Backdated Electricty Bill - Help

Highwireman

Hi guys. This is the first time I have used this, so I am sorry if this may be a repeated subject but I am desperate for some advice on my electricity companies conduct.

I joined The Utility Warehouse in June 2012, providing them with meter readings when we started. My bills for the next 12 months were based on estimates which they calculated from these initial readings. Under this usage I was in credit by about £200 after 12 months, because I got charged £66.50 a month but was using less than this from time-to-time, especially in the summer.

In June 2013, they asked me for updated meter readings for our 12 month review. I provided these and they decided I had been using more electricity than they thought. So, off the back of this, they backdated my usage for the previous 12 months, loading £1275 of arrears onto my account, wiping all of my credit and putting me about £1200 in debt. However they never informed me of this. They have no record of any phone call, letter or email. They say this wa stated on my bill, on page 4 in the usage section, but not on the front sheet which tells me my monthly bill.

Furthermore, they made no amendments to my monthly payments, meaning for the next 12 months, they continued to charge me the standard £66.50, even though this no longer covered the new estimates they were using, meaning further arrears were built without me ever being adequately notified. Every month my bill stated £66.50 on the front.

The have now contacted me, saying I owe them £2400.

My issues here are three-fold; firstly they are telling me that my one-bedroom flat is using 10,000KWh of electricity a year, when an average household uses just over 3,000KWh in a year. I find these readings to be fantasy, my girlfriend and I are out of the house 12 hours a day and our boiler is switched off during the day.

More importantly though, they have never notified me of the change in both my usage or the arrears last June 2013, and they never changed my monthly direct debit in the following 12 months either, meaning further arrears were added to my account without me being notified until June 2014.

Can someone advise me where I stand with this? Aside from the fact that the usage they say I am using is off the scale (I surely couldn't use that with a hydroponic green house in my attic?), I find it very unfair that they never notified of my change in both arrears and usage, and then to compound matters, allowed it to build up over a further 12 months.

Do I have a case to fight this?

nightswimming

I would start by taking daily meter readings to find out what you are actually using. If that amount still seems high you might have a faulty meter or be paying for someone else's power too.

Nada666

The 3,000 kWh annual usage is for with gas central heating - it is not for electricity only households.

I am confused by the number of times posters popping up claiming 'we're not sat around at home all day - why do we have an average consumption?' There is nothing special about not having a boiler running during the day. (Question is - you mention day so suggests do you have it on overnight?)

As far as I can see from what you have written they did tell you about the usage in June 2013 - and neither of you did anything about it.

But you have been sent accurate bills. I do not think you are covered by the back-billing code. Pay up.

maas

I dont think you have a case to fight the debt. It seems they have informed you in every bill since they received your actual meter readings, you simply havent looked at the bill properly.

Certainly find out if you are actually using what they claim you are (I recommend an energy monitor) and dispute that if you find it to be incorrect.

But if you find the usage is correct I dont think you have a leg to stand on regards to getting the arrears wiped off.

JJ_Egan

You took readings June 2012 and no further readings for a year .
You where in credit after 12 months either due to no meter readings being taken or a faulty meter or you did not use as much as estimated .
The amount used does seem on the high side but if you have not taken any readings then its hard to dispute .

System

Highwireman wrote: »

Aside from the fact that the usage they say I am using is off the scale (I surely couldn't use that with a hydroponic green house in my attic?)

What, if any, is the wattage of your hydroponic bulb? I seen these advertised as high as 600w.

Highwireman

Hi guys,

Thanks for the feedback.

In order....

Nada666 - Yes I do have my boiler on at night - it is an Economy7 boiler and I need hot water like everyone else, so the boiler generates water overnight for me to use during the day. It is switched off in the morning and during the day.

JJ Egan - We provide readings when the company asks for them, I am unsure if I need to be proving these every month, bi-monthly, every six months, so I give them when I am asked. Readings mean nothing to me; numbers on a digital pad and we don't have smart meter. I would hope that companies would guide me in what these mean and the repercussions of them when we provide them, not to just thank me, change nothing and then return twelve months later with an enormous bill.

My primary concern here is that they contacted this year to advise my bill was going up and my direct debit would change to reflect this but they didn't do this last year, they just continued to take the same amount, knowing that large arrears had been built up in one go and that no communication was sent regarding this.

I take the point about reading bills properly, there is certainly a lesson to be learned there, but I can't find anywhere that states they can backdate payment on usage which they estimated from my readings in 2012.

I may be naive but my brother lives in a two bedroom, two-story house and pays £400 annually for his electric so I am genuinely confused how a tiny one-bedroom flat has a bill for thousands when we do everything we can to be frugal and energy-concious (and that is genuine by the way, we are as energy-concious as we possibly can be)

I am currently in the process of taking daily readings at 7am and 5.30pm to take to them and so far our readings look very low; as in the difference between days is low. Unsure what this means in the long term.

Thanks for the advice, I'll let you know the outcome. If you;re interested. Which you may not be. Thanks anyway.:)

System

With respect, I think that if you look at the Utility Warehouse website they do show you how to read the meters:

https://clubhouse.utilitywarehouse.co.uk/assets/internet/How_To_Read_Your_Meter.pdf

Sadly, I also think that you will find it difficult to argue against this bill. Unless you can show that (a) you have been misreading the meters or (b) there is a problem with the meters then they are going to push you to pay. I agree that the usage looks to be extraordinary; however, they do have opening meter readings and actual meter readings on which to base their calculations. No one is backdating anything: the company is just turning estimated usage into actual usage and billing accordingly. All the energy companies work in the same way which is why it is sensible to provide frequent meter readings (i do it at least monthly). That said, you might have a case to argue for more time to pay as their DD reviews do look to be sloppy by any standards.

I return to my question about your hydroponic greenhouse. A 600Watt bulb on for 14 hours a day for 2 years would amass 6132Kw/Hrs of energy usage. A boiler heating HW overnight would, in comparison, use very little as the heater will cut out as soon as the tank reaches the thermostat temp.

macman

You don't have a boiler. You have an immersion heater wired to an E7 meter.
Your brother's property presumably has gas fired CH and DHW, which costs about a third as much to run as an all-electric property, so you are not comparing like with like. No one can heat, hot water and power an all-electric property for £400pa, it's typically more than 300% higher than that even for dual fuel.
What is confusing you about meter readings? One unit on an electricity meter equals 1kWh, which is what you are billed in. If you read and submit readings every 3 months, then you avoid the possibility of a big catch-up bill. The supplier is only obliged to read once every two years; other reads are down to you if you don't want estimated bills.

[Deleted User]

The first mistake was signing up to a company that is a pyramid-marketing firm rather than a real energy supplier.

Ooh... Controversial!!! :-P

chanz4

billbennett wrote: »

The first mistake was signing up to a company that is a pyramid-marketing firm rather than a real energy supplier.

Ooh... Controversial!!! :-P

uw are now actually a full supplier, they got sold off by npower