British Gas and meter readings - please HELP!

ViktorijaZ

Hi everybody, hope someone can help me as I am losing my mind. Have been in contact with British Gas for 2 months to sort out my problem and I am getting absolutely nowhere! Back in November, I moved in a small studio flat. I am no professional, so when asked to submit meter readings, I put forward all the numbers that appear on the meter 009429. In December, I submitted them again which was 010814 and the bill that I received was nearly 200 pounds!!!!! Upon consulting an independent electrician as well as reading online, I understand the last number should not have counted and instead of using 1385 kw of energy, I used 139kw. This makes sense as my flat is very small, my boyfriend works in construction and he was always at work while I was staying with my sister as I am her support bubble with a baby. After battling with british gas for 2 months already I am nearly 350 pounds in debt with them and that’s energy cost for 2 months only! I am absolutely puzzled, depresed and don’t know where to turn anymore as BG said everything is right and they won’t change anything! Any advise or help would be much appreciated.

Joyful

I think it would help if you put a photo of your readings. Was the last digit in red?

ViktorijaZ

Thank you so much for reply! Here are the photos of a few readings. The last number is not in red, but even on BG website it says it MAY be red. Thanks a lot for your help! I have been informed that the last number never counts, only the first 5 numbers. Thanks for your input.

Hasbeen

The way the ops post is written. I suspect all electric?

Mister_G

Err - it's an electricity meter?

JGB1955

Sorry - Yes, I realised my mistake and deleted my post...

ViktorijaZ

Apologies, yes electricity only  

MWT

No sign of a decimal point in those photos...

What sort of heating do you have in the flat?

Mister_G

Well it does look like you've used 1385 units over the period.  Say you were on a rate of 16p/unit, then that's going to be about £220 plus the Standing Charge.  Quite a lot for one month.

Have you left the Immersion Heater on all the time?  Do you have long showers?  These and heating are the main consumers of electricity.

ViktorijaZ

Thanks everybody, this is a small studio flat. We have 2 new radiators but they don’t take much energy and they are not on all the time! We don’t take long showers either, we don’t have an owen just a fridge and microwave. Honestly for a studio is a lot! I used to live in 2 bed 2 bath flat, everything electric, 4 people and we used 180 pounds worth of energy then. 

Basically, what I understand, even if there is no dot or the number is not in red, the way how meters work is that the last number is constantly changing 1,2,3,4 etc and when it gets to 9 and then 0 again the number before that then adds 1kw showing that we used 1kw now. So the last number does never count. 

I don’t know what to do anymore BG said that they charged the same previous tenants as well, but if they overpaid mainly reading the meter wrong, why should I be paying wrongly? I am just saying wrongly since I am convinced we could not use that much energy, there is no way (( 

Hasbeen

As suggested have you checked immersion heater?

Is your room heaters night storage or panel heaters