Smart Meter lost connection to server and cost me £1,294

Jonesyjak

In July 2021, our smart meter lost connection to the Utility Warehouse server. We were unaware. Our bills were lower from July that we put down to the summer months. It reconnected in November 2021 and we received a bill for £813 in December, with £719 for electricity alone. Despite assurances from UW in December that the bill was 100% incorrect, we've now been told that it is right - there were no readings from the meter from July to November, our bills were estimates and between that time, we used 4,248kWh of electricity. According to Ofgem, the average household (based on 4.5 people) uses 2,900 throughout the whole year. We are 2 adults and a child. Looking at what we paid between July and November plus the £813, we have paid almost £3,000, an average of over £250 per month. During the warmest, lightest months of the year. The staff tell me that that's what the numbers say and that's the end of it and don't seem to be willing to apply common sense. The biggest electricity guzzler is the tumble dryer that's used around 5 times a week. I work from home for a housing association, using a laptop and monitor (meaning I'm not running  pottery wheel 24 hours a day or running a laundrette service from home). There's no way we have used that much electricity but I seem to have hit a block in getting UW to do anything. I don't know what else to do

Petriix

Using a tumble dryer 5 times per week will use ~ 1500kWh per year. Assuming you're also using the washing machine a corresponding number of times, you're likely using around 1750kWh per year on washing alone.

Background usage of 200W would account for another 1750kWh so we're already at 3500kWh before we consider any cooking, electric showers, immersion heaters, or space heating or other appliances. So, it's not inconceivable that you've actually used that much energy.

If you want anyone to have any meaningful input then you'll need to provide details of the actual meter readings for the period in question along with the unit cost and standing charge for your tariff. Then we need to compare these to the details on your bill to see if there are any discrepancies.

The bad news is that it's extremely rare (but not impossible) that there is actually a problem with the meter showing more usage than reality. And sadly, if the reading used on the latest bill is not a significant overestimate, then you've used that energy and will have to pay for it.

MWT

Jonesyjak said:

In July 2021, our smart meter lost connection to the Utility Warehouse server. We were unaware. Our bills were lower from July that we put down to the summer months

It is a tough way to learn, but if you look at those bills now, you should see that the meter readings were marked as estimates which should have given you an early warning that something was wrong.

Jonesyjak said:

...there were no readings from the meter from July to November, our bills were estimates and between that time, we used 4,248kWh of electricity.

That does seem to be an unusually large amount as it is almost 29kWh a day on average...

Can you look at your bills for the previous year and see what you used over that same time period?

Generally to get that sort of daily usage you would need to be heating something with electricity, like an immersion heater for hot water or electric heating for the house in winter.

It would be good to take some daily meter readings now to see what you are using each day, or perhaps you still have the little In Home Display (IHD) that would have been given to you when the smart meter was installed?

Jonesyjak

Thanks for your reply. I don't have the metre readings from July and November, just that we used 4,248kWh during this time. I'll try and get the actual readings tomorrow. Unit rate is 20.948p. No immersion heaters or space heating and the tumble dryer is rarely used over the summer as clothes are dried outside. Bills for Dec 2020 to March 2021 (coldest months/shortest days when the tumble dryer was in use and lights were on) were around £200. Average monthly bill from July to November is over £250 by their estimate. Understand weighting will be different but you're then looking at monthly bills of more than £300

Reed_Richards

Jonesyjak said:

 ...I'm not running  pottery wheel 24 hours a day ....

It's always heating that consumes the bulk of your electricity.  So running a pottery wheel 24 hours a day will consume very little electricity but firing all those pots in your kiln will consume a huge amount!!!

That tumble drier could be consuming a lot of electricity, particularly if it's an old one that does not incorporate a heat pump.  Five times a week and you're not far off that launderette service from home. 

QrizB

Petriix has given a good answer.

If you share your meter readings and detials of your tariff we can help you check them but it's likely to be correct.

MWT

Thanks for getting the meter readings when you can.

From here onwards it would be good to stick to the meter readings and kWh used, the monetary amounts just make it harder to spot if there is a problem.

Jonesyjak

MWT said:

Jonesyjak said:

In July 2021, our smart meter lost connection to the Utility Warehouse server. We were unaware. Our bills were lower from July that we put down to the summer months

It is a tough way to learn, but if you look at those bills now, you should see that the meter readings were marked as estimates which should have given you an early warning that something was wrong.

Jonesyjak said:

...there were no readings from the meter from July to November, our bills were estimates and between that time, we used 4,248kWh of electricity.

That does seem to be an unusually large amount as it is almost 29kWh a day on average...

Can you look at your bills for the previous year and see what you used over that same time period?

Generally to get that sort of daily usage you would need to be heating something with electricity, like an immersion heater for hot water or electric heating for the house in winter.

It would be good to take some daily meter readings now to see what you are using each day, or perhaps you still have the little In Home Display (IHD) that would have been given to you when the smart meter was installed?

Thank you for replying. We moved in in November 2020 so don't have any bills for the same period unfortunately. We don't have an immersion or electric heating, the only thing that uses a lot of electricity is the tumble dryer that's used over winter but this is over summer months. The IHD shows we're using around £25 per week on gas and electricity. Based on 4,248kWh over 5 months, that's 849 kWh per month and a whopping 10,195kWh per year!

Curiousgirl1

Are you one of the thousands who bought a lockdown hot tub? That would certainly explain higher bills over the summer. 

Jonesyjak

Reed_Richards said:

Jonesyjak said:

 ...I'm not running  pottery wheel 24 hours a day ....

It's always heating that consumes the bulk of your electricity.  So running a pottery wheel 24 hours a day will consume very little electricity but firing all those pots in your kiln will consume a huge amount!!!

That tumble drier could be consuming a lot of electricity, particularly if it's an old one that does not incorporate a heat pump.  Five times a week and you're not far off that launderette service from home. 

We have gas heating and gas usage is way below our electricity usage. It's a new tumble dryer, B rated and hardly used over summer when this bill is for (yes in winter bit our winter bills have never been that high!) 

QrizB

Are you able to post a photo of your smart meter? There is one model that occasionally has a mad moment and decides to reset itself. A clear photo of the screen might let us tell you if you're affected.