Electricity bill 200 pounds

Robin9

Can we just double check what you did when you moved in please ?
You read the meters and gave details to the existing supplier ?    Who was that supplier ?
You then contacted Bulb and in due course they asked you for meter readings ?  What estimate of annual consumption did you give Bulb?

As Frugal has said we are talking ESTIMATES    Accurate bills need regular and accurate readings

Troggers11

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Bulb is the cheapest rate I've already done the research when I moved in maybe its due to location but I used every comparison site and found bulb to be the cheapest tariff.

Also I was worried about the large bill as the landlady had a bill of 600 pounds for the flat. For the 3 months she had bought and (painted) the flat. And considering nobody was living in the flat that bill was massive. 

I'm not very clued up on units and numbers but if the numbers are low then that will mean  a cheaper bill i assume so we must be doing something right?

Unless I'm reading /my gf the meter wrong. 

Troggers11

Robin9 said:

Troggers11 said:

Hi. Just took the meter reading.
R1 which I assume means rate 1 is 18498
R2 is 26203

Are you sure about these readings ?   If so 18271 in March and 18498 now is 227 units and is very very low 
and 25852  / 26203 is 351  also exceedingly low.

Please post a copy of the bills (inc the supplier your transferred from to go to Bulb) please - blank out name/address and account number and a photo of your meter.  Many meters present challenges - old ones where the dials go in different directions and modern ones where you have to press 9 or look for the decimal point.

PS You need to check if R1 or R2 is day or night.    Take a couple of reads during the day a few hours apart and see which register changes.

Thanks for the info I'll take a look. And see if I can work out which one is night ect 

Robin9

Troggers11 said:

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Bulb is the cheapest rate I've already done the research when I moved in maybe its due to location but I used every comparison site and found bulb to be the cheapest tariff.

Also I was worried about the large bill as the landlady had a bill of 600 pounds for the flat. For the 3 months she had bought and (painted) the flat. And considering nobody was living in the flat that bill was massive. 

I'm not very clued up on units and numbers but if the numbers are low then that will mean  a cheaper bill i assume so we must be doing something right?

Unless I'm reading /my gf the meter wrong. 

The low readings may simply be due to the fact that this is Summer and your heating is switched off - come Autumn your bills will rocket up.

Troggers11

Robin9 said:

Can we just double check what you did when you moved in please ?
You read the meters and gave details to the existing supplier ?    Who was that supplier ?
You then contacted Bulb and in due course they asked you for meter readings ?  What estimate of annual consumption did you give Bulb?

As Frugal has said we are talking ESTIMATES    Accurate bills need regular and accurate readings

I know we are Talking estimates. I've been giving my meter reading 3 days before every bill. It's hard not to give a accurate reading when there's only 2 rates that come up on the meter. 

The supplier before I moved in was edf this was dealt with by the landlady I have no paper work at all from them and no knowledge of previous readings due to it not being my supplier apart from a finale bill that will come though in June time.


When I contacted bulb I did not have any previous readings to give so just picked the one bed flat option for power consumption and they would have estimated it from that and most likely when changing over had access to the previous energy company's meter readings. Which i do not have access to.

I have asked my landlady about previous meter readings ect but she hasn't been very fourth coming yet.

Just to point out moved in asked my landlady to change supplier to bulb they are new to renting property so didn't actually transfer the payments from edf to myself until last week. At which point I was informed about a final bill.

Hope this information helps. 

Troggers11

[Deleted User] said:

Troggers11 said:

Me and my girlfriend live in a one bed flat which we moved in last month With storage heaters and a immersion boiler. It's also a old building.
Are ESTIMATED annual bill is 2400 pounds which seems insane for how little we use.

ESTIMATED means that Bulb have no idea what your annual usage will be so looks like they have over ESTIMATED.

OP you need to take regular meter readings and give to supplier at least once a month.

Set up a wee spreadsheet to keep track of usage and payments so you can keep your eye on things.

Turn output down to 0 and only open in evening if needed remembering to close again before going to bed.

As already suggested start looking for a switch to cheaper supplier.

Thank you.

I will set up a spreadsheet. I'm new to paying electricity bills and haven't got anyone to ask so all this info is helpful. 

[Deleted User]

Hi,

are you certain that the meter in the photies 'Flat 4' is actually your meter?

If multiple meters together could be that flat/meter are wrong.

tim_p

Given the understandable worry this is causing you there is an important learning point here. Don’t ever trust anyone else for those initial or closing meter readings. Do it yourself, every time. There’s a huge opportunity for an unscrupulous landlord / letting agent to rip you off or to simply make a mistake and both options are likely to result in you paying for someone else’s usage.  As frugal has said above, double check that the meter shown is actually yours.  It wouldn’t be the first time a meter has been marked for the wrong property. 

Tallerdave

Troggers11 said:

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Bulb is the cheapest rate I've already done the research when I moved in maybe its due to location but I used every comparison site and found bulb to be the cheapest tariff.

 

That cannot be true. You would even be better off on a non-E7 single rate than what you're paying, so it's highly likely that cheaper E7 options are available. 

Did you select the "show me everything,  not just suppliers you get backhanders from" option on all the comparison sites you used?

bagand96

Agree with others, it's worth a sense check that the meters are correct, the meters have serial numbers on, check that corresponds with your bill.  On the information you've given from the opening readings in March and the readings yesterday....

Rate 1   18271 -> 18498 = 227 kWh  @ 11.55p = £26.22  
Rate 2   25852 -> 26203 = 351 kWh @ 20.28p = £71.18  

That gives a total use of £97.40.  Add on standing charges (around another £16 depending when in March you moved in).   So on those numbers you're using nowhere near £200 a month currently, nearer £50.

I think the posters above may have it in that Bulb have made an estimated annual use that is wildly out, either by some sort of error, or they're working to very different readings to what you've shared here. Check that the readings tally with the Bulb bills, if they do then get in touch and ask them to revise their estimated use and monthly DD.