Need Advice for Electricity usage query

kittykat500

Hopefully someone can help me!

I changed gas and electricity supplier from Npower to Ebico (Southern Electricity) at the end of November and gave Npower both my final gas and leccy readings.


I have just received my first electricity bill from Ebico (standard pay as you use rate 9p per unit) for 24.99 - well that seemed pretty good but as it was an estimate I decided to read my electricity meter to check what the actual usage was - as I always used to phone Npower with my own actual reading after they (usually) overestimated. Well I was staggered to find that instead of the 273 units Ebico had estimated, I had in actual fact used over 2,000!!!

My usual usage is around the 400-600 unit mark. I have never used more than 700 units on electricity and my pattern of usage has not changed over the last couple of months - haven't bought any new juicy electrical equipment, far from it, I am very energy conscious and am forever switching off lights/tvs etc. Heating is gas and only use one induction ring, bought especially as it's meant to be energy saving - anyway it's not a new purchase and have been using it for at least six months so I can't believe this is the reason why usage is so high.

Does anyone know what I should do? Can there be problems when switching supplier that might be to blame?

Cardew

Switching supplier is nothing to do with your problem. It is exactly the same electricity and exactly the same meter.

The most likely reason for the apparently high usage is an incorrect reading at handover. e.g. the reading given to Ebico was too low; so you should have paid NPower more.

When you say "My usual usage is around the 400-600 unit mark. I have never used more than 700 units on electricity "

For what period is this - a month - a quarter?

I can't think why Ebico would estimate only 273kWh for 2.5 months in the winter - surely much too low.