Meter problems with Scottish Power

mattdanielc

Hello,

Long time lurker and reader, and finally signed up to join in

Anyways...

I first phoned Scottish power about this issue on the 27th March, and have also emailed before (without a response). I have since phoned a few more times, being cut off a couple of times but managed to speak to a couple of their representatives as well.

When we moved into our new house in late November we decided to stay with the current supplier – Scottish Power – and so contacted them to create an account. I did not have to provide readings as the previous owner had done that in the morning before she left so they already had them.

It has since transpired that the readings she gave were the wrong way round on the electric meter. The current reading of ‘24379’ on the ‘night’ reading should be swapped to the ‘day’ reading. Therefore ‘04397’ should become the ‘night’ reading.

I have asked for the readings to be swapped round – but as of yet this has not happened. They keep saying 'it takes time to process'. Scottish power have now emailed asking for a meter reading.

Anyone had any experience of an issue like this? It's obviously not serious (yet..) but I just want it sorted - should it really take them this long?!

dogshome

Problems with suppliers billing the Night & Day readings the wrong way round are not uncommon - Chances are that the previous owner reported them the wrong way round because she had always done them in that order, and did not know of the error.

What is worrying is that the correct Day reading is so much higher than the Night reading.
An ECO7 meter provides 'cheap' power overnight, but the daytime power is charged at premium over Standard meter rates - Most ECO7 households have Storage Radiators and Hot Water systems that burn a lot of power overnight and the usual formula is for the Night consumption to be higher than that during the day - Suppliers will often use this ratio to decide which is the Day reading and which is the Night.

Obviously most of today's readings on the meter were were run up by the previous owner(s), but if you continue to run the house in the same manner you will incur very high bills - How and when are you heating the hot water, and how are you heating the house?

2013yearofthehouse

Is it possible the night meter reading has just gone "round the clock" (not sure that's the correct term, but hopefully you know what I mean)! Our elec is currently 06000ish, but was 99999ish a few years back. So the OPs night meter could have gone through 104,396 while the day meter is 24379?

mattdanielc

Thanks guys. We heat the hot water from half 6 in the morning to half 7 and then again in the afternoon for a few hours. There's no way we could heat it during the night instead - the heating makes a racket! The house was built in 1987 but the heating seems ancient. But isn't that gas anyway that would go up through heating / hot water?

I'm certain the day and night need to be swapped. In theory they shouldn't because if you google - how to read your meter scottish power -(I can't post links) it says that our digital electric meter will show the night reading first. The first reading that pops up is the larger number - 24379. So in theory you think ah it is the night figure.

However the actual meter itself has a sticker on which says the first number (1) is the day reading. Also, I took both readings in the morning at 10am, and then checked again at 6pm after a battering of washing machine, hoover, tumble dryer etc, and the 'night' reading had gone up which was when I realised something was odd and then saw the sticker. So I'm convinced they need swapping.

In a month and a half the larger number has gone up 469 KWh and the smaller number only 76 which again shows the smaller has to be night

dogshome

Are you saying that you have Gas for Hot water ? and Heating ?

If this is the case you should not have an ECO 7 meter ( There are some who can make Gas CH & HW work economically with an ECO7 meter, but requires strict discipline to run Wash m/c's , D'washers and everything else you can think of overnight to get the Night rate power use up to 30% of your total Elec billing.)

Some suppliers will bill you at Standard meter rates by adding the Day & Night readings *together, whilst others will insist on a new meter
*A new meter is the best option, as the add together method still leaves your meter as an ECO7 on the Central Registry, which means that if you change supplier or sell the house, it's status will default back to ECO7

2013yearofthehouse

Edit: have deleted my post that was here, as it basically said the same as dogshome (didn't see above post until after I'd finished)

mattdanielc

dogshome wrote: »

Are you saying that you have Gas for Hot water ? and Heating ?

Sorry if I'm not making sense. I just presumed it's gas for both yeah... (I'm useless with this stuff sorry).

The boiler kicks in whether it's the heating or hot water I turn on? Surely it uses gas to heat the hot water up?

footyguy

mattdanielc wrote: »

Hello,

Long time lurker and reader, and finally signed up to join in

Anyways...

I first phoned Scottish power about this issue on the 27th March, and have also emailed before (without a response). I have since phoned a few more times, being cut off a couple of times but managed to speak to a couple of their representatives as well.

When we moved into our new house in late November we decided to stay with the current supplier – Scottish Power – and so contacted them to create an account. I did not have to provide readings as the previous owner had done that in the morning before she left so they already had them.

It has since transpired that the readings she gave were the wrong way round on the electric meter. The current reading of ‘24379’ on the ‘night’ reading should be swapped to the ‘day’ reading. Therefore ‘04397’ should become the ‘night’ reading.

I have asked for the readings to be swapped round – but as of yet this has not happened. They keep saying 'it takes time to process'. Scottish power have now emailed asking for a meter reading.

Anyone had any experience of an issue like this? It's obviously not serious (yet..) but I just want it sorted - should it really take them this long?!

That's very unusual.

Usual practise its to ask the new customer to supply their own meter readings.

Yes the supplier will compare these to readings previously supplied by another account holder, but this safeguard not only prevents errors in the case you describe, but also in the event the previous account holder gave inaccurate readings (either deliberately or accidentally)

e.g. if the previous account holder gave artificially low readings, they would pay less, and you would pay more ... and without you having provided the start readings (or having evidence later to the contrary) then it would be difficult to rectify. Even if they can rectify it, the sooner the discrepancy is known, the sooner it can be investigated and so the more realistic chance of the the correct outcome being reached.

[Deleted User]

Rate 1 on your meter will, as the sticker says, refer to the 17hours of day reading, and 2 will be the 7 hours night. You say the night reading advanced in the daytime hours.Some older meters, including digitals ,are controlled by an analogue 24 hour timer switch. This could well be many hours out of time. The pointer at the bottom shows what time the meter thinks it is. Scottish Power are the first supplier I know who now wish to know from us on our rounds, what time the timerswitch is set to. If you have a radio teleswitch, this will be accurate and the more modern digital meters have their own built in timerswitch which can drift off correct time. They will be set to GMT not BST

dogshome

The gas boiler kicking in when you want heating or hot water says you have a fully functional GAS system of heating and hot water.

As explained in post #5, you are seriously paying over the odds for your Elec. by haveing an ECO7 meter, as an urgent matter contact your supplier, ( best in writeing), and advise them you have GAS Central Heating & Hot Water and ask them if they want to change the meter, or bill your Elec as though you have a 'Standard' meter

OhReally_2

dogshome wrote: »

...As explained in post #5, you are seriously paying over the odds for your Elec. by haveing an ECO7 meter, as an urgent matter contact your supplier, ( best in writeing), and advise them you have GAS Central Heating & Hot Water and ask them if they want to change the meter, or bill your Elec as though you have a 'Standard' meter

How do you know that???

We have E7 and GCH. A quick check indicates it would cost us at least 10% more to move to the suppliers equivilent single rate tariff.

And that ignores any early exit fee that may apply or the charge the supplier will probably make to change the meter (about £50)

I thought this site was about saving money? :cool: