How best to help my neighbour?

ellymoo

BUFF said:

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

Thank you - I don't think he has one but will check. He has night storage heaters which he never uses because they're rubbish! 

theoretica

ellymoo said:

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 )

Since the smart meter went in, he has used a lot more day than night - so may be better off on the single standard rate - is he paying different day and night rates?

EssexHebridean

No - right now the variable probably is the cheapest - counter intuitive to what we've spent years seeing, I know, but there you go, these are strange times.

What the above does show is that he needs to be making better use of his overnight "cheaper" rate - at the moment the balance between night and day readings is skewed to mean that E7 is probably NOT his best option. I take it that the rates are shown on the bills the right way round? I have personal experience that Scottish Power have "form" for what might be politely described as "bu66ering this up".  There is often an assumption that rate 1 is "day" and rate 2 is "night - but this isn't always the case - ours are transposed for example so that R2 is our day rate - when we change supplier or on the very rare occasions our meter is officially read I have to be certain that they have it correct. 

ellymoo

Thanks for your replies. I think I'm going to need to go around and look at the meter myself when I get home to check that the rates aren't the wrong way around. I'm on hold to Scottish Power now so will find out if he's paying different rates for day and night.

Do the meter readings - slim though they are - look reasonable for a guy who is hardly ever home? I have no idea how to read them.

I will ask him to do his own meter reading when he leaves for the day and then comes home as well, to check if anything is draining electricity when he isn't there.

Robin9

ellymoo said:

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

1

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 )

Very suspicious that the Day consumption far exceeds the Night.

ellymoo

Yes that is a good point!

theoretica

It looks to me like the consumption that would match with use of electric heaters during the day/evening - and many people do use more heating than they think. But definitely looks worth confirming.

Robin9

I think we talking quarterly billing here.

Jan - April Day approx 1800 (600 / month) ; Night approx 400 (130 / month)

Gerry1

Robin9 said:

Very suspicious that the Day consumption far exceeds the Night.

If he's not using the Night Storage Heaters then the Day consumption will far exceed the Night, especially if he's using a plug-in electric heater of some sort e.g. convectors, panel heaters, oil filled radiators etc.

Might be a good idea to do the Storage Heater Sanity Test to make sure they're working properly and make sure that he understands how to use them effectively.  They're cheap and easy to repair, even if old.

Nothing is more expensive than plug-in daytime electric heating, especially on E7 where the day rate is even more expensive than single rate.

brewerdave

Robin9 said:

I think we talking quarterly billing here.

Jan - April Day approx 1800 (600 / month) ; Night approx 400 (130 / month)

730kwh per month is twice what I'm using in a 5 bedroomed house (with gch); it must include hot water and/or heating surely?