Disputed Electricity bill...

Knight_Templar

We recently got our statement from my utilities supplier stating that we're more than £500 in arrears, baring in mind we live in a small two bed flat and we've only been here for 10 months we decided to question the figures.

After many phone calls and lots of long discussions we discovered that for some strange reason, according to the engineers meter readings our electricity usage more than doubles during the summer months (and according to their records this pattern has been going in for the last three years at least)... neither we nor the energy company in question can suggest a reason WHY this might be.

If anyone out there has ANY idea why this might be happening I'd LOVE to hear from you.

Meadows

No chance that someone else is managing to 'Steal' electricity is there?

Why not get an energy monitor and try to monitor you daily usage, turn things off so you can see how much each item uses.

Do you run fans or air conditioning in the summer?
Do you have TVs etc on Standby instead of off? (you can but cheap adaptors that turn TVs off etc.(https://www.eonshop.co.uk/ShowProducts.aspx?Category=PowerSavingAppliances)

Knight_Templar

Thanks for the reply... we thought that someone could possibly stealing our electricity, but we've no idea how to check, and if they are, why only in the summer months? We live in flats with a communal garden, so we thought that maybe the gardener was using some, but he has a petrol mower, and we double checked with neighbours and their readings don't spike like ours.

Yes we do leave the TV on standby occasionally, however, the puzzling thing is we're doing no different now in the winter months (when our readings are average for the type of flat we live in) than we do in the summer month, if anything we use the TV, lighting etc LESS in the summer months... it's a real head scratcher!

Cardew

Meadows wrote: »

Do you have TVs etc on Standby instead of off? (you can but cheap adaptors that turn TVs off etc.(https://www.eonshop.co.uk/ShowProducts.aspx?Category=PowerSavingAppliances)

Left on standby 24/7 for 365 days, most TVs these days will cost under £1(for a year!)

The OP doesn't say what form of heating - Gas? Electricity? if the latter what type of electrical heating.

It is not unknown on flats in converted buildings to have incorrect wiring and you are supplying another flat.

Meadows

Cardew wrote: »

Left on standby 24/7 for 365 days, most TVs these days will cost under £1(for a year!)
The OP doesn't say what form of heating - Gas? Electricity? if the latter what type of electrical heating.
It is not unknown on flats in converted buildings to have incorrect wiring and you are supplying another flat.

Yes things left on stand by cost pence but it all adds up!

Also OP said usage is higher in Summer so they wouldn't be using heating!

macman

You need to look at heating and hot water, nothing else can account for £500 arrears in10 months. How do you heat and hot water the property, and are you on E7 or a single rate tariff?

Knight_Templar

Our hot water and heating are Gas powered (from same supplier)... which strangely is in credit on the account, it's purely the electric that is so far in arrears.

[Deleted User]

As you are a flat , the eco 7 day/night transposed readings mess-up start to loom as a possibility

Knight_Templar

We've discussed the possibility of faulty wiring with the supplier, and they have said that they are able to come and check it, although they've said that if they find NO fault with the meter/wiring then we will be charged for that test... but they couldn't tell me how much it would be!

Also again... if raises the question, why only the SUMMER months?

Knight_Templar

We've double checked meter readings etc, and we are on E7... but the figures between the two meters are so different they can't be confused.

rogerblack

Knight_Templar wrote: »

We've discussed the possibility of faulty wiring with the supplier, and they have said that they are able to come and check it, although they've said that if they find NO fault with the meter/wiring then we will be charged for that test... but they couldn't tell me how much it would be!

Also again... if raises the question, why only the SUMMER months?

I assume you do not have air conditioning running in the summer?
Do you have solar panels?
First step is to stop, and check the accuracy of your meter.
Unplug and switch off _ALL_ loads.
Does the meter stop flashing/rotating.
If not - turn off all circuits, on the distribution box, and then see if it stops.
If it doesn't, something's likely up with the meter.
Otherwise, connect a 1kW (or 2kW) heater, and see if it flashes/spins at the appropriate rate.

I would recommend a http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Current-Cost-ENVI-CC128-Electricity-Saving-Monitor-Home-Energy-Monitoring-Meter-/190786626115?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Test_Measurement_Equipment_ET&hash=item2c6bc4e243 whole house energy meter, as an addition to your meter, that will alert you to momentary energy use.

(Or similar)
Then you can tell when it's happening.
Alternatively, graph the output of your meter weekly.

Do you have any rooms that are only used in the summer?
For example - conservatory UFH or ...