I really need help - I do not know where to turn

Richie-from-the-Boro

no idea what tariff we are on, we give them regular meter readings

Regular monthly ? - what does regular mean ?
Tariff ? - is the second most important thing after (1) total debt and (2) debt repayment terms.
Tariff ? why no critically important e-account where graphic or table kW use is displayed by month

A £10 quid BG monitor will give good enough starting global guesstimate of use, just clip on their side of the tails. I'm amazed they managed to leave a £2700 debit metered system with a debt of that size to go to a credit system. Notwithstanding all contributions in the thread any proof or evidence is going to have to be provided by the householder at their expense.

If a winter gas bill of £20pm ("if that) provides most of the heat & hygiene needs of the dwelling then someone needs to chase down the electricity usage and treble check the MPAN. I assume a figure close to £80 per month costs with £60pm of that figure being electricity, that's E7 all electric everything territory.

Robin9

Like Richie I question your £20 a month "if that" for your gas needs.

If so then how do you keep warm ? £20 a month will perhaps cover your standing charge, water heating and perhaps an hour of c/h morning and evening.

Are you using fan and convector heaters or even a single bar electric heater to keep warm ?

As a another high electric costs - halogen lighting ?

Gizmo247

Is it possible that the meter is cuft but is being billed as m3?

Robin9

OP - as your bills are with the Ombudsman - do you have access to online billing ? Can you post a copy bill (deleting your personal details) please.

D_M_E

You are on a credit meter so there is no debt being deducted.

You have had new meters installed so it's unlikely that the meter is faulty - it could be but as it's a new one not likely.

You say you have turned ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING off, EXCEPT the fridge/freezer and the meter still spins like a top.

With ONLY the fridge/freezer turned on the meter should hardly be moving or if it is then not very fast at all.

You need to turn EVERYTHING, INCLUDING the fridge/freezer as another poster said, off and see if the meter still races away.

If it does, then either the fridge has a fault and should not be used or something else is connected to your supply and you are paying for whatever it is as well as your own use.

As it's an ex-council place, does it have anything like electric underfloor heating which is permanently on, or some form of water heater permanently on - both of which could account for the bill.

Another thing to check - and this happened to my mate - wait until dark then turn off your mains switch and pull out all your fuses then look outside and see if any lampposts have suddenly died.

My mate years ago kept getting big bills and it was eventually discovered that several of the street lights had been wired to his meter when the house was built and he got a big payment from the council when it was all sorted.

Scrounger

Gizmo247 wrote: »

Is it possible that the meter is cuft but is being billed as m3?

Shush! we're trying to reduce her bills not increase them! :eek:

I think the OP needs to use more gas for heating (rather than possibly using electric fires & fan heaters).

Angelmole, how do you heat your house?

Scrounger

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

Two problems. If the gas that is used for heating is at £20, then how do you heat your house?
The suggested rates for consumption are 3,300kWh for electric and 16,500 kwh for gas.
https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/64026/domestic-energy-consump-fig-fs-pdf

As gas is used for heating, then this would give an average price as follows: -
Standard rate would be around £1,300 a year, Gas £750 and Electric £550.

I would suggest that the house is being heated by electricity. I would suspect that there is an immersion heater somewhere that is running flat out!

TRB

Have a look at your freezer and make sure you have not got the quick freeze setting turned on I did this once and it was costing me an extra 25 pounds a week.

Mojisola

angel1mole1970 wrote: »

We have been in our house for nearly 16 years and have had constant problems with our electricity bills..... they are massively high.

D_M_E wrote: »

wait until dark then turn off your mains switch and pull out all your fuses

angel - have you ever tried this over the 16 years? If someone else is connected to your supply, it's a quick way to find out.

D_M_E

Another thing to check - are you on economy 7 and if so, are your bills being done correctly - are you being billed for daytime usage at a higher rate than nighttime usage, and are the corect rates being charged for each one - check you are not being charged the day rate dor your night use and not being charged the night rate for your day use.

Also, if there is someone or something else wired to your meter but which does not go through your fusebox then pulling fuses and switching off supply will not stop whateveritis drawing supply.

The only way to cut such a leech is to remove the power board's supply fuse which is before the cables get to the meter, usually (I think) a 100amp fuse with a wire seal on it.

Some of them don't have the seal - my old neighbours didn't and neither did a lot of the properties where I used to live - and can be removed and if your meter continues to spin even when all your isolators have been turned off and your fuses pulled then removing the mains incoming fuse will stop the meter - or should stop the thing unless it's faulty.

If you're going to pull the incoming fuse, do it at night but first have a look around outside, see what is lit up then pull the fuse and again have a look around after removal.

If anything or anyone is connected you should notice a difference or see someone complaining about a loss of power. Leave the fuse out for a couple of hours, better still overnight, and wait and see if the power company send out an emergency callout to try and reconnect someone's supply and if they do then you will know for sure they are connected to your meter. Your fridge/freezer should be safe left off for a while if the doors are not opened while the power is off.

Another thing to look at is how many wires are there attached to the meter - there should be four, 2 to take the supply from the power company's cable to the meter and another 2 to take the supply from the meter to your fusebox/mains switch. Any more than 2 is highly suspicious.

It would be well worth while paying an electrician a few quid to have a look and tell you if there is anything suspicious.