Massive electric Bill

corsic

Hi all,

Recently received an estimated bill from Scottish Power regarding a quarterly statement for Electricity, have no gas. After not receiving any letters since moving into a new property, been in the properly 3.5 months now, agency sent a letter to Scottish Power on the move in date but nothing has happened on their end. Bill came in at £580 after phoning them up and explaining this to them and I think they plucked out random meter readings . Went and checked the meter readings and checked them against the start date readings given to me from the agency.

Needless to say I'm a bit worried, the unit size between the periods is much more than in the estimated bill and I have no idea where they got the readings from previously. Gave the new readings to them.

Storage heaters/ immersion type heating is being used, along with a hot water switch next to the boiler switch which I assume it is a back up immerser. The hot water switch has been left on for a good while now, the system is on a timer and cuts off at certain times. The hot water switch only comes on with the set timer and goes off again when it finishes.

From calculating the cost from the units in the period it is over £1000 pounds. Surely this can't be right.

perhaps they have carried this on from a previous tenant?

[Deleted User]

Hi,

so are they using the wrong start readings?

Verify that start date and readings on the bill are same as your entry date and readings.

Compare your recent meter readings to what you have been charged.

You sound as though you are on E7, a two rate meter, so make sure that readings have not been crossed, day for night, or normal for low.

Make sure that the hot water boost is not on constantly.

Take a daily/weekly reading to check usage.

Cardew

Obviously you should have checked the meter readings when you moved in, but I suspect it is too late now to challenge those readings.


You don't say the size of property, or state of insulation. Is it a well insulated bedsit or drafty old 6 bed mansion!

corsic

It's a one bedroom flat.

No heavy usage of appliances. Will take a daily reading for the units from the meter for the week.

I'm thinking this could either be down to incorrect meter readings given by the agency or the immersion heater could be faulty.

A neighbor recently had plumbers take out an old boiler and fit in a new one above where mine is. Could they have mistakenly or deliberately tapped into the supply of it?

I have taken a reading from yesterday to today and it is at 31 units.

Very high reading but the estimated bill for that daily consumption is roughly around that.

But the actual meter readings are twice that. I am confused to say the least. Engineer coming out to look at the meter but I think there's something else at play here.

footyguy

corsic wrote: »

Hi all,

Recently received an estimated bill from Scottish Power regarding a quarterly statement for Electricity, have no gas. After not receiving any letters since moving into a new property, been in the properly 3.5 months now, agency sent a letter to Scottish Power on the move in date but nothing has happened on their end. Bill came in at £580 after phoning them up and explaining this to them and I think they plucked out random meter readings . Went and checked the meter readings and checked them against the start date readings given to me from the agency.

Needless to say I'm a bit worried, the unit size between the periods is much more than in the estimated bill and I have no idea where they got the readings from previously. Gave the new readings to them.

Storage heaters/ immersion type heating is being used, along with a hot water switch next to the boiler switch which I assume it is a back up immerser. The hot water switch has been left on for a good while now, the system is on a timer and cuts off at certain times. The hot water switch only comes on with the set timer and goes off again when it finishes.

From calculating the cost from the units in the period it is over £1000 pounds. Surely this can't be right.

perhaps they have carried this on from a previous tenant?

Remember a letting agent is employed by, and so (should) only be interested in protecting the Landlord's interest.
Put bluntly, they don't care about you.

The agent can only get the electricity account closed on behalf of the landlord (their client); they cannot start a contract for you with a third party (the electricity supplier)
The fact the agent did not advise you what you as a new tenant should be doing can only be taken as an indication as to the level of professionalism of the agent (you've been warned )

If you have not contacted the supplier, you will be charged at a deemed contact rate, usually the suppliers standard (expensive) variable tariff rate.

Without evidence to the contrary, it would be very difficult to dispute your opening readings now.
(It really is best to get get the opening meter readings recorded and agreed on the ingoing inventory/condition statement)

I very much doubt the supplier has "plucked out random meter readings". In the absence of anything else, they will usually start your meter reading at the same value as the closing reading supplied by the previous account holder - all you can do in the absence of any other evidence is to hope the agent provided the electricity supplier with an accurate reading (the agent would have no reason not to, as the agent does not pay the bill anyway)

You mention something about meter readings provided by the agent when you moved in, so how do these actually compare to the opening reading on the bill?
If there is a difference, why can't you use the readings supplied as evidence?

Finally check the meter reading you have been billed up to, and see this is accurate to what the meter today reads.

Jockice

You're not the only one who is having problems with Scottish Power's billing system. Here's one I posted earlier. To no replies....

After several troublesome years with Npower I switched my power supply last summer to Scottish Power, which had a deal for £45 a month. Around October they had asked for my meter readings. The meter is in the cellar, which I am unable to access due to a disability so I asked a friend to do it. I sent the figures to Scottish Power and thought no more of it - until this morning when I received an email informing me that my account and direct debit had been updated.

I looked and to my horror they are now charging me £115 a month (which incidentally is around the figure Npower were charging when I left). I really can't see why I have been charged so much though.

I live in a one-bedroom (all-electric) flat, I have a storage heater in the living room, and a plug-in radiator (on most of the time in the winter) and two-bar electric fire (which I only have on when at home and in the room during winter). The storage heater in the bedroom is broken so I use a plug-in heater which is only turned on in the evenings, and an electric blanket on the bed (ditto). In the kitchen I have a cooker, a microwave, fridge freezer and a washing machine that I use once a week.

There is a fan heater in the bathroom which I only turn on in winter months when I'm going to have a shower (usually only once or twice a week - I swim regularly and usually have a shower whilst there). I also have televisions in the bedroom and living room and the laptop I'm on now. And that's it.

Obviously I intend to switch providers as soon as possible but in the meantime is there anything I can do about this? Unless my mate has catastrophically misread the meter figures (which seems unlikely), I'm being well and truly ripped off again.

(PS, my upstairs neighbour also changed his supplier last year to the Co-op, which is also charging him around £45, so that seems to be a fairly accurate figure for thesse flats.

Jockice

PS, when I change, which I definitely will at the first opportunity I intend to go to a firm which sends people round to do meter readings to prevent any possible inaccuracies. My neighbour reckons the Co-Op do but are there any others? I don't really want to play the disability card but will if I have to.

matelodave

It's not really difficult to ask someone to check your meter once every month or so or to make sure that your bills correspond with your meter readings. Are you totally unable to use stairs?

Playing the "disability card" as you call it is what gives the disabled a bad name especially if you can manage to go swimming several times a week.

System

Jockice wrote: »

I intend to go to a firm which sends people round to do meter readings to prevent any possible inaccuracies.

The legal obligation on suppliers is to read meters every two years. British Gas has a derogation which permits them to read meters once every 5 years. If you want ACTUAL bills then you should get someone to read your meter/s for you.

You only pay for the energy that you have actually used. In this context, your monthly DD payment is at best a guess. When actual readings are submitted, the supplier's computer will check to see if the reading provided is realistic when compared to previous readings and past usage.

Jockice

matelodave wrote: »

It's not really difficult to ask someone to check your meter once every month or so or to make sure that your bills correspond with your meter readings. Are you totally unable to use stairs?

Playing the "disability card" as you call it is what gives the disabled a bad name especially if you can manage to go swimming several times a week.

Charming. Especially as you know absolutely zero about my medical situation. But if you must know I have an extremely rare degenerative (and incurable) neurological disorder that badly affects my movement AND a spinal injury, which means that putting weight on my back often causes it to go into spasm or just to give way under me. I can manage a few steps using crutches but anything over that I have to use a wheelchair. I would find it impossible to use those cellar stairs. You think I haven't thought about trying? You think I don't feel bad about having to ask other people to go down there for me? You think I wouldn't like to be able to do it for myself?

And swimming is the only exercise I can do properly as the water supports my back and limbs. The doctors advise it as otherwise my entire body would be in danger of stiffening up. And for your information I had a job until three years ago, which I was made redundant from and am now studying for a PhD. So your insinuation that I am some sort of lazy scrounger is totally incorrect.

Now in what way am I giving 'the disabled' a bad name? I'd like to know. And if you don't have an answer is there any chance of an apology?

Robin9

Have you asked your supplier to instal Smart meters ?_