Faulty electric meter

Charliehaseley

Hi, my son has just had his electric meter read for the first time after being in his flat for 15 months the meter reading was correctly read when he first moved in. He has been paying £37 a month, it’s a 1 bed flat and he lives on his own, it’s on the 7th floor and he doesn’t use any electric heating as it’s pretty warm Generally. His meter was read on 22nd October and they have said he owes utility warehouse £1009. He checked the meter yesterday and from that reading he has used almost 200 units in 5 days and for that amount it would be £44 plus vat for 5 days!! Equating to £200 a month, he hasn’t got regular access to the meter as he has to ask the caretaker of the private block to open up, Utility warehouse asked him if he had a swimming pool when he said no they said they couldn’t help. We have raised a complaint and they are going to check the meter on the 14th nov. Any advice appreciated, he dries his washing on a rack so no tumbledryer and he works 5 days a week so property is empty during the day.

dogshome

First place to start is checking if the meter that is being read is actually his.
In apartment blocks where all the meters in a Service Room, errors in which meter serves which flat are not uncommon.


The check needs two people with mobile phones - Turn off everything in the flat with someone watching the meter - The meter should stop, then the person in the flat switches the kettle On & Off to the meter watchers orders - The meter should react in exact synch with the kettle switching,
If it doesn't your son is being billed for the wrong meter

Talldave

First step, has he carried out a test to ensure that the meter he's paying for is the one supplying his flat?

Edit: beaten to it!

Gerry1

Not a good idea to have the meter checked before you have rock solid evidence that it's faulty; if it's found to be OK you'll just be hit by a massive charge for testing and be none the wiser.

He needs to check all the usual suspects, e.g. number on meter is same as that on the bill, and that it's not that of a different flat. He needs to pester the caretaker to lend him the key, or he needs to get his own one. Failing that, the caretaker will have to give him as much help as necessary, that's what he's paid to do !

Switch the whole flat off one cold evening, read the meter with the number shown on the bill and check it again a couple of hours later and make sure that the reading is unchanged and any red light isn't flashing. Then switch everything on, especially the tumble dryer, oven and hob and check that the units are rapidly clocking up.

Does the flat have underfloor heating?

Above all, learn the lesson and submit monthly readings.

Update: twice beaten to it !

dogshome

Apart from a possible mix-up of meter identity, Switch away from Utility Warehouse as soon as possible - Do a forum search for the acres of customer comment

Wth nearly 200 Kwh used in 5 days at a cost of £44 + Vat, shows a cost per Kwh of around 22pence + VAT, your figures confirm that UW tariffs areamongst the most expensive onoffer from any supplier - There are several out there that cost around 14p per Kwh

Talldave

dogshome wrote: »

Apart from a possible mix-up of meter identity, Switch away from Utility Warehouse as soon as possible - Do a forum search for the acres of customer comment

Wth nearly 200 Kwh used in 5 days at a cost of £44 + Vat, shows a cost per Kwh of around 22pence + VAT, your figures confirm that UW tariffs areamongst the most expensive onoffer from any supplier - There are several out there that cost around 14p per Kwh

Totally agree. I'm paying Symbio 11.5p, HALF the price!

RelievedSheff

Have you checked that there isn't an immersion heater that has been left switched on 24/7?

That could easily run up the type of bill he has been landed with.

Robin9

Double check also that the meter is being read correctly - it should be like 012345.6 Ignore the figure after the decimal point.

What are the readings shown on the bill and do they compare with what your son says it is.

Form your post "Hi, my son has just had his electric meter read for the first time after being in his flat for 15 months the meter reading was correctly read when he first moved in"

Who read it ? I hope not the Landlord or his agent.

Whatever the outcome for your son - get him into the habit of reading his meters at least every month.

Charliehaseley

No he struggles to get access to the meter as he works and caretaker who has to open up meter s access has gone when he gets home, will tell him to get access again

Charliehaseley

It was UW decision to check the meter and no mention of a charge for this was mentioned. He doesn’t have underfloor heating, he has electric to heat his water but it’s in a thermostat so surely it’s more expensive to turn it off and on, mine is on constantly and nothing like his bills as it just tops up heat as and when, I live in France but am going over b4 meter is checked so I will test it is the correct meter he is being billed for

matelodave

If he's out all day, why does he need to keep the water hot whilst he's not there. Likewise does he need to keep it hot overnight whilst he's asleep.

Get him a timeswitch so it comes on for an hour or so before he gets up and then switches off untill the next morning. He should have sufficient hot water for his morning ablutions and enough left to wash up after his evening meal and his bedtime ablutions.. That would save the immersion from switching on and off for around 22 hours a day.

As others have said, he needs to read the meter himself regularly and send the readings into his supplier (ideally not UW) he also needs to check his bills against the meter readings and get them corrected

He should get himself on a better tariff with another supplier and either puts some effort into sorting out the caretaker so he can take his own readings or he ends up paying silly amounts of money because it's too difficult.

His choice