Is this right or legal

helloeeveryone123

im sure you are right moneystootight , he is the Teflon Don, nothing sticks, and he gets away with murder

silvercar

I'm still not understanding why so much electricity is being used.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but electricity is only used to power up the thing, in the same way that a gas boiler has electric ignition. So the amount should be very small. Even if it is used excessively, it should only be using a small amount of electricity to switch on.

Could it be that in getting the agreement for the use of the neighbour's container, some or all of her electricity is being charged to you?

How much is your actual bill increase?

Norman_Castle

helloeeveryone123 wrote: »

TBH its all a farce

It certainly is.

moneyistooshorttomention

This does seem the most likely scenario to me - ie that someone (accidentally or otherwise) has wired in the "old lady's" electricity to run off OP's meter.

The "old lady" must have suspicions that this is the case if so - as her electric bill will have gone down as mysteriously as OP's has gone up.

AdrianC

silvercar wrote: »

I'm still not understanding why so much electricity is being used.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but electricity is only used to power up the thing, in the same way that a gas boiler has electric ignition. So the amount should be very small. Even if it is used excessively, it should only be using a small amount of electricity to switch on.

I already posted some electricity consumption figures, from a randomly-googled typical domestic biomass boiler.

Running - 50w.
Start-up/ignition - peak 830w.

Remember, this is a sealed box into which you put fuel. The boiler has to get that fuel - logs in this case - burning. If you were doing that in a stove, you'd use newspaper and kindling, perhaps even paraffin firelighters. The stove can't do that. It has to use electricity instead to generate the initial heat.

SwanJon

A couple of things have jumped out at me:

helloeeveryone123 wrote: »

Have turned everything apart from Biomass, turned heating on only and the red light flashed on the meter only once.

The frequency of the light flashing shows how much electricity is being used (it might say near the light how many flashes per kWh). Doesn't sound like the Biomass was using a lot of electricity at the time you looked.

helloeeveryone123 wrote: »

had a who ha with Scottish power as we kept on getting bills through (forgot this) told them on pay as you go , long story short sent me a letter saying they were getting it sorted and no more bills.
I think I may ring Scottish Power tomorrow and tell them the situation to see if they have changed tariff etc.

silvercar wrote: »

I'm still not understanding why so much electricity is being used.

OPs above post made me question how much electricity is actually being used (in kWh, not £). If Sp thought you had a balance they may have programmed the meter to recover it, and that is taking the extra money.


OP - I'm not sure if you've checked the screens on the meter so sorry if this is repeating something you know.
By pressing the blue* button the screen will change, always showing a letter. If you run through the screens, making a note of what they say, then do the same a day later it will give you an idea of what the meter thinks is going on.

Off the top of my head, the most important screens are:
F - standing Charge
G - Total reading
H - Another reading (since reset, day rate if two rate)
I - price of units (if two rate, price of day rate)
J - Night rate reading (only shows if two rate)
K - price of night rate (only shows if two rate)
S - balance the meter is aiming to recover (you will need the key in to see this)
T - How much the meter will recover each week towards the balance (again, need the key).

Happy to help interpret if you want to put all the details up.

*Older meters may have other colour buttons, or two buttons.

helloeeveryone123

Swan John thankyou so much for your imput.
I have pressed blue button and its as follows. E £01524.
F is £011.92.
G 07637.72
H 07637.72
I 013.84
R££005
S £246
T £020.00
A £005.90

helloeeveryone123

Our bill has doubled since installation of boiler system
For use of her container , it was agreed we would have supply for her heating /hotwater.
Which would be as much as a light bulb in cost

AdrianC

So the meter is trying to recover £246 in debt, at a rate of £20 per week.

SwanJon

Did you know the meter was taking an extra £20 to pay a bill? If not that brings your £30 a week down to £10 (which was what you were expecting?)

It might just be coincidence that the biomass went in around the same time SP sent the message to the meter.

If you didn't know about the balance/recovery on the meter I'd get in touch with SP to find out why. If you agree the balance is correct you can always negotiate a different weekly payment amount. (£20 seems very high, but will clear the balance over the summer.)

The meter will take 20p (1% of Weekly payment) from the credit on the meter every 101 minutes (1 week/100). If you are in emergency credit it won't take this (or the standing charge), but will remember it and take it in one go when you next top up/

If you do the same thing tomorrow the change in screen H will show howmuch electricity you have used.