Huge Electricity Bill - Npower

hacienda99

Hi all,

I'm having major issues with my electricity billing - first of all, there's only two of us living in an electricity only apartment (standard sort of size). We're at work in the week from 8.30 until 5.30 ish, and our usage in my opinion would be average.

Our combined electricity bill from July 2012 - Present is just under 1150 pounds...which cannot be right. On the same bill it estimates that by the same usage, in the next year we would use about two thousand pounds worth of electricity. The water heater only comes on for about 3 hours a day (two in the morning, one at night), the heaters are Norel radiators (not storage heaters) and these don't get used much. In terms of usage, I've gone over it again and again, and there isn't anything that can be taking this much electricity. Everything is turned off during the day.

One of the problems we face is that we don't have open access to the meter cupboard for the flats - they're locked up and we can only get meter reads by text from the caretaker. However, a test was done yesterday to find out which dials on the meter are day and night. Apart from the readings I have, I have no idea what type of meter it is, or what it looks like. Npower have an engineer coming out in a few weeks to do some testing, but in the meantime I'd really like to try and figure out what's going on.

Here are some readings:

04/11/11 - Actual
Day - 25953
Night - 6518

20/04/12 - Customer
D - 30803
N - 7509

21/09/12 - Actual
D - 34031
N - 8424

11/01/13 - Customer
D - 37368
N - 9114

Any help/comments are much appreciated.

Cheers!

jalexa

hacienda99 wrote: »

Our combined electricity bill from July 2012 - Present is just under 1150 pounds...which cannot be right.

First of all welcome to the forum. I will look at the numbers later but first a heads up on usage (and cost). The meter readings, unless successfully challenged for inaccuracy are proof positive of consumption. You need to take that on board.

You must tackle heads-on (perhaps a very heavy shoulder-on:D) the access to the cupboard issue. That is entirely your problem to solve and is probably central to the billing issue. When/if you do get in take a photograph of what you believe to be your meter.

One other thing, I take it "N - 88424" is a typo. You also need to state whether the readings are (A)ctual, (E)stimated or (C)ustomer.

hacienda99

Thanks

So far I've raised it with nPower, who had told me that a hold would be placed on bill reminders while this was being looked into - this morning I've received a reminder threatening a collections agent visit. I would call npower now but their system is down all weekend and they can't view any details.

In December I actually received a letter from npower saying that my meter readings don't seem right, which is when I started investigating. Then a few days later, the bill was sent out...

jalexa

hacienda99 wrote: »

So far I've raised it with nPower, who had told me that a hold would be placed on bill reminders while this was being looked into - this morning I've received a reminder threatening a collections agent visit.

You are entitled to raise a formal complaint on the first occasion you are not 100% satisfied with a customer service outcome. If NPower have broken an undertaking made to you (reminder hold) - go complain. I recommend by email.

hacienda99

I'll email the complaints team today. I updated the readings, however I'm still puzzled by how npower have taken actual readings when they would need access to the building, and then another key to the meter cupboard - something I'm querying with the building owners (there is no concierge that could have let them in) Customer readings will be from the caretaker.

Thanks

[Deleted User]

Make it your prority to get into the meter cupboard and not rely on the caretaker, you have a right to look at your own meter. I find constant mess ups in meter cupboards. Locate your meter and do a useage check, ( electric on full blast and check your meters red light starts flashing like hell, then stops when you switch off. Also check that day and night reads are correct, that will be rate 1 and 2 and " T" for total.
I know some flats where virtually every meter is mixed up with day/nights transposed. Its very common. The suppliers are not clued up, neither are the flat dwellers
Meter readers can get access to meter cupboards if they try hard enough, we never get refused, we get to know who s got the keys and when they are available

hacienda99

Not sure if these readings will help - from yesterdays load test:

10 AM:
D - 37362
N - 9114

2 PM:
37368
N: 9114

The only usage between 10 am and 2 pm in the readings above are:

2 boils of a kettle (one after the other - so one was not from cold)
Leaving the lounge lights on
Netgear internet router on
Laptop charging with the lid shut

I raised the complaint with npower - emailed them in detail.

Thanks again

iris

hacienda99 wrote: »

Not sure if these readings will help - from yesterdays load test:

10 AM:
D - 37362
N - 9114

2 PM:
37368
N: 9114

The only usage between 10 am and 2 pm in the readings above are:

2 boils of a kettle (one after the other - so one was not from cold)
Leaving the lounge lights on
Netgear internet router on
Laptop charging with the lid shut

I raised the complaint with npower - emailed them in detail.

Thanks again

No fridge/freezer/toaster/hot water heater?

hacienda99

Oops - yes the fridge freezer was on - nothing else

ValHaller

hacienda99 wrote: »

Not sure if these readings will help - from yesterdays load test:

10 AM:
D - 37362
N - 9114

2 PM:
37368
N: 9114

The only usage between 10 am and 2 pm in the readings above are:

2 boils of a kettle (one after the other - so one was not from cold)
Leaving the lounge lights on
Netgear internet router on
Laptop charging with the lid shut

I raised the complaint with npower - emailed them in detail.

Thanks again

That is 6kWh in 4 hours. A load of 1.5kW, Which does not agree with the use you are declaring even with the fridge.

I suggest you do a load test as suggested by sacsquacco. You need to be firm about your access to the meter cupboard. Keeping the meters inaccessible to the people who pay based on the readings is unacceptable. Once the access proves what it needs to, you can be laid back about the caretaker giving you readings by text.

jdeeuk

Your bills are high for a very good reason by the looks of it mate.
Your day usage is far greater than your night usage, this could mean one of two things, either you use more during the day or your reads are transposed.
the fact that your load test shows advance on the first read which you stated as day rate would imply the former..
You need to phone npower and get them to bill you on 24 hour unrestricted metering as regardless of what tariff your on day rates on e7 will be much higher than on d1 (single rate) metering.
Npower will not have to change your meter IF your account number starts with a 1 as this means your on sap which can bill at single rate for 2 reads.