Energy bills were under-estimated for 2 years after finally getting meter reading...what to do

Farrella

turnitround said:

But surely you did a meter reading yourself on the day you became owner of the flat. The previous owner doing a runner could have left you with a lot of debt and unless you took a reading at the very start of the ownership you have no proof to fall back on if this was the case.

Whenever you buy a property or sell a property its the thing you must do on the last/first day of ownership.
You say your sister took over the bills. Do you mean she had them put in her name ?

I didn't do a reading as the meter cupboard was locked and building management didn't provide a key til much later. 

But main reason was that the first electric bill said they had a real reading so we assumed they read it and it was correct.  In hindsight they never took a reading and just took the last available reading from months before.  There was an energy company switch, it was a bit of a mess i guess...

The thing is had I not checked the meter myself, my sister would have stayed on estimates forever and it looks like the energy company don't seem to care as long as they keep gettig paid, even if readings are incorrect.  Most of the error is probably in the first reading and not in the monthly usage estimates, she is paying a fair amount.  My energy company for my own flat read meters once a year, they just read it themselves last month in fact so I just let them deal with it. 

DiseasedBunny

So you are saying that it’s the energy company’s fault that you didn’t bother checking the meter? Pull the other one! Just pay the bill for the energy you or your sister used and stop trying to get out of paying 

[Deleted User]

Farrella said:

The flat required a major refurb which took many months so the electric bills didn't start til long after I bought the flat (in hindsight it is strange that there were no bills during the refurb and the energy company was happy to wait til the flat was livable before charging...the gas was turned off for safety reasons and electrics had to be totally rewired). 

The previous tenant/owner did a runner long before the sale.  They certainly never took a reading before the sale! 

Hi,

Did supplier still bill for standing charges from when you bought the flat?

So, you could be paying some of that debt?

EssexHebridean

Farrella said:

Curiousgirl1 said:

Farrella said:

In her previous flat the energy company came and did readings twice a year so she assumed that would be the same. She thinks the first reading was an estimate as she never did a single reading (no access) and the company never did a reading either.  I have not been at the flat at all.  Do some energy companies never come out to do the readings themselves?  How do they know if the first reading is correct?  This flat was vacant for 18 months before she moved in, the last actual reading could have been before it was vacant.

The difference between the actual reading today and the estimated reading on the bill is about 3000 units.  That was incurred over 25 months, so if the first reading was correct then her usage has been underestimated by about 125 units per month, which would have been £13 a month 2 years ago but now it's £26 a month!  She suspects the first estimated reading was wrong but like you said that is hard to prove

Energy companies do sometimes come out & read the meters in normal times, but the last couple of years have not been normal times. 

If you own the flat & it had been empty for 18 months, were you getting the bills? If as you say the last reading may have been before the property became vacant, why, did you as the owner, not take any readings during that time. 

Also how did your sister not have access to the meter but now does? 

It’s also a lot longer than 2 years ago when tariff prices were as low as 10 per kWh 

The flat required a major refurb which took many months so the electric bills didn't start til long after I bought the flat (in hindsight it is strange that there were no bills during the refurb and the energy company was happy to wait til the flat was livable before charging...the gas was turned off for safety reasons and electrics had to be totally rewired). 

The previous tenant/owner did a runner long before the sale.  They certainly never took a reading before the sale! 

My sister took over the bills after the refurb.  She didn't "agree" to any readings, she just assumed they were correct as that was her previous experience in her last flat.  Basically she lost her job and then covid lasted much longer than originally anticipated, so she stayed for 2 years instead of 2 months

The meter was in a locked cupboard, she didn't have the key before but now she does.  She didn't realise the first reading and then all other readings were estimates until I asked her to check.  This is the first time she has lived alone haha...

Just clarifying on the bit in bold - and not wanting to ask a silly question but…You did contact the electricity provider when you took possession of the property didn’t you? I can’t think of any logical reason for them not to be charging you from day 1, especially as the refurb presumably used power. 

Curiousgirl1

You also need to understand that if the balance on the account in your sister’s name is reduced because a higher start reading is used, the final bill in your name will be increased as your final reading will also be changed so they match 

BikingBud

Farrella said:

turnitround said:

But surely you did a meter reading yourself on the day you became owner of the flat. The previous owner doing a runner could have left you with a lot of debt and unless you took a reading at the very start of the ownership you have no proof to fall back on if this was the case.

Whenever you buy a property or sell a property its the thing you must do on the last/first day of ownership.
You say your sister took over the bills. Do you mean she had them put in her name ?

I didn't do a reading as the meter cupboard was locked and building management didn't provide a key til much later. 

But main reason was that the first electric bill said they had a real reading so we assumed they read it and it was correct.  In hindsight they never took a reading and just took the last available reading from months before.  There was an energy company switch, it was a bit of a mess i guess...

The thing is had I not checked the meter myself, my sister would have stayed on estimates forever and it looks like the energy company don't seem to care as long as they keep gettig paid, even if readings are incorrect.  Most of the error is probably in the first reading and not in the monthly usage estimates, she is paying a fair amount.  My energy company for my own flat read meters once a year, they just read it themselves last month in fact so I just let them deal with it. 

Just bring your car round, I'll fill it up with fuel and bill you based on an estimate let's call it £40 per week. Don't worry how much it is as we can sort it all out later, seem like a good plan?

Farrella

[Deleted User] said:

Farrella said:

The flat required a major refurb which took many months so the electric bills didn't start til long after I bought the flat (in hindsight it is strange that there were no bills during the refurb and the energy company was happy to wait til the flat was livable before charging...the gas was turned off for safety reasons and electrics had to be totally rewired). 

The previous tenant/owner did a runner long before the sale.  They certainly never took a reading before the sale! 

Hi,

Did supplier still bill for standing charges from when you bought the flat?

So, you could be paying some of that debt?

No, the supplier charged nothing for a few months with no standing charge when the flat was being refurbed and rewired.  In hindsight I don't know why, but the standing charges can't have been more than £30. 

The previous owner who did a runner had a different supplier, that account must have closed based on an estimate.  At the time we wrongly assumed that their supplier would only close an account with a real reading.  Back then the energy bill was pretty low on list of priorities unfortunately, the flat had to be totally rebuilt with new plumbling, wiring etc.

wild666

Farrella said:

In her previous flat the energy company came and did readings twice a year so she assumed that would be the same. She thinks the first reading was an estimate as she never did a single reading (no access) and the company never did a reading either.  I have not been at the flat at all.  Do some energy companies never come out to do the readings themselves?  How do they know if the first reading is correct?  This flat was vacant for 18 months before she moved in, the last actual reading could have been before it was vacant.

The difference between the actual reading today and the estimated reading on the bill is about 3000 units.  That was incurred over 25 months, so if the first reading was correct then her usage has been underestimated by about 125 units per month, which would have been £13 a month 2 years ago but now it's £26 a month!  She suspects the first estimated reading was wrong but like you said that is hard to prove

Keys for the cabinets to read meters can be bought for a couple of pounds for 1 or some sell 10 keys for not much more than 1 key but the postage will be about £3 to £5. I bought 10 when I lived in a flat and the electric/gas company wanted monthly readings. I only needed one key so asked other flat occupiers if they needed a key to read their meters and gave them away to those who wanted one. The lot cost me £4 including delivery back in 2008, 40p per key. I have a couple of keys now but only the gas meter is outside in a box. I believe you can get one key for about £2 on ebay. 

Robin9

wild666 said:

Keys for the cabinets to read meters can be bought for a couple of pounds for 1 or some sell 10 keys for not much more than 1 key but the postage will be about £3 to £5. I bought 10 when I lived in a flat and the electric/gas company wanted monthly readings. I only needed one key so asked other flat occupiers if they needed a key to read their meters and gave them away to those who wanted one. The lot cost me £4 including delivery back in 2008, 40p per key. I have a couple of keys now but only the gas meter is outside in a box. I believe you can get one key for about £2 on ebay. 

That's true for the standard triangular outdoor meter box but the keys to communal meter cupboards are often on a management unique suite.  

spiro

Sorry but the fault rests with your sister, every bill will have clearly stated which readings are estimates and which are actual. If they end reading says Estimate the first thing you should do is read the meter and submit a reading. As this didn't happen you have now received what is referred to as a catch up bill. It is highly unlike the supplier will recalculate previous bills as they have no idea when you used the energy and may just be trying to get new energy at old prices.