bankrutpcy and utility bill debt

22bear

I'm going to be petitioning for bankruptcy next Thursday..today however, I've come home to a letter from my electricity supplier that following a recent meter reading I am £670 in debt to them and that they want to increase my DD from £60 it is currently to £167!! To say I'm completely shocked is a mega-understatement..I moved into a rented one bedroom flat in July last year which is completely electric. When I set up the DD for my electric, based on the information I gave them (i.e. that I live alone and work from 9-5 Monday to Friday), and previous usage at the property, I was advised to set the DD at £60 pcm

However it seems that my usage is well above this and following a check of the meter reading, it is clear that I do indeed owe them this money and that my DD needs to be substantially increased to around £90-100 pcm to meet my needs in this cold flat with 4 (clearly) inefficient heaters and an immersion boiler...they want £167 for the next 12 months to meet this and to clear the underpayment:eek:

What I need to know is how this is all going to fit in with me going bankrupt next week? As far as I understand, this debt is pre-bankruptcy and that to pay it would mean making preferential payment to creditors and therefore it should be included in the bankruptcy...is that right?

And if so, what are the implications of this, both for my electricity supply after I declare myself bankrupt and future payments and also how is the OR is going to view this situation, as I didn't knowingly or consciously know I was taking on more debt?...as I said, I was advised by SSE to pay £60 per month when I moved in back in July and really had no idea whatsoever that my usage was well over this amount..it came as an utter shock to me...I mean I know it was a bad winter but still!!

I'm thinking of changing my supplier and set the DD to a more realistic amount, say £95 and get a final account from SSE and then include it in the bankruptcy...would that be ok to do? Please help! I wasn't too worried about my upcoming bankruptcy thanks to all the help and advice I've had off of here but this has really made me worried

rossireps

i had a debt of £500 with southern electric. it was included in my br with no issues from them what so ever,in fact they couldnt have done more for me. i also still have a dd with them and no key meter! all i did was open new account with them and carry on. i do however get paranoid with mt bills and triple check everything. i would also look at how much your using,im in alot as i dont work and its damp in here and draughty. i use £40 a month in the summer. i also have expensive heaters but still only use £55 in winter.