Is there an obligation to read a meter annually

glittermonster

Or have I made this up?

I live in a maissonette and there are lights in the stairway.

We get a quarterly bill for the lighting through the managing agents which is £5-£6 each per each of us three properties.

A few months ago we got landed with a bill (1 each) for £150 - when I queried it I got told it was the meter being read and catching up as the reading was higher than the estimates - i.e. over a period of time we owed £450 between us all.

All I can see on the bills is that the readings over the last 3 years we have lived here have been estimates.

Therefore my question is - does the electricity company have to read the meter themselves annually?

I've asked the managing agent (twice) when the meter was last read and I'm not paying it until I get an answer.

Can anyone help?

Hope I've explained that right

[Deleted User]

There is a two year obligation only. Many suppliers do not even keep to that, I work for BG and EDF and a lot of small suppliers. EDF do not comply to the two year obligation, BG have their own system where if they havent checked a meter in a year it is elevated to "must read status " where meter readers must make out of normal working hours visits (eves and Saturdays). However this "must read" status seems to stay now for many years with no serious attempts to access any meters at all. Prepays dont seem to have any obligation what soever to check the meters

macman

It's up to you to supply regular readings yourself (every 3months, before your billing cycle is best) in order to avoid estimated bills and then a big catch up one.
It's clearly stated on the bill whether it's estimated, customer read or agent read.

glittermonster

Does that give me any right not to pay the full amount?

Even now they've seen this massive deficit in the estimates our last estimated bill was still only £5!! They've not learnt!

macman

glittermonster wrote: »

Does that give me any right not to pay the full amount?

Even now they've seen this massive deficit in the estimates our last estimated bill was still only £5!! They've not learnt!

You are obliged to pay any amount not in dispute. If you do your own read then it should be clear enough what the approx deficit is.

glittermonster

I am paying the normal amount, just disputing this £150 bill.

If I knew where the meter was I would - again my managing agent haven't answered.

Thank you for your help.

jalexa

glittermonster wrote: »

I've asked the managing agent (twice) when the meter was last read and I'm not paying it until I get an answer.

I think this is indeed an issue between the residents and the managing agent and not with the supplier.

That said you are making too much of the "estimate" issue and not enough about the correctness of the tariff being billed. Anyway do you know where the meter is and have you checked it recently? Ever? As a "stair lighting supply" it may possibly be an unmetered supply.

Regaredless, seek out the bill and post as much information about the tariff and readings as you can. Who is the bill addressed to? If you have a meter, does the bill serial number agree with the meter serial number? Does the bill estimated reading agree with the current meter reading? What is the name of the tariff? How many stairlights do you have? Are they on a (functioning) timer? Are they "low energy" lights?

Answer all that for more meaningful help. While you can avoid or delay payment (your question) from an informed position, an uniformed refusal is doomed and it is uninformed to rely of the previous payment being correct without evidence.

Wywth

glittermonster wrote: »

Or have I made this up?

I live in a maissonette and there are lights in the stairway.

We get a quarterly bill for the lighting through the managing agents which is £5-£6 each per each of us three properties.

A few months ago we got landed with a bill (1 each) for £150 - when I queried it I got told it was the meter being read and catching up as the reading was higher than the estimates - i.e. over a period of time we owed £450 between us all.

All I can see on the bills is that the readings over the last 3 years we have lived here have been estimates.

Therefore my question is - does the electricity company have to read the meter themselves annually?

I've asked the managing agent (twice) when the meter was last read and I'm not paying it until I get an answer.

Can anyone help?

Hope I've explained that right

I think the supply licence says something like make a reasonable attempt at least once every 2 years to obtain an accurate reading ... so if someone else supplies it or they request access and it's not provided, then they may claim they met that requirement. The period also restarts if a supplier changes.

Gas is slightly different in that they have to view the meter at least once every two years, irrespective of any supplier change.

Wywth

£630 bill for 3 years just for communal stair lighting for 3 properties? :eek:

Check you are on a cheap residential tariff, and probably worthwhile being on E7 if the lights are on all night especially if controlled by light sensors. Consult a comparison site.

You may want to look into the right to manage as the current management agents appear the typical disinterested, moneygrabbing so an so's

SAHD_Jim

Wywth wrote: »

£630 bill for 3 years just for communal stair lighting for 3 properties? :eek:

Check you are on a cheap residential tariff, and probably worthwhile being on E7 if the lights are on all night operated by light sensors. Consult a comparison site.

You may want to look into the right to manage as the current management agents appear the typical disinterested, moneygrabbing so an so's

Absolutely, sounds to me like a complete joke. Some fervent money savers would pay less than that for electricity in a small flat.

Low energy lighting?

[Deleted User]

there should be a seperate meter for stair lighting, could be in with one of the other flats, marked L/L ( for landlord ). a lot are in the outside boxes near the flat doors. Stair lighting is usually with flat ones meter