SSE unbelieve-e-bill

Deborah_51

I moved into a very small ground floor flat on 16/09/2019. 1 bed, bathroom, small kitchen !!!!!! living room. There is an economy 7 water heater, 2.5 electric radiators, towel rail, washing machine, oven, hob, undercover fridge. I got a microwave for Christmas.  I don't have a tv, broadband or a home phone. There is no mobile signal so my charge lasts forever.
I spend an average of 2 weeks a month living at my parent's taking care of them, so have only used my own washing machine about 4 times.  When I leave the flat I turn everything off with the exception of the fridge.  When I'm in my flat I stay in my bedroom & keep the thermostat low so the hearing won't kick in as it makes the walls vibrate.
I received a bill to 16/09 -29/11 which was £196.00. It was an estimated reading but when I checked it wasn't that far off the read.  I contacted the letting agent for them to ask the LL about her electricity consumption, she came back and said she thought her bills were high, but to take advantage of the economy 7 water heater.  Having stuck my head in the sand, I called SEE and asked them for a payment arrangement.  They said the couldn't make one as my next bill was due to come out.  Bill went up to 515.00. I told them I thought this couldn't possibly be right, so got my partner to go and check the reading (still with parents) and check my post.  A collections letter was there dates 2nd of March, for the 196.00 they refused to make an arrangement for (that will be another £42 thank you)
I phoned the actual reading through, and now my bill is a whopping 986.00

Called SSE, apparently I don't have an economy 7 meter. The agent changed over to SSE on 15th September, day before my tenancy started. Apparently it's in the TA... SSE said they would have put Eco7 meter in if the previous one was and the agent just duck shoved me about.  I can't afford to keep the place if based on appx 3 months in residence out of 6, it's 986.00
My unit rate is 18.44 & daily Standing charge is 27.50. 
I went back last Friday, checked the reading and it had gone up 20 units since the last read (4 days prior and only fridge on) put the water heater on overnight, and the radiator on for an hour, checked again and it went up by 25 units.
Am I being paranoid or is there something amiss?!

MWT

Something doesn't sound right.

I'd start with the easy checks, turn everything off including the fridge, and go check that the meter is not moving.

Then turn on something large like a kettle or a radiator and make sure that the meter is increasing by the right amount for the load.

Also check the meter number matches your bill.

Also your unit rate is horrible for a single rate tariff and you should have arranged to move to a cheaper tariff/supplier the moment you moved in, but with the debt on the account you may find that difficult now.

Did you check the meter reading when you moved in and does your first bill reflect that reading?

Also given that you have wiring that suggests Economy 7 was in use at some point you may want to make sure that the water heating isn't turning on automatically over night which would be increasing your consumption even when you think you have everything turned off while you are away...

Robin9

Mistake number 1 - NEVER, NEVER let you landlord/agent/caretaker set up your utility account.  If you had read the meter on moving in and given the details to SSE you would then have been able to switch to a different supplier and a better tariff. That £196 might well have been £150

Why didn't you pay the £196 when you received the bill ? Usually bills are due in 14 days ie before Christmas.  It looks like you didn't query this till the next bill was due  in Feb/March. 

Are you now reading your meter at least monthly?

D_M_E

This could well be another case of the wrong meter being associated with your flat.

As MWT says, check the meter serial number with the one on the bill - do they match - is the meter being used for your consumption the actual one supplying your flat?

Also, using heaters will knock up the bill something terrible and result in ginormous amounts being billed.

Gerry1

Why do the electric radiators make the walls vibrate??

Does the OP even have an E7 (two-rate) meter?  If not the water will be heated at the single rate, which is already 50% higher than it would be on a competitive tariff.  If the OP does have an E7 meter, what is the overnight rate?  She would also need to find out whether the (immersion?) heater is switched by the meter (good) or by a local timer next to the tank (bad, because its switching times may not match the E7 overnight times).  Any Boost switch should be left switched off otherwise it will use expensive daytime electricity.

Seems yet another tenant is learning the very hard way that if you don't read the meter on moving in, don't send monthly readings, don't understand your property's set up and don't find the cheapest tariff - it will all end in tears, we've seen this time and time again in this forum.  That's not victim blaming, just stating what inevitably will happen if these things are overlooked.

To prevent these problems, there really should be a quick factsheet / tutorial included as part of every Energy Performance Certificate.  Many people haven't paid utility bills when they choose their first property and (not surprisingly) don't know the basics.  As a minimum it should include the following.

• State whether room, water and hob/oven heating is gas or electricity, and warn that electricity is about about 5 times as expensive.
• State whether meter is single rate or E7.  If E7, state whether water heating switching is meter controlled, if not warn that the local timer may be incorrect.  State whether there is a Boost switch, explain its function and warn that it should normally be left switched off to avoid the expensive day rate.
  
• If there is a gas boiler, explain that this is usually cheaper than electricity for providing hot water.
• State the name of the energy supplier(s) and that they must be contacted immediately and meter reading(s) given.
  

Robin9

Gerry1 makes some very good points. Utilities are probably well down on the list when people move - colour of curtains and where will we put the tele will be higher.
Has anyone who has moved into a new property - rental or purchase - had any good info sheets from estate agents or letting agents 

Deborah_51

Hi, thank you for all your replies.
I did take the start read at the check in, it was actually lower than the read the day before when SSE took over the supply the day before, SSE agreed to stick with their higher read as a start point.  The meter number matches the number on the bill.
Apparently the agent - Leaders - change all their properties to SSE. I've put a call in to the agent to see if I can switch suppliers when the account is settled.  The landlord was clearly under the impression it was an economy 7 meter, at least this was the impression I got when the agent relayed her comments back to me. 
There is a timer next to the water heater, and yes a boost switch. It was suggested that I use this as otherwise I only get about 7 minutes of shower before the water runs cold.

When the wall thermostat kicks in, the control unit starts with a loud clonk and loudly hums and makes the wall vibrate. I did bring this up at the last inspection.
I hadn't paid the bill straight away, as I didn't have the money at the time. 
It seems shocking, but maybe this is in fact all down to the water heater... 
I feel like a total idiot because I have been privately renting for the last 20 years.

Thank you for all your comments and advice.

RelievedSheff

Your price per unit is outrageous. Can SSE not put you on a better tariff and quickly?

Unfortunately there is not much can be done about the power you have used as you will have to pay that back. You will have to try and set up a payment plan with SSE.

Electric heating and water heating is by far the most expensive way of heating your home and your water and at the rates you are paying it is quite easy to see how a big bill can be racked up.

dogshome

Big part of the problem is SSE's tariff, which unless you have changed it , it will be their 'Standard Variable' tariff -  ie the most expensive

There are plenty of suppliers out there who are cheaper  - Start your search the Citizens Advice Bureau site, It's a bit clonky but gives all suppliers prices without fear or favour - When you think you have found the right supplier, CHECK THE CUSTOMER REVIEWS BEFORE SIGNING UP

Note to other regular posters - "Change all their properties to SSE"  - From this it appears that we have one of the Big   6  5, useing the Spark formula to gain customers, heaven help tenants

D_M_E

When the bill is sorted and settled, ignore the agents and switch to whoever you like, there's nothing they can do to prevent you switching.

Talldave

Photograph all meters on tenancy start date, monthly and tenancy end date.

How can the reading have been lower a day after a previous reading? Photos eliminate any confusion. Competent letting agents provide an inventory with meter photographs - check them, the double check rhem again. Refuse to accept/sign any inventory with incorrect meter readings. 

You don't need anyone's permission to change supplier. Tenants should consider this a mandatory task after moving in and opening an account with the incumbent supplier. As a minimum make sure you're on a competitive tariff if you want to stay with that supplier.

Always refuse to allow any letting agent to handle energy accounts. They're usually incompetent and even if they're not they don't care if they make mistakes.