Why such high electricity bills?

Miss_Annie

Hello Everyone,

I’m asking for some advice regarding electricity meters/bills. I will try my best not to make it too long and keep to the facts.
Moved into a two bedroom flat six years ago which is on economy 7 (as we have no gas).

We did what we could to take up the advantage of cheaper bills with paying by direct debit and also using the EDF’s cheapest tariff on the blue-price-promise.

We are pensioners on pension credit so we do have help with the £200 winter payment and also the Warm Home Discount of £140.00

Now the problem: The bills are the highest I have ever seen in over 45 years of paying electric bills. Which came to a head in Sept 2014 with a bill of £792.41 I did question the bills because we had nothing that would run up such high electricity.
We have all the normal household items, cooker, fridge, freezer, kettle, hairdryer, tv, emersion heater, washing machine, iron, phone chargers etc plus in the winter months the use of the storage heaters. But our DD is £150.00 per month and breaking us. We are for ever turn everything off. We have now switched supplier to OVO which is cheaper but still high bills.

I did question the meter, is the meter working correctly. An engineer came out and fitted a device which was left for 24 hours and then removed. No faults found.

I made enquires with the other three flats, they all confirmed they had high bills with one complaining that he thought he was paying someone else’s bills as well as his. In turn over the years everyone has made a complaint. New people now stating their now paying double the bills to their old address.

Is it possible that there is something happening to all four flats to have high bills that is being missed by the Electricity companies (we all use a different suppliers).

We are considering a move would do it, but whoever moves in here will have a shock.

Can anyone shine a light on this problem please? and thank you so much for even reading this far!

Gerry1

Unfortunately, electric heating is by far the most expensive. General inflation means that almost everything will be more expensive than it's ever been, and energy prices have been rising faster than most things.

Assuming that it's absolutely impossible to get gas, there's not very much you can do except move to somewhere with GCH.

Presumably you've checked out all the usual suspects - estimated bills instead of monthly meter readings (leading to arrears being paid off via your DD in addition to your actual electricity usage), number on meter differs from that on your bill, meter relates to someone else's flat, day and night E7 rates swapped over, immersion heater running on day rates etc?

Have you turned everything off for a couple of hours in the evening and made sure that the meter hasn't incremented and the red light doesn't flash?

Stop thinking in terms of DD amounts; what is your annual kWh usage based on actual meter readings?

st999

£s are useless we need meter readings and consumption in kWhs.

How many kWhs are you using in a year, night and day?
A DD of £150 a month means £1800 a year of electricity.

Miss_Annie

Thank you for your reply Gerry1.

There is no gas to the building, sadly.

We don't use the storage heaters, they don't get turned on.
The immersion heater is on a timer, I have it to come on at 06:00 to 07:00hrs then again at 17:00hrs for just half an hour.

At night we turn as much off as possible. We have just bought one of those small halogen ovens of we don't have to use the main oven on our cooker. We have also bought those small oil radiators which we put on for an hour when it gets too cold.

I have a spread sheet so I can put in our reading which also includes day rate and vat so I know what I have used each day. The washing machine I use on low temp

Meter number is the same.

Like I have said, I have lived in a lot of places over 45yrs never have I seen bills like this one since living here.

I always submit the readings. I don't think am going to find an answer. After Christmas looks like a time to start looking for somewhere else to live.

My children with families in large houses, with them using dish washers and tumble dryers don't get my high bills.

Robin9

Miss_Annie wrote: »

...................
The immersion heater is on a timer, I have it to come on at 06:00 to 07:00hrs then again at 17:00hrs for just half an hour................

Unless you run out of hot water in the evening don't set your timer to come on at 1700 - you will do better with an extra half hour from 0530.

From your spreadsheet can you give day and night readings from a year ago and also today please. What tariff are you on ?

DawnCrush

Miss_Annie wrote: »

....

Now the problem: The bills are the highest I have ever seen in over 45 years of paying electric bills.

My gran came back from the corner shop yesterday and she was complaining that the cost of the tin of beans she bought was the highest she had seen in over 89 years!

Something about it being almost 16 bobs being outrageous,
Then she started reminiscing about how in the past, she could remember being sent to the shop when she was a little girl to get a tin of beans, a loaf of bread, a couple of ounces of lard and also managed to get a small bag of sweets for herself on the side, and still had some change from a tanner to return to her mum.

I didn't understand what she was on about, but bless her :A

Miss_Annie wrote: »

Which came to a head in Sept 2014 with a bill of £792.41 I did question the bills because we had nothing that would run up such high electricity.

Someone else must be tapping into your supply somehow, but if you've not managed to find out who or how in over 5 years, I'm not sure I can assist you much; I'm sure you've tried everything I could advise by now, sorry.

stewie_griffin

If you don't use your storage heaters ever then how do you hear the flat? Are all the meters in a communal area and if so have you made sure the one labelled for your flat is actually supplying it.

Please post your annual usage (based on actual readings) and also your current tariff.

What was the balance on your account on your last statement. If you weren't in credit then this may account for some of your DD.

Robin9

Miss_Annie wrote: »

......................

We don't use the storage heaters, they don't get turned on...................

Thanks to Stewie for picking this aspect up.

OP please I do hope you have not been using focal point fires, oil radiators, fan heaters etc.

JJ_Egan

As above tell us what you use and when .

brewerdave

Is it possible that your supply is being used for communal areas ?(as you are in a block of 4) ie lighting in hallways ,stairwells etc. You can test by switching your main isolator off and checking to see if communal lights go off.

Gerry1

Miss_Annie wrote: »

We have all the normal household items.... plus in the winter months the use of the storage heaters.

Miss_Annie wrote: »

We don't use the storage heaters, they don't get turned on.

So are they used or not? :huh: Worst of all, are you ever turning them on in the day and using peak rate electricity?

Miss_Annie wrote: »

The immersion heater is on a timer, I have it to come on at 06:00 to 07:00hrs then again at 17:00hrs for just half an hour.

Don't use the immersion heater in the afternoon at peak rate except in emergency when you've accidentally run out of hot water; adjust the early morning period so that it lasts long enough, adding another insulation jacket if necessary. You could also be using peak rate for some or all of the period between 06:00 and 07:00: dial 105 to find out your exact night rate times, and confirm them by watching the meter changing over at these times. Make sure the immersion heater goes off 15 minutes before the night rate is due to end.

Miss_Annie wrote: »

We have also bought those small oil radiators which we put on for an hour when it gets too cold.

Oh dear, more use of expensive peak rate heating. Might just make sense occasionally during spring or early autumn, but not for much else.

How are the communal areas heated? As well as the lighting check, also switch off everything in the flat at the wall sockets (but now leave the meter switch live) and see whether the meter still increments or the red light flashes.

When did you last do a whole of the market price comparison based on annual kWh usage from actual meter readings?