it is proved that the meter was reading low although it was only fitted a year ago at the start of my time with them and the meter was actualy a new one fitted at that time??

? Or would i just start and pay the latest supplier the usage that would be shown by a new meter if one gets fitted?

Then again If it is found to be right then I was overpaying my first supplier for over 5 years??

RIGHT, So if i am thinking of changing suppliers can anyone give me any good suggestions as to which one to go with at the moment please?:)

Osh

t0rt0ise

What does the new meter say has been your usage? People here will know if it sounds reasonable or not. YOu can put your usage in one of the comparison sites.. I use uSwitch.. to see which is your best next option.

I also didn't understand what this bit of your post meant.. "and do red of an electric fire ".

Cardew

It is very easy to check if your meter is highly inaccurate.

Just note meter reading, switch off everything in the house(including fridge) and switch on something like an electric fire that hasn't got a thermostat, and you can check the reading.

molerat

Previously you were using 10 - 12 units per day, about average for a non-electric heated house. How many units per day are you using now ?

oshb5

Hi

As for usage Errrrr 3-4 units now. (could/should a new meter be faulty with a test certificate?)

I dont know how it got to read that but it should have read "Just got rid of the electric fire" It was in the living room. Also we have had a new washer that washes at low temp and have also had a new boiler fitted (gas i know but the old one was 20 years old and had to be on ages before water was warm and all the time it always used to run the central heating pump at the same time.. Also having the new boiler removed the immersion heater.. We have also got rid of a old chest freezer and security alarm in a out building as its been knocked down. then about the same time we sold our caravan that was always hooked up to the supply, The above things happened around the last month of the old supplier and the first 2 months of the new supplier? But i would still not think it would be that low??

I have decided to change the supplier in June anyway and see what comes of it I might go to Scottish power as they seam to have good rates at the moment??

t0rt0ise wrote: »

What does the new meter say has been your usage? People here will know if it sounds reasonable or not.

I also didn't understand what this bit of your post meant.. "and do red of an electric fire ".

t0rt0ise

The electric fire will have cost a lot to run so getting rid of that will save heaps, along with the immersion heater which just eats up the units. So I'm guessing that all those changes and the lighter nights so fewer lights on, will have made the difference.

dogshome

Hi oshb5 - You have done really well in upgrading/junking all that power hungry stuff, and from your figures the annual consumption has dropped from around 4400Kw a year to 1750Kw

However you don't say how big your home & family is, but 1750 Kw a year Elec.use is the kind of figure that might be expected from a frugal pensioner living alone in a very small gas heated dwelling, so I think you are right to be suspicious of the new meter's readings.

As Cardew has advised, turn everything off and check the meter reading - Then plug in an electric fan heater or fire that has a setting rated at 1kw and run it for 1 hour, then check the meter to see that it has recorded exactly 1 unit of power.
If it is running slow, report this to the supplier in WRITING with a request that they install a check meter at thier expense

t0rt0ise

Do people have electric fires just waiting to be plugged in to test meters? I don't.

oshb5

What about what i said about Changing to a new supplier then telling them my suspicions in writing? Will this make a difference?

Osh

t0rt0ise

I don't know why you're worrying. I don't suppose they get many requests from people wanting to pay more and wouldn't know what to do. Just enjoy not spending so much.

dogshome

Hi oshb5 - It's in your own interests to check this meter asap, then if it is under-recording report this to your supplier.

Though you may want to switch in June, it's still only May 9th, so you have still got 22 days to do the simple Fan heater/Fire test which only takes an hour, and then report it to your present supplier if it is under-recording.

It's imortant you sort this now because the likelyhood is that if you do have a "slow" meter, sooner or later a supplier will realise this and send you BIG estimated bill for the power you have used but not paid for