Help needed on extremely high electricity bill

MWT

Thanks for the bill copy, one immediate concern is the increase in the day time reading from the actual reading for the day rate, 15th December (76088) and the meter reading from yesterday (76714).

That is over 40kW a day...

... and the night reading is going up by another 12kW a day as well...

Those kind of numbers would suggest a lot of electric heating in use... ?

Something recent has changed as the total consumption over the period from the initial reading in Dec '18 would suggest a much lower usage pattern...

MWT

Time to do the tests Gerry suggested earlier.

Turn everything off and check that the meter stops increasing.

Then use a known load like an electric kettle to check it is recording an accurate usage.

Once you've done that you will either have found the load you didn't know about because the meter didn't stop...

... or if the kettle test produces a crazy usage figure after you got the meter to stop completely in the first test, you'll have a strong suspicion that the meter is faulty. 

Gentlegiant

MWT said:

Gentlegiant said:

Here is the most recent bill. I am not sure if it shows both rate being used but you can see i have been judged to have u more than 13000kwh between May-Dec which seems ridiculous. 

Oddly I can't see the bill, so can't comment, but for those who can see a bill posted how does the most recent meter reading shown compare to the photos of the meters posted earlier?

Here is a repost of the bill. Sorry I have had to remove so as to block out personal info. 

Gentlegiant

Hasbeen said:

MWT said:

Gentlegiant said:

Here is the most recent bill. I am not sure if it shows both rate being used but you can see i have been judged to have u more than 13000kwh between May-Dec which seems ridiculous. 

Oddly I can't see the bill, so can't comment, but for those who can see a bill posted how does the most recent meter reading shown compare to the photos of the meters posted earlier?

Would assume OP has deleted as perhaps did not take out personal info?

But has been asked a few times if immersion heater is switched on? but reply is "hot water tank heated by gas meter."
Would still check though.

Yes thats correct. I have reposted it after removing any personal info 

MWT

Gentlegiant said:

Here is a repost of the bill. Sorry I have had to remove so as to block out personal info. 

Totally understandable, someone else helpfully reposted the important bits above and my comments are right above your post...

Gentlegiant

MWT said:

Thanks for the bill copy, one immediate concern is the increase in the day time reading from the actual reading for the day rate, 15th December (76088) and the meter reading from yesterday (76714).

That is over 40kW a day...

... and the night reading is going up by another 12kW a day as well...

Those kind of numbers would suggest a lot of electric heating in use... ?

Something recent has changed as the total consumption over the period from the initial reading in Dec '18 would suggest a much lower usage pattern...

I honestly dont know what it is then.. i will do the test like Gerry suggested. But even after all the tests, does it then boil down to a situation where I dont have a choice other than to pay? I have also be advice here to change my plan asap as the rate is extremely high. Do I still go for BG or another provider? 

Gentlegiant

Robin9 said:

If the info going to the billing dept is correct the bill will be correct - otherwise several million bills will be wrong.
You don't go for a standard plan you go for the one with the lowest cost - that's what the comparison sites like Which are for.
.................. and you put your actual consumptions in three times - once each for gas and electric and a third time for dual fuel. You'll probably find different suppliers for gas and electric is cheaper.

Great! On an estimate, how can I judge my usage per day? 

MWT

You won't be able to switch without resolving the large amount they claim is owed, so just limit the change to a cheaper BG tariff.

If the tests show the meter is faulty then you'll be able to contest the bill.

If the tests help you find something using way too much energy then the bill is payable but at least you will have stopped it going up so fast....

Gentlegiant

Gerry1 said:

Robin9 said:

... and you put your actual consumptions in three times - once each for gas and electric and a third time for dual fuel. You'll probably find different suppliers for gas and electric is cheaper.

The OP already has separate suppliers.

Best to get the best BG rate available PDQ - he won't be able to leave with that amount of debt.  BG Evolve would probably be the cheapest, but it's probably run at arms length so a switch could be blocked, and the megabill would probably have to be paid in one go.

Did i hear you say pay in one go?! What a way to start the nee year! If i do pay in one go, can I just cancel my account with BG and switch to a new provider? 

Gentlegiant

cattie said:

Gentlegiant said:

comeandgo said:

Gentlegiant said:

jack_pott said:

Gentlegiant said:

MWT said:

Gentlegiant said:

Okay as soon as I get back from work, I will check the rate one and compare it from yesterday. Also is it possible that my bills is calculated using only one rate? I have the BG app but I can only see bills history for the last 6months. I will try to dig up the first bill. And post my findings. 

Even just the most recent bill would help as that will show if they are using two rates and an E7 tariff or not and will also confirm the meter reading or readings they have used for that bill.

It is possible that you have a 2-rate meter but are being billed on a single rate tariff, but that would usually require you to report both readings, or at least the total of the two readings.

If I recall correctly Gerry has his electricity billed that way so he will probably add his experience shortly.

I have learned a lot in this short space if time. 

The moral of the tale is that you need to keep all your bills, check all the readings against your meter, and watch for any unusual changes in consumption (gas & water too).
There are quite a few coming on here querying outlandish bills, and I've noticed that almost all of them have electronic smart meters. It leaves me deeply sceptical that they are as reliable as the old electromechanical ones, which is the main reason I have resisted changing thus far.

At the moment I have decided to switch off everything and use only my gas for cooking and heating which has always been the case anyway. The electricity is only for bulbs, tv and and very very basic things

Do you have fridge, freezers, kettle, toaster, hair dryer, washing machine that heats the water, tumble dryer, spot lights, radio, laptop.  You may find you have lots of things using electricity.

Water tank yes but it doesn’t get hit if the gas is out so I know it doesnt use the electricity as a result. Kettle, water heater etc. But arent these basic things? Are these responsible for 130000kwh 6months? 

Anything that uses heat, such as kettles, hairdryers, water heater etc. are high energy, so definitely not  basic items in terms of energy when used each day. 

Well shows how much I know about it. Thanks for the insight. Is it possible to have all my appliances run on only gas?