Difficult Problem, Cry for Help

SunnyJane

I have met a very difficult situation and I don't know how to handle.

When I moved to the flat I live two and a half years ago, my landlord told me that in this house there are 2 gas meters, one is for upstair flat and the other one is for the whole house (there are only 2 flats in my house and I am living downstairs). He said every time when I pay my gas bill, I only need to tell my gas company about the difference of two gas meter readings. For example, if the total gas meter reading is 9000 and the upstair flat gas meter reading is 6000, then I only need to pay for the differnce, ie. 3000, which is my real gas consumption/bill.

I am with Powergen since I moved to this flat and that means I have stayed with Powergen for 2.5 years. I am paying my bill by Direct Debit so my bank is paying out £122 every month to Powergen. I have also taken the meter readings of both gas meters at the time I moved to the flat and today's.

Just recently when I phoned Powergen, I discovered that in this 2.5 years I am actually paying for the whole house (ie. both flats) while the guy lives upstairs flat is paying for his own gas bill (I don't think he knows that I am actually paying for his bill in the meantime). He first used Scottish Power, then switched to British Gas, and Swelec, etc.

Now the problem is that I have paid in total about £2000 for gas in 2.5 years. Any I discover that the difference of the upstair flat meter readings is 730 while the one for the whole house is only 1149. That shows that the real gas consumption for my flat is only 419. That means in total, I probably have paid for the upstair flat for more than £1000...

We are so desperate and we don't know what to do. We desperately need help from anyone who knows anything about it.

Thousands of thanks!

Wig

This is very confusing, can you write it out again, in more detail, this time include the readings for both meters when you moved in, what you do when the meter gets read, ii.e. you tell powergen what the difference between the two meters is etc.

Then write out exactly what all your old gas bills have said "meter readings" "billing dates""actual" or "estimated" kwh used and price

Tell us what the meters read today

You could be confused, or you might have over paid and thus Powergen would have to pay you back, but it will take some explaining (especially if they have a call centre in India this will be difficult enough to explain to a UK call centre!).

roger56

I think what op is saying is this:

Date 1:
Say total meter reads 9000 and upstairs meter reads 6000
downstairs flat "meter" would read 3000 if it existed

Date 2 - sometime later:
total meter now reads 9800 and upstairs meter reads 6600
downstairs "meter" would read 3200

So downstairs flat useage between Date 1 and 2 is 200 units and that's what OP should pay for.

Is this so, or have I entered the twilight zone....

It's pretty strange though, and as OP pays based on difference of two meter readings, there is more scope for measurement error.

roger56

Actually, this also suggests that the upstairs meter is fed through the "total" supply meter. I don't believe a gas company would connect meters like this as billing is based on a difference of two meter readings. OP may well tell the gas company the difference in the readings, but when the meter is read by the company, the meter reader will have no idea he has to do this...

very, very strange...I'd put this to the gas company in writing...first get you landlord to put the explanation in writing...

tripled

I'm pretty sure the gas company would only bill the initial meter with the total supply and not the secondary meter.

However it is possible at some stage over the years someone has registered the secondary meter with a utility supplier without realising it is fed through the main meter - resulting in the property being billed twice for the same gas.

Wig

Roger, your assessment is how I read it too

but she gave some meter readings implying the following

date 1
house 9000
upstairs 6000

date 2
house 9000 + 1149 = 10149
upstairs 6000 + 730 = 6730

downstairs useage date 1 - date 2 = 419

But what I want is for the OP to explain exactly what happened, did she check her bills were appropriate to the difference of the 2 meters as the landlord told her to do?
Did she tell the supplier about the difference between the meters, when they came to read the meter?
What readings did she give when she supplied correction figures?
What were the meter readings when she moved in?
Details of the bills intervening and the last bill and the meter readings today.

Only when we know the full story can we give advice.

Wig

tripled wrote:

I'm pretty sure the gas company would only bill the initial meter with the total supply and not the secondary meter.

However it is possible at some stage over the years someone has registered the secondary meter with a utility supplier without realising it is fed through the main meter - resulting in the property being billed twice for the same gas.

In which case, Powergen will say Not our problem, it's between you and the guy upstairs and his "supplier". He will have to claim a refund of all monies from all his previous suppliers (a nightmare to have to do with one company let alone 3) and then he will have to graciously (without putting up a fight) give it to the girl downstairs.

This might have to be sorted out by OFGEM if the companies don't play ball.

And if the guy upstairs moves away soon, OMG what a nightmare :eek: Thankfully it is the case that he has remained the only occupier.

There may be a case against the landlord for monies, and the Landlord will have to deal with the guy upstairs.



edit text in blue added after 'tripled' wrote That I was right below

tripled

I've heard of flats having one primary meter and several secondary meters before, but never of the same gas being billed twice. If the scenario I mentioned above turns out to be true, you're right in what you said above wig. It would be hard enough to sort out with one company never mind a few!

roger56

Wig Tripled - three heads are definately better than one on this:

Another approach could be:

- OP to determine the two meter readings for the date she moved in (maybe tricky but normally meters are read when taking up a tenancy)
- take the two meter readings now (should be easy)
- do the sums to work out what OP should have paid for on Powergen tarriff

- explain to energy companies in joint letter:eek: :eek:

- if no joy approach Energy Watch (who expect you to try to resolve things first, but in this situation they may well be as amazed as we are).

Does that seem a logical plan or have I missed something?

tripled

Still assuming what I said above about the meters is the case, the power companies the other tenant used wouldn't refund the money to her regardless of what she paid for - so the op would have to rely on him to sort that bit out. As for powergen, as they haven't put a foot wrong, they have been billing the correct meter and charging the right amount, there's very little they could actually do.

However it is largely academic until we can confirm what's gone wrong in the first place

SunnyJane

Sorry for the confusion caused. Here are some fact figures;

1st July 2004 (when we first moved to the property)
Total Gas Reading: 5966
Upstair flat: 4196

January 2006:
Total: 6567
Upstair flat: 4506

20th October 2006:
Total: 7014
Upstair flat: 4818

3rd January 2007:
Total: 7135
Upstair flat: 4920

As you can see, the difference of the main meter reading is 1169 and the upstair flat's is 724 and this will leave me with 445. That means my real 'meter reading' is 445 if a meter existed.

After having read all above replies, can I conclude yours as;

1. Powergen has NO problem/fault whatsoever in my case;
2. Those gas companies like British Gas, Scottish Power, etc. have NEVER supplied gas to upstair flat;
3. The only solution for me is to either report to Ofgem/Energy Watch or to ask upstair flat to claim his money first and return it to me (to be honest, this is the least possible way to reslove this problem as I know how difficult that guy is... and I am 100% sure he will never do anything in this case).

I did obtain a letter from my landlord confirming that there are 2 gas meters in the flat and I should only pay for the difference of two meter readings, though I don't how much this can help.