Settling an 8 year electricity bill

undaunted

This is a domestic supply isn't it?

Are you sure they didn't say that you would have to pay for 12m & 7 be written off? Presumably they knew of the two meters if they were billing the last occupier in that form?

An 8 year old debt would also surely be barred by statute even if they wanted to pursue it through the courts

Have a look at the back billing guidelines http://www.energy-uk.org.uk/publication/finish/43/412.html

wakeupalarm

paul_101 wrote: »

It appears that there has been a secondary electricity supply to my property that I have not been paying since 2005.:eek:

paul_101 wrote: »

The meters are in communal cupboards and residents dont have access to them. They are read remotely.

paul_101 wrote: »

I am not allowed access to (unless I specifically request so from the leaseholder).

I'm sure your legally entitled to have access to the meters, have you never requested access in 8 years from the leaseholder to check your primary supply has the correct readings?

paul_101 wrote: »

The primary supply accounts for more than enough of what I would expect to pay for electricity, in the region of £300 a QTR for a small flat. The secondary supply amounts to £100 per QTR. But the building has very high energy efficiency and I really did not know what bill to expect having previously being in a victorian property with single glazed windows the size of the Queen Mary, and other changes such as bath to shower and all electric cooking.

Yes, I was the first purchaser. The developer obviously didn't tell the energy company.

If yours is only a small flat in a block of flats why do you have 2 electric supplies? Whats the primary supply used for and what is this secondary supply used for?

ChumpusRex

I'm sure your legally entitled to have access to the meters, have you never requested access in 8 years from the leaseholder to check your primary supply has the correct readings?

It's quite common for meters in new-build apartment blocks to be in plant rooms where there is lift machinery, water pumps, etc. and as a result residents are not permitted access to the meters (due to the presence of industrial machinery).

If a resident wants a meter reading, they leave a request for readings with the building manager and the manager will arrange for a suitable employee of the management company to read the meter and deliver the reading to the resident.

When I suspected after 4 years that there was a crossed meter problem when I lived in such an apartment, it was a real hassle to make appointments with the management, electricians, meter engineers, etc. so that all the relevant people could have access at the same time. It was that day, 4 years after I completed the purchase that I first laid eyes on my electricity meter. It had an automatic reading device, so I always got "accurate" bills and were it not for my very strong suspicion that the meters were crossed I would likely never have found the problem.

As the meters were mislabeled in the meter room, the management were reading the same meter as the electricity supplier, so the readings, serial numbers, etc. all tallied.

[Deleted User]

ChumpusRex wrote: »

It's quite common for meters in new-build apartment blocks to be in plant rooms where there is lift machinery, water pumps, etc. and as a result residents are not permitted access to the meters (due to the presence of industrial machinery).

If a resident wants a meter reading, they leave a request for readings with the building manager and the manager will arrange for a suitable employee of the management company to read the meter and deliver the reading to the resident.

When I suspected after 4 years that there was a crossed meter problem when I lived in such an apartment, it was a real hassle to make appointments with the management, electricians, meter engineers, etc. so that all the relevant people could have access at the same time. It was that day, 4 years after I completed the purchase that I first laid eyes on my electricity meter. It had an automatic reading device, so I always got "accurate" bills and were it not for my very strong suspicion that the meters were crossed I would likely never have found the problem.

As the meters were mislabeled in the meter room, the management were reading the same meter as the electricity supplier, so the readings, serial numbers, etc. all tallied.

If its quite common for meters to be in " dangerous " places, with industrial plant, how come I ve never seen that in my 14 years on the job . I have never seen anything remotely dangerous ever. All residents can get to see their meters if they re pushy enough, they are not trying hard enough. all residents have legal access to their meters and dont have to rely on some management gofor to do their readings and get them wrong.
I would think that its illegal for any construction to place a domestic electric meter cupboard for access by the customers and me , to contain anything in the slightest danger to anyone. The only problem s I ve seen is the cutting of master keys whose blanks are not readily available and therefore a bit too pricey for giving out to all the residents. Its in cases like this where they go the" health and safety" route to get out of a slight problem

sniggings

sacsquacco wrote: »

If its quite common for meters to be in " dangerous " places, with industrial plant, how come I ve never seen that in my 14 years on the job . I have never seen anything remotely dangerous ever. All residents can get to see their meters if they re pushy enough, they are not trying hard enough. all residents have legal access to their meters and dont have to rely on some management gofor to do their readings and get them wrong.
I would think that its illegal for any construction to place a domestic electric meter cupboard for access by the customers and me , to contain anything in the slightest danger to anyone. The only problem s I ve seen is the cutting of master keys whose blanks are not readily available and therefore a bit too pricey for giving out to all the residents. Its in cases like this where they go the" health and safety" route to get out of a slight problem

thanks for that, the above post was a bit alarming.

I always thought you are always allowed access to you meter, just because a landlord says you have to make an appointment because of safety doesn't make it true.

dogshome

Why, oh why does a small flat in a recent new build/redvelopment, have two Elec meters?

This additional meter with it's billing at an apparent £100 a Qtr, is useing power at the sort of level demanded for lighting & cleaning of the public areas of the building, which are normally paid by the Management Co.

Paul_101 says he has used it, but for what ? - He needs to check:
1) That the main meter he thinks his is, really is, ( With all off in the flat check that the meter has stopped, then have a friend in the flat with a mobile phone swith the kettle On/Off - The right meter will move in synch with the Switching )
2) That this second meter records no advance when all is switched off in his flat for some hours

[Deleted User]

Another big problem with these over pushy managements of flats denying access to residents own meters, is what happens when the suppliers have reached the end of their tether with some flat dwellers and need to fit prepay meters. We have this happening in my town where a large flat development have refused to allow access to British Gas engineers trying to fit prepay meters. I have regularly read the meters in their large cellars but they wont allow the occupiers to wander the cellars topping up their prepays.. deadlock on this one !

ChumpusRex

sacsquacco wrote: »

If its quite common for meters to be in " dangerous " places, with industrial plant, how come I ve never seen that in my 14 years on the job . I have never seen anything remotely dangerous ever. All residents can get to see their meters if they re pushy enough, they are not trying hard enough. all residents have legal access to their meters and dont have to rely on some management gofor to do their readings and get them wrong.

I phrased things badly. I've lived in 2 developments like this in 5 years, and now let one.

In both cases the building managers (professional property managers contracted by the management company) were adamant that there was dangerous plant in the meter rooms and that was the grounds to deny any resident access.

In practice, the plant was not actually that dangerous.
The "lift machinery" was in fact, the isolator switches to the lifts (connected to the landlords meter).
The other stuff, mainly industrial ventilation, was inside its own locked cages in the room, and you couldn't get within 3 feet of it.

Certainly in the block where I let an apartment, I know that the management have refused an electricity supplier access to install a prepayment meter, on the grounds that they will not permit resident access (it came up at a flat owners meeting). The manager said that in future if an electricity supplier wanted to install a prepayment meter they would be refused access, although they would be given access if the request was to disconnect the supply.