Extremely High Bill

Moneygrabber89

I am with Octopus energy and my average estimated bill was £56 a month as a live alone in a very small 2 bedroom house.

I have submitted my meter readings for the first time in 5 month and my gas bill has come back with minus £400. On there website It states an average small house should use 21kwh a day however it estimates im using 65kwh a day.

If rang them up and done tests and shows nothing is wrong and if I want engineer to test I have to pay £80

JJ_Egan

Two words estimate and average add on no meter readings for five months .

65 you can check that by reading the meter and looking at previous meter readings .

Moneygrabber89

Sorry mate I don't understand your response

Gerry1

Nothing to suggest your meter is faulty.  The period covers some of the coldest months, so the consumption will be above average.  In any case, your property and usage patterns aren't likely to be average anyway, everyone is different.

Just make sure from now on that you send monthly meter readings (the volume, not kWh, from the meter on the wall, not from any portable toy).

If you're still concerned, turn everything off and make sure the meter reading stays unchanged overnight.

You can work out the kWh and the cost using https://www.businessenergy.com/business-gas/gas-bill-calculator/.

matelodave

Your biggest problem is that you haven't been reading the meter, sending in readings or checking your bills - even if you've got a smart meter you should still check your bills and make sure that they are using meter readings. Your bills and statements are on your on-line account.
Dont take any notice of averages - it's what you use or have been using that counts. Dont forget that your previous consumption has been through the winter when you'll probably use between 60 -70% of you energy, the other 30% will get used during the summer so you cant extrapolate the winter readings to estimate your summer ones (I use three time more in December than I do in June). If you monitor your consumption yourself rather than relying on guesstimates from the enrgy compnay then you'll know what you use, when you use it and how to control it.

And last but not least do all your measuring in kwh rather than £££'s - Octopus isn't renowned for being the cheapest. (I'd be spending about £300 a year, £25 a month more if I was with them). So work it out in kwh and then find a cheaper supplier

Talldave

Forget averages, your house is your house and it uses what it uses based on your temperature settings, the quality of insulation and your level of hot water use.  If you had read the meters monthly you'd have known after month 1 that your estimates were optimistic. It's a pain to be hit with a big bill, but you're wiser now and can be better prepared in the future.

Moneygrabber89

Ok thanks im £500 down now

Robin9

Please look back on your old bills and find one with an ACTUAL reading on it and give us the meter reading and also read your meter today. 

Is the £56 DD for gas and electricity ?

Has your meter been changed recently ?

PS When you read your meter 5 months ago you would have got a bill within hours from Octopus. Were you in in credit or debit (and by how much)

Moneygrabber89

This is info on their website:

Small house/flat – One or two bedrooms

Using 8000kWh of gas per year, and 2000kWh of electricity

For a small family (3-4 people) living in a medium-sized house, the average monthly utility bill is £66, with an annual bill of £795, based the energy usage figures above.

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The problem is i have used 20000kwh of gas in 9 months which is more than a 5 bedroom detached house would with 7 occupants and i only use hearing when in house which is about 4 hours a day (not including sleep when heating is off)

MWT

Was the meter reading 9 months ago an estimate or an actual reading?

If you can post a list of dates and meter readings, and not which readings are actual vs estimates it would help us to help you...

Robin9

Another check please - when you read your meter look for the serial number and if its m3; now look at your latest bills and see if it's the same. 

PS Has Octopus actually been taking your DD ?