£1,040 electric bill for 6 months...

[Deleted User]

With regards to our storage heaters - there is an input and an output, which over winter were both on just over the half way point. The reason why they were on so high was because they'd heat up overnight and by the time we'd get home from work, the flat would be cold. I tried playing with the settings, for example putting the output on the lowest, then when we got in from work turning them up, but the heating would've still escaped from them throughout the day.

lvm - I think there was a couple of month's gap between tenants, so not loads.

finchyboy - that sounds like a really good idea but I wouldn't know where to start! How would I monitor usage? Especially since I don't have access to my electricity cupboard, I'd need the letting agent to come out and read it, and unfortunately I leave for work at 8 and don't get home until half 6, and they will only do it during work hours (hence I've never been there before when they've done it).

Is it actually illegal for the letting agent to not let us have access to our meter reading cupboard?

BitterAndTwisted

No, it isn't illegal although it is ruddy inconvenient. Are there any other occupants/tenants in the building who might be persuaded to lend you their key?

dimbo61

Lesson from this is
1 check the EPC for whatever property you are renting
2 take pictures of the meters the day you move in with Date stamp and then phone the electric/gas company yourself.
3 read the meters ever month and contact the supplier to make sure your DD is correct.
4 When you leave take pictures of meter readings and contact the supplier and give new address so final bill can be sorted.
Send readings to letting agent/Landlord either by letter or email to prove what the readings were when you left.
Good Luck

twink22

Are you only switching on the immersion heater on your water tank when you need it and not leaving it on? I rented a 2 bed flat with only electricity and heating the water costs the most (didn't use much heating as we were well insulated by the other flats round us) our bills were approx £100 per quarter I think.

Now renting a 3 bed detached house and the gas/electric bills have been £500 per quarter, and that turns out we had a faulty boiler eating gas, even the engineer said our bills must be sky high, so yours seem way too excessive tbh.

mark?_3

we're in a 2 bed flat - all electric, economy 7. It's really easy to chew through the electricity - especially when we run out of hot water and have to turn on the immersion during the day. Might be worth picking up a smartmeter from ebay (only about £20-30) so that you can track your usage.

Quick thing to check - is your water heater turning on between midnight and 7am? when we moved in the clock on ours was set to heat up in the middle of the day!!!

Chrisandsarahs

Hi there. I had a similar problem with my electricity bill a couple of years ago. My GF and I live in a 1 bedroom house and we wanted to move energy suppliers. We gave a final meter reading and they said we owed them £900! I was so shocked. We couldn't figure out why it was so much. I started to really look through all of the bills that they sent us, then I found the reason why it was so high. They came and changed the meter over 7 months before, and where billing us for our old meter, and the new one! I would check this out as it might have been changed without your knowledge if the meter is not within our property.

[Deleted User]

twink22 - we don't use the immersion. The water tank heats up overnight which we use in the morning. There is occasionally a teeny bit of hot water left in the evening which we'll need for washing up or if other half goes for a run and wants another shower, but we don't use the immersion. Also I am a bit of a fire-safety-freak (habit picked up from mum) and so turn off every single appliance at the wall every day - so no TVs or anything are left on standby.

mark? - Yes I believe it does heat up overnight as we have hot water every morning and none in the evenings.

Chrisandsarahs - I wish this were the case that there were 2 but unfortunately I don't think so - it is just from one meter.

Thanks