Smart meter back billing

Libbef

Hello, we have just discovered that our smart gas meter has not been working since installation in 2019 (the direct debits were still going out but recently refunded which prompted us to look into it). The meter should be fixed shortly but the energy company want to charge us for the usage since 2019 based on our future usage.  I accept we need to pay but working it out this way doesn’t seem fair since I will be working at home using more energy due to Covid restrictions going forwards which I wouldn’t have used in the past. Can they do this? Any advice would be gratefully received. Thank you. 

Robin9

It may be that they can extract the missing consumption from the faulty meter. 

If not - go back to them and ask for historic billing.   

[Deleted User]

Once the new meter has been installed updated, maybe get in touch to discuss circumstances to guestimate a more accurate usage to agree on.

Talldave

If you read your meters monthly, you'd have an accurate profile of energy consumption up to the point the meter wasn't working and would have had the problem resolved sooner with no need for guesswork.  I appreciate that's useless information at this point,  but an approach worth following for the future!

CJ123

Depends how the supplier wants to do it. They will have the history before it became faulty to use. You could ask them to do it that way and find out what they say.

Robin9

@Libbef  You've got your own historic billing as well - from previous bills even with other suppliers (hopefully with actual readings and not estimates)  and your own monthly readings

dogshome

Back-Billing applies when a supplier fails to issue any bills for 12 months or more, in which case they can only bill for energy used in the previous 12 months, calculated back from the date they did manage to produce a bill - So on what date in 2019 was the new meter fitted ?,

And also have they actually issued a bill yet?, because if not the 12 months Back-billing clock is still ticking.

It's a fair point about Covid and working from home, so push for what has already been posted by Robin 9, in that the Estimated billing for missing meter reads is based on your historic consumption on the Old Meter 

dogshome

Good Luck with Back-Billing claim.

The rule was brought in by Ofgem to protect customers from "BILL SHOCK", caused by a suppliers failure to bill at all, and then demanding immediate payment.for historical consumption

Oddly enough. the Credit payment that triggered you to contact the supplier, was in fact a case of the supplier shooting themselves in the foot - Had they not sent that credit they could have used the money from your D/Debits to pay the un-issued bills, as there would have not been any "Bill Shock"

As it is now, you are now in "Bill Shock" with a demand going back over 12 months  -  And with the hard times of Covid you really are Bill Shocked aren't you ! 

MWT

dogshome said:

Oddly enough. the Credit payment that triggered you to contact the supplier, was in fact a case of the supplier shooting themselves in the foot - Had they not sent that credit they could have used the money from your D/Debits to pay the un-issued bills, as there would have not been any "Bill Shock"

As it is now, you are now in "Bill Shock" with a demand going back over 12 months  -  And with the hard times of Covid you really are Bill Shocked aren't you ! 

The Ombudsman hasn't been supportive of that view unfortunately, the supplier can reverse the 'error' of the refund and still treat the payments as payments.

There was a case on here a while back where the Ombudsman didn't share the view that a refund and a correction of the refund would cause 'bill shock'.

For the OP, does the IHD not show any meter reading at all? (the little display they gave you when it was installed).