Massive Gas Bill

ilovelondontown

I posted earlier on another thread about a huge £600 Gas bill for 3 months usage and it it may well be that a poorly performing boiler is the reason for this - While TBC I'm almost certain this is the case.

I know it's not the company I pay my bills to fault that this has happened but I'm still floored by the size of the bill. I've been chipping away at it for 3 months and have got it down to £400. I'm now being told I need to pay up the £400 in one go or be disconnected. They mentioned the only other option was to have a meter installed but I'm renting and this is not allowed in the lease of the property.

It's a long shot, but is there any way I can still negotiate with the company about getting rid of this bill in stages or to get the bill down and pay it off in one go?

Pineapple88

Which company is it and how do you pay? Most companies will allow you to spread the debt out over 12 months if you are paying by direct debit. In your case this would be £50 per month towards the debt and then your normal monthly usage. What is the reason that they have said that the bill has to be paid in one go?

I'm sure you did this when you received the bill but did you check that you were billed on an actual rather than an estimated reading?

ilovelondontown

It's Southern Electric.

I spent a good 45 mins on the phone with them trying to find out why it was so high when we are only in the property evenings and weekends and there are just 2 of us in the flat. I was so confused! They didn't once say that it might be due to a faulty / poor functioning boiler. They jsut said that's just how much it is. Gah. My adverage usage was coming out at £1 an hour and when I was having it on all weekend in the cold winter we had I was paying up to £12 a DAY!

I checked the actual meter reading they had 7833 (in April) with the one it is now 7888, which makes sense since we haven't had the heating on AT ALL since.

They said that they can set up a direct debit for the money I owe and estimated usage but this would mean I was paying them over £100 a month which won't be a reflective estimate since the estimate is based on the last 3 months with a poorly working boiler. Plus I can't afford to pay £100 a month and then another £60 + for the electric.

Ugh, I don't have a problem with paying my utilities, I just feel frustrated when I'm stuck with a HUGE bill that doesn't reflect the way we use our gas.

Pineapple88

It sounds like you have done your own investigations There are just some things I would like to clarify. You have posted 4 digits readings which would mean you have an imperial meter which is recorded in cubic feet. Does your meter definately have 4 digits and not 5 (the reason I ask is that if you have an imperial meter they will multiply your usage by 2.83 as part of the conversion to khw. If you actually have a 5 digits meter then this calculation would be incorrect for your meter and result in a bill nearly three times higher than it should be).

How long have you been with them? If you have only been with them over the winter then they will be estimating your annual usage on the basis of winter usage which is obviously much higher. Sometimes if you are able to provide older readings to show usage over the year, or if they are able to see your usage over 6 months (incorprating summer and winter) then they will agree to assess your direct debit on this basis.

If you are able to post meter readings here we can check your usage?

dogshome

Wow!
Doing rough & ready figures on this £600 bill for just one Winter Quarter, play out to your Winter consumption being around 27,250 Kwh, which with 20% added for Late Spring/Summer/Early Autumn, adds up to a huge 32,700 Kwh a year

As Pineapple88 has suggested, this could be due to a billing error where a Metric meter which is marked m3, is being charged as though it's an Imperial Meter marked ft3

Check your meter to see how it is marked
On the bill divide the Kwh chargedby the meter units used - If the answer isappx. 11 you are being charged for a Metric meter, if it is appx. 31 you are being charged for an Imperial meter
If the meter's mark does not match the billing, get onto SE immediately

ilovelondontown

Thanks pineapple and dogshome, the mathmatical part of my brain (which is a bit spongy at best didn't really understand all that!) My meter is these for digits then 2 extra in red boxes. So at the moment it reads 7888 XX When I gave the chap on the phone the details he said he only needed the first 4 digits.

Here's what I have:

13,290.61 kWh / 425 units used = 31.27

To give you further indication, last year for the same period I used around 3000 kWh.

This whole thing hurts my head. I don't know HOW we used 13k worth of gas in such a short space of time.


Edited: This is what it says on my bill:

How gas units are converted to kilowatt hours:
425 Imperial units used x 2.83 imperial to metric conversion factor x 38.90
Calorific value x 1.022640 Volume correction ÷ 3.6 to convert to kWh =
13,290.61 kWh.

Units converted to kilowatt hours (kWh) 13,290.61 kWh

Nada666

But what does it say on your meter -> you want it to say metres cubed (m3) to the right of (or below) the dials. If it says ft3 or cubic feet then you are out of luck.

ilovelondontown

I'll have a little look and check back... Is even this something they could get wrong?

Foxn86

I used to work for SSE in collections and if you don't take the DD option then no theres not another option. If you did pay the £100 per month you would get a full refund if any was overpaid.
With the prepay meter you could do this have the debt applied and chip away at an affordable rate. Then when you are going to move pay £50.00 to get the credit meter back in. Any remaining debt can be transferred to your new property. That may be better for you!

Also there is a scheme that you may be eligible for offering free boilers, this is funded through utility companies.

check this link out www.climateenergy.org.uk/Homeowners.asp

it includes private let, people on tax credits have a look anyway.

Nada666

I've no idea how it happens - I would assume the serial / MPA number should be pretty tightly tied to the property - once the correct type is set up it ought to be streamlined. But, clearly, as it does happen occasionally, it is not automatic and someone is manually misplacing a check box somewhere when accounts are changed.

ilovelondontown

Thanks Fox86, the point is really, that I can't afford to repay £100 a month on top of all other bills AND electric. My tenancy agreement doesn't allow prepay meters put in. The most frustrating part is it's 100% MORE than it was this time last year, with all circumstances in the flat the same, doesn't make sense to me!

Thanks also nada666 I'm keeping everything crossed its an error, otherwise it's a financial nightmare!