Huge overcharging help please!

ChumpusRex

I think something must be wrong with the readings.

It sounds like the suppliers used the wrong reading for the change-over.

Possibly, you gave a reading to BG but they didn't believe it (because if they had used it, the final bill on that account would have been £1500). £30 is very low for a property with electric heating. Your most recent readings over the last 7 months show consumption of around £35 a month - and that misses out most of Winter when the bills are biggest, so it's likely that you've been underpaying for years and built up a debt.

What I guess has happened, is that BG closed your account with a£1500 or so discrepancy between the actual meter readings and what BG have billed you for. This has then led to a massive "catch up" bill from Eon.

CashStrapped

As a quick check of your meter readings, I looked at the usage between readings and the average daily use.



The problem with this is that I do not know which readings are estimates or not. This can skew the average daily usage a lot.

What it does show that in Jan/Feb 2013, you had a massive bill/usage (average of around 120kwh per day for the month for normal and low use). It looks to me like it could have been a catch up bill due to estimated (and under estimated at that) readings in the past.

It also shows, estimated or not, that you seem to be using too much on the expensive rate.

redzombii_2

A quick update, I have received a response from e.on today stating that they received two readings on account opening - the one they based my bills on was estimated: Rate 1 00209, Rate 2 00117. The actual readings given by myself on account opening they say were ignored for billing (not sure why): Rate 1 03019 Rate 2 01923. So this is I guess where the overcharging has come in.


They are investigating something and say they will call me back later today...

redzombii_2

Richie-from-the-Boro wrote: »

E10 electric water heating .. .. .. Do you mean you have wet electric central heating with conventional steel radiators and pipe-work ?

Yes Richie, exactly that.

redzombii_2

CashStrapped wrote: »

I cannot think of a more costly set up then a electric combi boiler on an Economy 10 tarrif. It is a system designed to be used at a moments notice. However Economy 10 and 7 are not designed for that kind of instant use.
QUOTE]

Once I have got some kind of resolution from e.on, do you think it would be better to pay the £60 to change my meter to a standard one instead of being stuck in the Economy 10?


I have taken daily readings as suggested which are here:


16/01/15 - Rate 1 7250 Rate 2 4996
17/01/15 - Rate 1 7271 Rate 2 5004
18/01/15 - Rate 1 7281 Rate 2 5006
19/01/15 - Rate 1 7302 Rate 2 5016
20/01/15 - Rate 1 7308 Rate 2 5024


then a week later 27/01/15 - Rate 1 7360 Rate 2 5093


A quick annual use calculation based on actual readings from e.on are:


04/01/14 - 20/01/15


Rate 1 - 1902kWh
Rate 2 - 1462kWh


Total Combined Annual Consumption - 3365kWh

redzombii_2

Finally seem to have a resolution!! Thanks so much for everyone's help.


So e.on have said that my previous supplier (apparently was actually SSE) closed my account on the wrong readings. E.on have adjusted my account and around £600 has been credited. Luckily(!) as SSE closed the old account over 12 months ago they are not able to amend any bill so the difference has been written off.

CashStrapped

So, in reality you were not overcharged.

However, due to a mistake by your previous supplier in closing the account you have managed to avoid a £600 bill, which was in fact correct.

At least heed the lesson of ensuring your meter readings are actual confirmed readings and always yup to date. This will avoid huge catch up bills that you think are wrong.

Don't forget, (and I do not mean to sound mean here, it is just a fact) debt that has to been written of by energy companies is eventually passed on to all of us in higher energy prices. Ok, you are just one person and it was not intentional, but it all adds up.

As I highlighted in my previous post, it seems that due to estimated readings you have had at some point a huge catch up bill (specifically in Jan/Feb 2013) . This will happen again unless you use confirmed meter readings.


Regarding your most recent use:

Is Rate 1 your cheap rate? Did you calculate those annual figues yourself? Did you use readings which were both confirmed and not estimates?

redzombii_2

Well yes and no. The actual readings on account opening with e.on were given less than a month after I moved in. SSE was a legacy supplier from the landlord, so even I couldn't have used £600 energy in one month. Somehow the error has been by SSE or perhaps my landlord for giving wrong move out readings for previous occupiers. I appreciate what you're saying but I certainly won't pay for electricity I haven't used myself! Yes, I was overcharged.

I have certainly learned the importance of actual readings and will continue to submit once a week. This should also allow me to build up a very detailed use chart over the next year to help with future comparisons.

Rate 1 is the 'Normal' rate, Rate 2 is the 'Low' rate.

I did calculate the figures myself, based on confirmed actual readings from e.on, given to me on the phone today:

04/01/14 - Normal 05458 Low 03630
27/01/15 - Normal 07360 Low 05093

Thank you

Cornucopia

The original meter readings probably started at or near to zero, this being a new build. So whatever the error, it's constrained by that. Given the nature of the heating (sounds ridiculous) it's possible that the error may in fact be excessive day time usage.

There's also the issue of whether the registers are reversed. That can easily be checked by examining the readings several times in one day.

The idea of taking daily readings is to match the readings with your activities and use of appliances.

redzombii_2

Cornucopia wrote: »

The original meter readings probably started at or near to zero, this being a new build. So whatever the error, it's constrained by that. Given the nature of the heating (sounds ridiculous) it's possible that the error may in fact be excessive day time usage.

There's also the issue of whether the registers are reversed. That can easily be checked by examining the readings several times in one day.

The idea of taking daily readings is to match the readings with your activities and use of appliances.

I wasn't the first occupier of the property after it being built, I was referring to the fact that being 'new' instead of 1960s etc would mean the insulation and double glazing would be good.


I only use the heating outside of the low rate hours between 0700 and 0800 when the internal temperature of the house is below 10c.


The registers seem to be correct, although I haven't had a chance to check them at each change over time just yet - it is something I will do to make sure. The time on the meter is a few minutes out.