Utilita smart meter

Davidc4

After having my latest bill through which told me that I had used £66 of electric I had a live chat discussion with Utilita who told me that everything was in order and that I had been charged for my usage.

One small issue. I haven't been at the property since 09/04 and have barely used any electricity since except when I've popped in to make sure the place was still standing. Nothing was left on. Absolutely nothing at all. I even defrosted and unplugged the fridge/ freezer. Utilita still insisted that I had been using energy even though I know I haven't. The app shows usage on days I definitely wasn't there.

I had a look at the meter this evening and I noticed that the serial number on the app and the serial number on the meter don't match. Could I be paying for my neighbours electric?

Gerry1

Do the Meter Sanity Test.

Davidc4

It's definitely the meter for my flat, each meter is outside the individual flat, I'm just concerned the serial numbers are mismatched. My bills state it ending in 771 but the meter says 778 😬

Gerry1

Do the readings on the meter match up with those shown on the bills and are they estimates or actual readings?

Davidc4

I've just checked the last few monthly bills and can't see any meter reading numbers. Unless I'm not looking in the correct place. The only place I've seen a reading is on the meter itself.

I've just blindly paid each of the last ones but only questioning this as I've not been there to use any energy 🤣

rp1974

Out of curiosity,what are your unit rates and standing charges?.
As you'll likely be aware both unit rates and standing charges have risen substantially on 1/4/22,as a vague estimate they'll've roughly doubled in price,so if you were paying say £33 per month beforehand then the £66 sounds feasible.
Sounds like something is amiss regarding the meter,uncertain if by serial number you might mean the MPAN.

What’s my Meter Point Administration Number?
A Meter Point Administration Number, also known as an MPAN, electricity supply number or supply number is a 13-digit reference. An MPAN is used to uniquely identify every electricity supply point in the country.

Definitely do the meter sanity test,just because the meters outside your flat doesn't guarantee that it's your supply.

Davidc4 said:

I've just blindly paid each of the last ones but only questioning this as I've not been there to use any energy 🤣

Never a great idea,however at least you can address it now,by the last few monthly bills,how long are you actually talking about?.

Reed_Richards

Davidc4 said:

It's definitely the meter for my flat, each meter is outside the individual flat, I'm just concerned the serial numbers are mismatched. My bills state it ending in 771 but the meter says 778 😬

So perhaps you have been paying the bill of whoever has meter 778 and they (or someone else) have been paying your bill?  You may be better or worse off as a result!  But if that were true then the reading on your latest bill is unlikely to match up with the reading on your meter (i.e. meter 771).  Have a look.    

Davidc4

This is everything it says on my meter. I'd be confused as to how it could be feeding to someone else's property as the cables go directly into mine and the switch to the right of the photo turns my power on and off. 

I'm aware of the price hikes but I've not been there to actually use it. If I have been in to check it's still standing I've spent minimal time there. I don't have a standing charge, it's something Utilita don't have. 

I just want tomorrow to arrive so I can get in touch with Utilita again. 

Can't complete the sanity test just yet as not there at the minute. I'm staying 40 minutes away. 

Davidc4

rp1974 said:

Out of curiosity,what are your unit rates and standing charges?.
As you'll likely be aware both unit rates and standing charges have risen substantially on 1/4/22,as a vague estimate they'll've roughly doubled in price,so if you were paying say £33 per month beforehand then the £66 sounds feasible.
Sounds like something is amiss regarding the meter,uncertain if by serial number you might mean the MPAN.

What’s my Meter Point Administration Number?
A Meter Point Administration Number, also known as an MPAN, electricity supply number or supply number is a 13-digit reference. An MPAN is used to uniquely identify every electricity supply point in the country.

Definitely do the meter sanity test,just because the meters outside your flat doesn't guarantee that it's your supply.

Davidc4 said:

I've just blindly paid each of the last ones but only questioning this as I've not been there to use any energy 🤣

Never a great idea,however at least you can address it now,by the last few monthly bills,how long are you actually talking about?.

6 months since the buildings were handed over from the construction company. The bills while I was actually living there were always fairly okay, or seemed to be. 

Davidc4

If anyone can decipher the bill go for it 🤣 I've no idea if it has a meter reading or not in the bill itself tbh. Only ever seen that part on the actual meter display.

rp1974

Unaware that there was anywhere that didn't have a standing charge at the present time,thought that was consigned to history,apparently not.
There's still the issue that the serial number is wrong,it's not the same thing as your MPAN.
I had a quick look and some of their prices which are in the region of 80-90p per unit,thats a ridiculous price,that largely explains why there's no standing charge then as the unit rates render it unnecessary.
I'm busy doing Sunday dinner so missed you posting your bill,might take a peek later on,at first glance those are still poor and easily bettered elsewhere,unless there's any particular reason for using Utilita.