Ovo Energy - Massive charges and don't know what to do

worried_jim

Just how many plants are you cultivating? As soon as you start selling the merch you should easily be able to cover your fuel bill.

System

This might sound daft but are you reading the meter properly (Occam’s Razor): that is, ignoring all the numbers to the right of the decimal point? An average of 12.67kWhs an hour isn’t possible unless you are growing cannabis in your back room? ( I am not suggesting that you are).

Wiring in flats can be a problem - particularly, if there has been a building conversion. You could try turning off your supply when it gets dark and see if any of your neighbours get annoyed. If they don’t, then get the meter checked.

Mantisguy

No cannabis factories here, although to be frank I feel like getting high right about now, buuuut that's a discussion for another forum. Anyway (to answer top to bottom)...

Most of the tenants are pretty normal women and the guy directly below me definitely doesn't have the smarts to pull off something like leeching my electricity! Those are some interesting statistics though, Sparx. Even though I found my statements ludicrous, I didn't think one of these months was allegedly enough to power you for two and a half years!

kelpie35: Good to talk to another Ovo customer. Yeah, I know I should have done this, but I didn't think anything was wrong since they never sent me any paper statements or e-mails with these charges. The only way was to log into their website since they never sent the amounts in e-mails. I just assumed I was always being charged the estimated £62 in my bank statements.

matelodave: Yeah, you hit the nail on the head with that first paragraph. I wish I had some past evidence but I barely have anything

worried jim: That's a good idea!

Hengus: Shouldn't that possible error have been cleared when their own electrician visited? Besides, it says all over their website's statements that my power usage is that high. I recall soon after joining them, Ovo saying I should be perfectly fine just using their estimated monthly price and not have to worry about the meter which I now know is a mistake.

Mantisguy

I want to attach an image of the meter but I can't submit URLs. Can I PM somebody to post this here?

Carrot007

Just post without the "http://" Someone will then give a link.

Your usage is ridicolous fopr a flat even with E7. However the first line of contact are usually hardly trained and do not ask the right questions and have no idea what an average usage is.

Postiong a meter image would help. Are they counting digits after the decimal as whole. WHo knows. Meters can go wrong. And people can tap in but tapping in would not use so much! Even growing weed is 100's of times cheaper these days thanks to LED lighting!

It's quite the quandry!

Mantisguy

Oh I see. Whole number, no decimals.

i.imgur.com/SC7bHPh.jpg

System

Mantisguy wrote: »

Oh I see. Whole number, no decimals.

i.imgur.com/SC7bHPh.jpg

How do you get 111000 when the meter only reads 67954?

What was it reading the last time a meter reader called? Usually, annotated on the bill with the letter ‘A’.

Carrot007

Also if it's E7 there should be two reads? Are you getting them both?

Have they been swapped at any time?

There is often a third read which is a cumulative total of all the registers, has this been confused at any time?

It could be the issue is swapped reading beetween the three and the computer just accep[ting it rolled over.

Although any competant DC would hgave flagged it as wrong.

http://i.imgur.com/SC7bHPh.jpg

victor2

Carrot007 wrote: »

Also if it's E7 there should be two reads? Are you getting them both?

Have they been swapped at any time?

There is often a third read which is a cumulative total of all the registers, has this been confused at any time?

It could be the issue is swapped reading beetween the three and the computer just accep[ting it rolled over.

Although any competant DC would hgave flagged it as wrong.

http://i.imgur.com/SC7bHPh.jpg

Further to that, I can't claim to know that meter, but would expect it to show multiple readings with either 1, 2 or t to the left of the reading, indicating Rate 1 (day maybe), Rate 2 (the opposite to 1) and the total of the two. It seems odd to me that there is nothing in the image to the left of the digits. You don't have to read the meter at different times of the day and night to get the readings.

Mantisguy

Day and night is what they said. That's actually what they instructed me to do for the photos as well. The thing is, these seven off-peak hours seem really ambiguous to me. I don't think it matters too much so long as I get photos soon after midnight and before the afternoon.

I found some older photos in my e-mails that I sent to Ovo as evidence back in October. In most of the photos there is a 2 to the left, and in one of them no extra digit like the photo in this thread. No 1 or t. It suggests I wasn't taking the photos at the best times but I do recall doing it around midnight or shortly after and the morning. Hmm. Are photos of the dial important, or just the box?

On a side note, I think I'll avoid E7 in future and get something else installed. From what I've read it only appears to benefit a smaller group of people.