Back billing rules

Verity_C

Hi


I'm interested to know where I stand on the following. I have recently been told by my energy supplier (npower) that they have been charging me incorrectly for gas. They have issued me with a back bill of £438 which they would liked to be paid for by increasing my current direct debit to £208pm. This is more than 100% increase and not affordable. They have agreed to recalculate this to a manageable level so I'm ok on that front. They have also clarified that this back bill is only for 12m, they have written off a further £650 for the previous 13m we have lived in the property. However npower were the suppliers for the previous owners as well so this is not a new meter to them.


However - am I eligible for these charges? I have provided regular meter readings for the 2 years we have lived here - accurate moving in figures and every month or two since then. However they are saying that they have been charging based on the meter being a metric meter and actually it is an imperial meter (they had the wrong serial number) and therefore the calculation of useage based on meter readings is wrong. But this is not my fault? I have never been asked to clarify the serial number (until last month which is when all this started) and it wouldn't be standard practice for me to check it with them, especially as they had previously been supplying gas to this property.


Any insight would be welcome.


Thanks

Biscuit_Tin

Verity_C wrote: »

Hi


I'm interested to know where I stand on the following. I have recently been told by my energy supplier (npower) that they have been charging me incorrectly for gas. They have issued me with a back bill of £438 which they would liked to be paid for by increasing my current direct debit to £208pm. This is more than 100% increase and not affordable. They have agreed to recalculate this to a manageable level so I'm ok on that front. They have also clarified that this back bill is only for 12m, they have written off a further £650 for the previous 13m we have lived in the property. However npower were the suppliers for the previous owners as well so this is not a new meter to them.


However - am I eligible for these charges? I have provided regular meter readings for the 2 years we have lived here - accurate moving in figures and every month or two since then. However they are saying that they have been charging based on the meter being a metric meter and actually it is an imperial meter (they had the wrong serial number) and therefore the calculation of useage based on meter readings is wrong. But this is not my fault? I have never been asked to clarify the serial number (until last month which is when all this started) and it wouldn't be standard practice for me to check it with them, especially as they had previously been supplying gas to this property.


Any insight would be welcome.


Thanks

If you've used it, and the supplier has not back billed you more than 12m (as they acknowledge they have not), then why do you think you would not be liable for these charges?

If the supplier say you owe them £438 being the amount accrued over the last 12 months, then normally the supplier will allow you to repay that amount over the next 12 months. i.e. at a rate of £36.50 per month

If the supplier has now proposed to increase your monthly payment to £208 pm, then that presumably means they consider you are using £171.50 pm, i.e.£2058 pa.
Is that correct?

If so, and as you indicate you cannot afford to pay that amount, you need to consider cutting down (as well as ensuring you are on the best tariff you you)
As the amount almost twice the national average, there seems some room for reduction.
Please consider the environment

Verity_C

Thanks - that is partly my issue! I do consider the environment in everything I do and I really can't believe we are using twice the national average in energy. We rarely have the heating on and I'm careful not to leave lights on unnecessarily, we don't use the shower or bath every day either so use less hot water. My husband works from home so does use more energy than most on electricity - but the cost increase is related to the gas in this instance. We do have an above average sized house, but it would certainly not equate to double the national average

JJ_Egan

Meter readings are they frequent .

Verity_C

Yes every month. But that isn't the issue. They have been calculating usage based on it being a metric meter and actually its an imperial meter

matelodave

Do you read your meters regularly, send in your readings and check your bills every month.

Just thinking that you don't use a lot is not quite the same as checking, monitoring and knowing what you use and when you use it.

Dont forget that there are very few actual average households, every one is a bit different so although the "average" gives you a bit of a clue, there are too many variables to take into account to get a really accurate comparison

A lot depends on the size of the place, how good the insulation & draught proofing is,your heating controls, how they are set and what temperatures you have, type and age of the boiler and hot water tank and your lifestyle.

One of the biggest variables is your tariff - I could easily add £400 to my energy bill by being on a poor tariff. Every penny per kwh makes £70 a year difference to me.

TBH had you been checking your bills properly you should have noticed that they were using the wrong conversion factor

Verity_C

Yes and no. I had no idea I had an imperial meter myself so I wouldn't have picked up a wrong conversion factor.
I've provided meter readings regularly, but they don't mean very much to me really. They were fairly consistent and that was all I look for. I would have no idea what amount I would expect them to increase by each time. And actually I don't think the readings themselves are the issue here. It's the conversion factor as you say.
We have had a recent tariff review and supposedly we are on a decent one - but I admit I don't spend too much time looking into the details

Gerry1

Verity_C wrote: »

However they are saying that they have been charging based on the meter being a metric meter and actually it is an imperial meter

If that's really the case, then it's bad news. It means that the real usage will be 2.83 times the miscalculated amount.