Help needed on extremely high electricity bill

Talldave

Slinky said:

The OP says the flat downstairs has been unoccupied since the first lockdown. Who would continue to pay out rent for so long on a flat they're not living in.  Seems very odd.

Who said anyone's paying rent on it?!  There's a plot twist at every junction box on this one. It would be entertaining if it wasn't going to cost the OP so much :-(

jbuchanangb

There has been so much advice on here that I am a bit reluctant to add any more, but I have been thinking about a practical way forward for @Gentlegiant with respect to the debt to British Gas. I calculated that over 759 days the average consumption was 26kWh/day, and we are expecting this to have been supplying 2 flats. I let my spreadsheet calculate 365 days usage based on the 759 we know about, divide by two for the two flats and calculate the annual cost at the current rates. It comes to 4894 units costing £958. This would be £80 per month. There is arrears of about £2,000. If this were to be paid off over 2 years it would cost £83 per month. The OP could make an offer to pay BG £163 per month to cover the next 12 months energy usage and to start to pay off the arrears over a 2 year period. This would keep them quiet.

Meanwhile, he should be seeking to recover about £1,855 from whoever has been getting free electricity for the last 2 years. When this comes through, he can pay it over to British Gas and recalculate the monthly payments. Then he will also be able to switch supplier. A long road ahead.

Hasbeen

Still waiting to see if the photo of the 3000w baby cot/heater will appear.

Gerry1

Heating babies often doesn't end well.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13513052/baby-fighting-life-burns-cot-fire-radiator/

There's also a risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (Cot Death).

https://www.babycentre.co.uk/a1037212/how-to-keep-your-baby-warm-all-winter

tim_p

Hasbeen said:

Still waiting to see if the photo of the 3000w baby cot/heater will appear.

Don’t worry, it’s not just you!  

matelodave

Getting info is has been a bit like like pulling teeth and, I'm sure this thread would have been significantly shorter if the questions that had been asked up front had been answered a bit quicker without having to tease them all out one by one.

Although you do have to admit it's kept us all off the streets 

Gentlegiant

jbuchanangb said:

There has been so much advice on here that I am a bit reluctant to add any more, but I have been thinking about a practical way forward for @Gentlegiant with respect to the debt to British Gas. I calculated that over 759 days the average consumption was 26kWh/day, and we are expecting this to have been supplying 2 flats. I let my spreadsheet calculate 365 days usage based on the 759 we know about, divide by two for the two flats and calculate the annual cost at the current rates. It comes to 4894 units costing £958. This would be £80 per month. There is arrears of about £2,000. If this were to be paid off over 2 years it would cost £83 per month. The OP could make an offer to pay BG £163 per month to cover the next 12 months energy usage and to start to pay off the arrears over a 2 year period. This would keep them quiet.

Meanwhile, he should be seeking to recover about £1,855 from whoever has been getting free electricity for the last 2 years. When this comes through, he can pay it over to British Gas and recalculate the monthly payments. Then he will also be able to switch supplier. A long road ahead.

I am expecting an invoice fro BG in the coming days. At the moment -£2431 debt has been reversed and I am now on £1213 credit. I believe this is BG working out the bill after my last call to them before sending an invoice. Whatever the amount of the bill is will be communicated to the landlord and shared with the flat downstairs if its confirmed my electricity has been used by the occupants of that flat. Thats the agreement in place with the LL. 

Gentlegiant

Hasbeen said:

Still waiting to see if the photo of the 3000w baby cot/heater will appear.

Its 30W read it wrongly 

Talldave

You need that dodgy feed to downstairs disconnected.  No ifs/buts, and no agreement to halve future bills. They may be 100% electric AND be running a cannabis farm.

Hasbeen

Gentlegiant said:

Hasbeen said:

Still waiting to see if the photo of the 3000w baby cot/heater will appear.

Its 30W read it wrongly 

Still to much

Ask your Health Visitor what she thinks of electrical baby heaters.