Eon send HUGE bill after no bill for 8 months

MS15

Hi, I am 19 and moved into my own flat just over a year ago, i am with EON and was paying £25-£30 a month for electricity from January 2019 to July 2019 when they stopped sending bills. I tried several times to contact them but either the phone would be put down or the online live chat would lose connection. Now after 8 months they have sent a bill of £1500 which suggests i have been spending £180+ a month on electricity which just doesn't make sense. I live in a one bedroom flat with my partner we both are out the flat for the majority of the day from Monday-Saturday due to working and university. We have tried to contact EON again today but due to the current circumstances of COVID-19 no one is around to answer out calls as it is not an emergency. 
I am worried and stressed as i can not pay this huge bill. Please Help.

JJ_Egan

You have meter readings ??

MS15

JJ_Egan said:

You have meter readings ??

They have been estimating for the last 8 months i sent them one today and its gone up by an extra £100 !

Neil_Jones

MS15 said:

JJ_Egan said:

You have meter readings ??

They have been estimating for the last 8 months i sent them one today and its gone up by an extra £100 !

Well there's your problem.

Classic case of not reading meters, then reading one and wondering why it's shot up.

Do you have gas or if it all electric?  All electric is the most expensive form of heating and in fairness £30 a month was probably too low in the first place.

MS15

Neil_Jones said:

MS15 said:

JJ_Egan said:

You have meter readings ??

They have been estimating for the last 8 months i sent them one today and its gone up by an extra £100 !

Well there's your problem.

Classic case of not reading meters, then reading one and wondering why it's shot up.

Do you have gas or if it all electric?  All electric is the most expensive form of heating and in fairness £30 a month was probably too low in the first place.

yes all electric, meters were read in january 2019 and £30 was all they  charged? £30 a month to £180+ a month just seems like a huge jump to me? for a one bedroom? 

frugalmacdugal

Hi,

all electric, E7?

Were you using heaters over the winter months thinking 'all this for £30 a month' and not providing readings?

MWT

MS15 said:

yes all electric, meters were read in january 2019 and £30 was all they  charged? £30 a month to £180+ a month just seems like a huge jump to me? for a one bedroom? 

That was the first reading when you moved in though wasn't it?

From the sound of things there hasn't been a reading since then so you've essentially ignored what you were using and worked on estimates only since then...

We could run through the basics like checking the meter number on the bill matches the meter you believe to be yours etc. but frankly the bill is probably correct.

Have you just been paying £30/month on a DD each month since January last year?

RelievedSheff

You have learned a number of lessons the hard way here.
1 - Always read and submit your meter readings
2- Electric is by far and away the most expensive form of heating a home
3 - Always check you are on the cheapest tariff for your area.

£30 a month for an all electric flat was woefully inadequate as you have now found out, we use that in our house but we have gas heating which is much cheaper to run.

You will have to pay for the electric you have used so will need to set up a payment plan that not only covers what you are using now but also covers the debt that you have built up. Ideally you also need to build up some credit during the summer months so that you have some credit to use over the winter months so £180 might not even be enough to do this.

Take regular meter readings and submit them online at say monthly intervals. This will help you understand the energy you are using. We are coming into the warmer months now so your use will go down but you still need to be paying more to build up some winter credit.

You also need to learn more about how your system is set up and the most economical way of using it.

Gerry1

Did you read the meter when you moved in?  Send monthly readings from now on.  Ask for a payment plan, or ask the Bank of Mum & Dad.  What is your E.On tariff name and pricing?  You won't be able leave E.On with a large debt, but in the meantime make sure you are on E.On's cheapest tariff.

If you are renting, move to somewhere with gas; electricity for heating is always extremely expensive.

MS15

MWT said:

MS15 said:

yes all electric, meters were read in january 2019 and £30 was all they  charged? £30 a month to £180+ a month just seems like a huge jump to me? for a one bedroom? 

That was the first reading when you moved in though wasn't it?

From the sound of things there hasn't been a reading since then so you've essentially ignored what you were using and worked on estimates only since then...

We could run through the basics like checking the meter number on the bill matches the meter you believe to be yours etc. but frankly the bill is probably correct.

Have you just been paying £30/month on a DD each month since January last year?

was paying any where from £25-£37 a month from january - july 2019 

MS15

RelievedSheff said:

You have learned a number of lessons the hard way here.
1 - Always read and submit your meter readings
2- Electric is by far and away the most expensive form of heating a home
3 - Always check you are on the cheapest tariff for your area.

£30 a month for an all electric flat was woefully inadequate as you have now found out, we use that in our house but we have gas heating which is much cheaper to run.

You will have to pay for the electric you have used so will need to set up a payment plan that not only covers what you are using now but also covers the debt that you have built up. Ideally you also need to build up some credit during the summer months so that you have some credit to use over the winter months so £180 might not even be enough to do this.

Take regular meter readings and submit them online at say monthly intervals. This will help you understand the energy you are using. We are coming into the warmer months now so your use will go down but you still need to be paying more to build up some winter credit.

You also need to learn more about how your system is set up and the most economical way of using it.

Ok thank you, its all confusing and as a first time renter and the firs time i've had to pay for my bills i definitely was not as prepared as i thought. Just confused why they charged me so little to begin with as it wasnt a one of they charged me that amount for half a year? I will try get in contact with eon.