How best to help my neighbour?

ellymoo

My neighbour, a pensioner, asked me for help with his electricity bill a few months ago and I now have authority to deal with his account (he doesn't have access to email, internet, etc.). He was paying £300 a month for a 1 bed flat. He has no washing machine nor dishwasher, spends all his time down the allotment and doesn't believe in heating. He had only given the supplier 1 reading since moving in so we got that sorted out and I also got a smart meter installed for him. His payments were reduced to £90 a month. A month or so ago they went up to £130. Now Scottish Power have emailed again to tell him that they need to go up to £196 a month. This despite the fact we are going into summer and the guy scarcely turns his lights on!

He is apparently on a variable rate which is not helping him - so should he stay on this, or fix? I don't know how to help him for the best but there is no way he should be paying so much when he doesn't use anything. Thank you.

TheMilkmansDad

nothing wrong with the variable rate - it's probably the cheapest out there at present.

The question is why the increase? Assuming you have access to his bills - can you check and ensure that the correct meter readings are being used on the bills? There are other things to check but that would be a good starting point.

brewerdave

ellymoo said:

My neighbour, a pensioner, asked me for help with his electricity bill a few months ago and I now have authority to deal with his account (he doesn't have access to email, internet, etc.). He was paying £300 a month for a 1 bed flat. He has no washing machine nor dishwasher, spends all his time down the allotment and doesn't believe in heating. He had only given the supplier 1 reading since moving in so we got that sorted out and I also got a smart meter installed for him. His payments were reduced to £90 a month. A month or so ago they went up to £130. Now Scottish Power have emailed again to tell him that they need to go up to £196 a month. This despite the fact we are going into summer and the guy scarcely turns his lights on!

He is apparently on a variable rate which is not helping him - so should he stay on this, or fix? I don't know how to help him for the best but there is no way he should be paying so much when he doesn't use anything. Thank you.

Check that they are using real readings not estimates. SP have form for not using the reads from their own installed "smart" meters !! £196 pm for a one bedroom flat is nonsensical UNLESS he is somehow using heating but doesn't realise it!!

theoretica

Check 1 - do his current usage and payments match?  What happened to all the overpayments form paying £300 a month?   Was it just the overpayments that reduced the payments to £90?

Check 2 - a flat you say.  Does the meter he is paying for definitely match the electricity he is using? And only his?  Not paying for the flat next door instead or as well?  Someone will link soon to the excellent 'meter sanity test'.

pochase

When you said he was paying £300 because he never submitted readings, and the DD was reduced to £90 after the reading was submitted, what happened to the credit that should have been there by overpaying for a long time? 

I assume if you got a smart meter that the serial number of the meter and the bill match. Also when the meter was installed the electricity in his flat hopefully went off to rule out that  he is paying for somebody else energy.

Can you let us know what when the smart meter was installed (I assume the reading was 0) and what the meter read is today. If he is on E7 we need both registers.

What is the last bill he received? Are there meter reads with an S for the smart meter or an E for estimated?

And finally is there e credit or a debt, and by how much?

Please also check that he did not switch to a fixed rate, that would also be an explanation for the increased DD.

Gerry1

theoretica said:

Check 2 - a flat you say.  Does the meter he is paying for definitely match the electricity he is using? And only his?  Not paying for the flat next door instead or as well?  Someone will link soon to the excellent 'meter sanity test'.

Your wish is my command ! 

Meter Sanity Test

EssexHebridean

A couple of points - who inferred that his variable rate is "not helping him" - did that come from the energy supplier, or elsewhere? 

Also - one thing you could definitely do to help him albeit not specifically related to the issue in the thread - ahead of the winter purchase a small thermometer and pop it somewhere in his flat - ideally in the area he uses for sitting when he's at home. It means at least you can keep an eye to ensure that the temperature in his flat isn't falling to dangerously low levels if he's already reluctant to use heating. 

Gerry1

It might be worth considering changing to Variable Monthly Direct Debit. That will avoid all the shenanigans with silly increases in the DD amount which often build up unnecessary amounts of credit. Of course, the bills will be higher in winter but if he uses very little energy that shouldn't be a problem.

Similarly, it may be worth changing supplier: Scottish Power don't exactly have a brilliant customer service reputation. At the moment EDF and Octopus seem to be the only suppliers accepting new customers on the capped Standard Variable Tariff, but only if you phone them.

EDF's billing leaves much to be desired, but Octopus seem to have a better reputation (and by all accounts can hardly be worse than Scottish Power); in fact, EDF will be changing to Octopus's billing platform, Kraken. If an existing Octopus customer provides a recommendation, Octopus also gives £50 to them and £50 to the new customer.

ellymoo

Thanks very much for your answers. I really appreciate them all.

Firstly the credit that was there - £400 odd - was 'wiped out' by his usage. I have asked him to check his meter number (he's my old neighbour so I can't pop round myself).

I'm going through his bills online currently. I can only see as far back as 2020 and can't download all the bills to look at the meter readings infuriatingly so am currently on hold to Scottish Power.

16 Oct 2020.

Closing balance -£4.58

Payments of £82 continued

15 Jan 2021.

Apparently he used £1221.07 electricity* (I suspect an error here)

Payments of £82 continued.

Closing balance of -£807.

3 Feb 2021

Used £90.36 of electricity

Closing balance -£902.61

10 Feb 2021

Electricity used £2399.97* 

Cancelled charges (difference between est and actual): £2142.30

Closing balance £1280.26

24 March 21

Electricity used £273

Direct debit payment £205

Closing balance £1361.91

23 April 21

Electricity used £182.91

Direct debit payments: £308, £205

Closing balance -£1040.97

16 July

Electricity used £407

Payments made £308 x 2

Closing balance: - £853

21 Oct 21

Electricity used £754

Cancelled charges £286

Closing balance £185

13 Nov (when he asked me for help)

Electricity used £87.81

Closing balance £401

Latest bill:

22 April

Electricity used £525

Closing balance £77

Payment received in May: £136

The meter readings I can download thusfar:

July
Electricity 16 Jul 21 Day 26885 (E )
Electricity 16 Jul 21 Night 24669 (E ) 

October:
Electricity 21 Oct 21 Day 26000 (A)
Electricity 21 Oct 21 Night 25062 (A)

November

Electricity 13 Nov 21 Day 26308 (A)
Electricity 13 Nov 21 Night 25141 (A)

His smart meter was installed early December.

January

lectricity 21 Jan 22 Day 1287 (S )

Electricity 21 Jan 22 Night 269 (S )

April

Electricity 22 Apr 22 Day 3064 (S )

Electricity 22 Apr 22 Night 641 (S )

BUFF

brewerdave said:

£196 pm for a one bedroom flat is nonsensical UNLESS he is somehow using heating but doesn't realise it!!

e.g. check that his immersion heater isn't running 24/7

ellymoo

Infuriatingly, his bills were telling him that he's on the cheapest tariff avaialble, but I don't believe this as it's a 'standard' tariff.