I am appalling with money, just had a shock electric bill!

Roxyfox

I'm your classic case of someone who is bad with money, I know I'm bad with money but thankfully my wages cover it, I work for myself, I know live alone and I usually average about £400-£500 a week, so this week since my rent was paid I made £280 after rent to take a week off right cos I need some time out.

Now I had an overdue electric bill so I figured I ought to pay it before they get grumpy, I didn't pay it before Christmas because I needed the money so I could afford to take some time out to see family. Anyways last month I paid like £49, turns out I put myself on quarterly, so I wasn't really expecting the £130 bill but it probably makes sense, confused I called up to check stuff. Anyway my bill is on estimate because I was having trouble accessing my electric meter (It's in my landladys office, long story). Turns out my real bill per quarterly is over £300, I live alone...so of course I'm pretty shocked I mean that's over twice the estimate and six times as much as the monthly plan I clearly thought I was on (forgot I'm very forgetful).

So much for my week off, now I want to know how I can address this, all my heating is electric it's storage heaters, they seem to do naff all tbh, I have them on 24 hour because I hear they take 12 hours to heat up so you shouldn't turn them off. Plus I can't have my clients freezing to death. Anyways I've now turned them all off, and they're staying off because they're rubbish anyways. I live on the third floor of a very old building with sash windows on a hill so nothing really stays warm here. The second culprit is possibly my boiler I keep it turned on all the time because I don't know how it works really, thing is even though it's always turned on it runs out of hot water pretty soon, so I don't know whats that about. I don't know if the switch means it's always heating water since there's no apparent timer. The same with the storage heaters I heard they're supposed to be timed and turn off at peak times, they totally don't they're warm all day I wouldn't be suprised if they're just broke. I do sometimes forget to turn the cooker off, and I do like my little halogen heater but I don't have it on all day just when I'm cold. Sometimes I sleep with the light on.

So essentially are these the best measures I can take, I do use the dryer but I can't stop using that as I have to wash duvet sets regularly at short notice and I refuse to let go of that one luxury. I am on my laptop a lot actually, how much electric does that use? Should I turn my wireless router off when I sleep? my landlady has her router plugged in my office too will that cost me much electric? E.ON said that there are three meters in this property so assumedly I am not paying electric for the shop thankfully however since my meter is in her office (it's on the same floor as my kitchen) is it possible I pay for her office electric use?

In short I have no idea what I'm doing I'm only here till June so I'm not looking to change suppliers as in short I can be bothered with having to consult my landlady etc. about switching suppliers because I hate talking to her and she's hard work.


Also important point, when I moved in I didn't supply them with my electric meter reading, I don't know if the estate agency did or not so is it possible that that is messing up the reading?

fed_up_and_stressed

First of all you NEED to have dialogue with npower... As you state you are forgetful suggest Direct Debit is the way forward for you at way you can spread your consumption and your debt. Also you need to speak to have dialogue with your landlady about getting access both either for yourself or the MOP (meter operators to read your meter) technically the meter belongs to the supplier so their contracted meter readers need access and they can get warrants if they are blocked access.

Also suggest you contact npowers energy efficiency team to check how you can use your energy efficiently its free !
0800 02 22 20. Also check your consumption from actual reading to actual reading rather than estimates ..work out your annual consumption en use a price comparison tool to see if you are on the best tarriff.... Word of warning though if you do want to change your supplier npower may block this due to the debt

Roxyfox

Sorry I wasn't totally clear,

I'm with E.ON not npower

I do have access to my meter readings now I just didn't initially it took time sorting it out.

I'm not so much concerned about it as debt it'll take me a few days to make the money to pay it off, I'll call and explain this I've already paid some of it, I'm more concerned as to how it got that high.

These are my theories as to why it's this high.

1) My storage heaters are on high input and output all the time (I've had to research storage heaters now to get how they work) they dont warm the house very well as I live on a hill on the third floor and I have sash windows and bare floorboards so I also use a halogen heater. Would it make sense to just use the halogen heater to heat me and not bother with the storage heaters?

2) My boiler has no timer and as far I can tell is an immersion heater, I have a suspicion that the red light I've had on since I've moved in is the immersion and that I've had the immersion on THE WHOLE TIME.

3) I didn't give them the electric reading when I moved in, I was wondering if there's a possibility I could be paying another persons bill? This is the first actual reading I've given them, my concern is that my REAL reading is twice the amount of the estimate.

4) Finally my electric meter is in my LANDLADIES OFFICE is there a possibility I am paying for her office equipments usage?

fed_up_and_stressed

Sorry don't know where i got that you were with npower from ?!?

Im not the best person to advice re energy efficiency ratings /uses of appliances so I suggest you call Eon's energy efficiency team on 0345 301 4875. They can give advice and help point you towards a range of energy saving measures as well as see if they have a better tarriff for your usage

Regards the readings - contact Eon to see whther your account was opened on customer reads (from e previous tenant) which could be wrong, actual meter reads taken from a meter operator or as i suspect estimated reads -which obviously would be based on the previous tenants usage because obviously at the point when you took over the property there would be no info on how you use your energy.

It is unlikely but cant be discounted that the meter is supplying her equipment. But to need to be getting access or getting her to read the meter so you can work out what you are actually using rather than relying on estimates.

Suggest you contact Eon as soon as possible and having a natter with them.

macman

If you have night storage heaters then they cannot be on 24/7, since E7 only provides cheap rate power for 7 hours at night.
What you refer to as a 'boiler' is presumably an immersion heater, this too should be on a timer so that it heats up overnight on the cheap rate. If it's on 24/7 then you are boosting it at the expensive E7 daytime rate. A properly lagged hot tank does not need to be on more than a couple of hours in the early morning, before the cheap rate ends at around 7am.
Using any form of electric heating other than your night storage heaters will be very expensive, as once again it will be on premium E7 rate.
If you switch off all your appliances and the meter continues to run, then yes it would seem that you are paying for her power also.
If you failed to register for an account and give an opening reading, then yes, part of your bill may well be from the previous tenant. You'll now have to prove your date of entry, and the bill will be estimated from that date.
Sounds like you have now realised the problems you have created for yourself by your rather laid back approach to utility management. How on earth did you think you could heat, hot water, power and light a property for £588 per year?

Andy_WSM

Roxyfox wrote: »

Turns out my real bill per quarterly is over £300

£100 per month, sounds very reasonable, even "cheap" for an all electric property.

sniggings

Andy_WSM wrote: »

£100 per month, sounds very reasonable, even "cheap" for an all electric property.

agree, it's well within the average,in fact if that is for the winter it's very good, the fact the £300 is wasted because the heating is so poor is a different problem though.

luvchocolate

check out other threads on storage heaters, a couple of clever guys reply and know what they are talking about!!! I think you are not using them right, plenty imformation on here

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi Roxyfox

Already some excellent advice on here. Thanks guys. Just thought I'd add a couple of things.

Have a look at the serial number on your meter (usually on a plaque on the front).

If this matches the number on your bill, then, we're charging against the correct meter. If not, it's likely we've charged for someone else's usage and you definitely need to talk to us about this.

As macman says, if the meter continues to register usage after everything is turned off, we need to know about this too.

I'd also take fed up and stressed's advice and talk to our Energy Efficiency guys. Tell them about the property and your appliances. They specialise in helping people reduce their energy usage and will be happy to help.

Ask them for a copy of a booklet called '100 ways to save money by saving energy.' It's free and contains lots of useful energy saving tips.

Check out our website, too. Particularly the 'Interactive House' and 'Energy Menu.' More good advice here to help you cut back.

Hope this is of interest Roxyfox. Give me a shout if you need any more info as happy to help.

Malc

Roxyfox

Thank you everyone for your advice I'll be contacting the EON team tomorrow and give them the meter reading for when I moved in to check they have that to compare to my current one, I've turned the immersion off, I've turned on storage heater off and have my bedroom one on low (I needed it on a bit cos I was too cold) and I'm using my little halogen heater in the front room for when I need it.

Also chill out a bit macman, I'm not like outraged at E.ON or anything, I was just surprised, it doesn't fuss me I can afford it, it just messed my weekly plans up, if that's a normal-ish rate than that is great I was more concerned that I was using a ridiculous amount of electric, but if that's normal I'm cool paying it. Nobody knows the amount of their first leccy bill in a new place ne ways, I was on a leccy meter in my old place with a diff boiler. This stuff is all a learning curve thank you everyone for helping me with that.

Richie-from-the-Boro

Roxyfox, a decent tariff for someone working from home is about £70pm paid every month at £70pm over the year, a quarterly account is not a 'decent tariff'. Direct Debit / e-account / monthly meter readings supplied by you etc is the very minimum of a decent tariff.

The "best measures you can take" is to save yourself money and grief until you leave in June by getting yourself on a sound footing, and thankfully that's easy. Get a decent tariff and a payment plan [CAC ÷ 12 = monthly direct debit].