Empty apartment - BG trying to charge fortune

andybroughton

Hi, I’ve had a. 1 bedroom apartment and this week given the keys back. British Gas are now trying to charge me £350 for my final bill (electric). 

My question is does this sound right?

it’s a 1 bed apartment that hasn’t been lived in since October. Every appliance/light/heating was switched off. Before October it was stayed in a maximum of 60 days as I was spending a lot of time at my other half’s. No gas in property. 

Meter reading 12/04 - 09566
meter reading 07/05 - 09698

can this be right? Absolutely nothing being used whatsoever. 

Reed_Richards

You have used 132 kWh in about 25 days, so that is 5.3 kWh per day or something consuming 220 W running continuously.

An inefficient fridge and freezer could probably manage that.  Or if you left the immersion heater on and the cylinder was poorly lagged that might account for it also.  What you should have done if you did not want to use any electricity was to turn off the master switch by the fuse box.

So given that you managed to use so much electricity in 25 days then you might expect to have a large final bill (you can check that this bill uses your final meter reading).  And given that you have returned the keys you will never know what was making a meal out of your electricity.  You'll have to put it down to experience, I'm afraid.    

  

Robin9

The £350 sounds like BG now has some readings after a long time of estimated ones and you now have a big catch up bill..

Other than the two readings you have given us what readings did you give BG over the last 12  months. I assume those two readings are your own ACTUAL readings.

As @Reed_Richards has said - something was left on - but having handed back the keys you will never know.

welshmoneylover

What was the previous readings in your last 2 bills? Were they actual or estimated?

bagand96

Without knowing your tarrif it's hard to say exactly, but for a ball park figure using estimated rates (based on BG current standard tarrif):

132kWh x 20p per unit = £26.40 use
25 days x 24p/day = £6.00 standing charge 

So your use for that final month is somewhere around £32, the rest of the £350 is coming from something else. 

It could be a catch up bill.  Were your monthly payments actually covering your use? Were you providing British Gas with regular reads or were they billing based on estimates?

Reed_Richards

Basically you are asking two completely separate questions:

andybroughton said:

British Gas are now trying to charge me £350 for my final bill (electric).  My question is does this sound right?

Absolutely impossible to say on the basis of what you have told us but credible if BG had been relying on estimated meter readings for a long period of time before getting an actual reading.  You'll find a lot of posts here from people shocked by an unexpectedly high final bill.

andybroughton said:

Meter reading 12/04 - 09566
meter reading 07/05 - 09698
can this be right?  

If those are your own meter readings then you must accept that they are correct.  You'll never know what was using the electricity but I suggested some suspects in my previous reply.

andybroughton

Hi just to give you some further info. 

And thanks for your replies. Means a lot. 

1. Not a single appliance was left on in the property. Everything was switched off. 

2. Previous meter reading from approx September was 07550. 

3. A gentleman living in the same block for a number of years has only ever paid £25-£35 a month and never had a big bill like this-always had money in his account t. I’ve paid £149 since November.
4. readings provided above are actual. From the first  to the second no one had been in the property. 

5. It’s a smart meter. 

Just can’t understand as every isolator was switched off - literally nothing has been on since October. 

Thanks again. 

macman

This property is all electric. How was it heated? Did you switch the heating and hot water off for the entire winter period?
What someone else in the same block pays is not relevant in any way. 
You appear to have used about 2,000kWh between September and April, which would be maybe £250 with VAT.  
Do you mean you've paid £149 pm since September, or £149 in total over the 7 months? If the latter, then that wouldn't be anywhere near enough to cover the usage, which is around £36pm.
The final bill may only be for 12/4 to 7/5, but the bulk of the £350 is for the previous debt you've built over the winter.

andybroughton

Yes the £350 is for the full duration. And yes £149 since September. 

Yes all electric. 

I wouldn’t hesitate to just pay it if I had been there and used the electric but I’ve not lived there since August. August - October maybe 1/2 nights per week and October onwards zero nights. October onwards everything switched off

rp1974

The only way consumption would have been zero/nothing would be if the main isolating switch was switched off,or the fuse removed.Was either of those done?.
Irrelevant what someone else uses,as it's not comparing like for like,what you paid,without consumption amounts isn't very helpful either.
Is the 09698 final reading disputed?,if it's not then you need to pay for 2148 units and including any standing charges,based on your tariff information which you have yes?.
You might not like this,all you can base anything on are the meter readings as that's what determined how much consumption there's been and what your billed for,unless you think the meter is faulty which you'll likely not be able to prove or disprove going forward.

Gerry1

Too late to do much about it now, but if the meter was external to your flat it may not have been yours !