New build electricity bill sky high

katebyrne

We moved into a Barratt new build on 26th June and we love it. The only issue has been the electricity. I called British gas and they think there might be something wrong with the meter. Apparently we used over £85 in 3 days!! Does anyone have any idea what could have caused this? Definitely not electric were using.
Thanks! 

AnotherJoe

No point speculating, could be many reasons. One of which could be  "something wrong with the meter." LOL

greatcrested

How on earth could we know from the minimal info you provide?

* Have you read the meters? Start date and bill date? Or are the bills estimates? Or covering a period before you moved in?

* does the bill include use by contractors before you moved in?

* what electicity do you use? Hot water? Electic heaters? Night storage heaters? What else?

* does the meter number on the bill match your flat? Sometimes developers get them mis-labelled and you end up reading (and paying) a different flat's meter.

* Yes, possibly the meter's faulty, but some simple tests to check all the above should help you check

AdrianC

Turn all the breakers in your consumer unit off.

Is the meter still going up?
Turn everything on, one by one, and check each one.

£85 at 15p/kWh is 567kWh. In 72 hrs, that's nearly 8kW all the time - 80 100w light bulbs. A 13A socket is 3kW max, so it's fairly bloody substantial. Roughly three big electric heaters on full whack 24 x 7.

JGB1955

Meter readings when you moved in.... and now? 

Robin9

katebyrne -  aware you of the decimal point on new meters ? AdrianC estimate of 567 Kwh would become 56.7 kWh and £8.50

A photo of the actual meter (in your garage or outdoor meter box) please-   hopefully you're not relying on the IHD ?

eddddy

katebyrne said:

I called British gas and they think there might be something wrong with the meter. 

What made you call British Gas to discuss electricity usage after 3 days?

For example, is it because you have a smart meter monitor - and the monitor was showing £85 of usage?  If so, it could be a problem with the monitor, rather than the meter.

You could check the readings on the smart meter itself to investigate.

katebyrne

We moved in on 26th but sales staff forgot to do meter readings so said they would just pay up to 4th when they came to take them. They were 0048 on 4th at 4:30pm then when I called on 8th at 10am about something unrelated, they were (I think!) 00148 and went to 00149 whilst on the phone then 00255 today (12th).
We have A+ rated new appliances with the house (shower, dishwasher, wazher/dryer and fridge freezer). Hob is gas.
Not estimated readings no. Also 3 bed semi so not a flat. 
Thanks all! 

Robin9

An electric shower ?   That could be 2/3 kWh every time you use it .
Read that outdoor meter (not the IHD) every day.
I presume you have registered with BG and now started a switch  

greatcrested

???? but surely you read the meter yourself on 26th when you moved in...no? (well, I guess not!)

So they (sales staff) were paying the electricity till 4th, 9 days later? You got 9 days free electricity?

On 4th the reading was 0048 - you read this yourself?

On 8th it was 00148? Strange! An extra digit! and the final 2 digits are the same in both readings (48).

Seems to me that whoever is reading the meter is reading it wrong........!

And if it was not you, why are you not reading your on meter?

Is the heating gas or electric?

katebyrne

The heating is gas. Error in last Post. First reading was 00048 second was 00148 and went to 00149 whilst on phone. 
Yes, they are paying until 4th as they forgot to do them apparently. We didn't do them as they said they would have done them and would email them to us.