SSE confusion

[Deleted User]

I’d expect you to be charged on the estimations unless your manual readings were exactly at the billing date - but the manual readings should be helping the estimates to be accurate.

The mismatch in Oct & Dec 2021 is very odd though. Normally when there is overpayment it’s because the second reading is too large. On yours it’s because the first reading was too small.

How long have you been with this supplier? Is there a chance you can go back and find your opening reading?

stewie_griffin

It looks like they were ignoring your readings last year, so to their ‘computer’ it looks like you’ve used much more gas this year than you have. Hopefully one phone can sort it out.

Janeybabe

I was lumbered with this supplier when the company I was with (Spark) was taken over by them. I can't get onto my old Spark account to retrieve any info and for the life of me I can't remember when I was moved across. Have been trawling through emails to try and find it cos I know they did notify me to say they were moving me but no joy. Only one I can find is the one SSE sent me back in December to say that they had joined OVO.

I don't know if it makes any difference to anything but earlier this year, around Feb/March time, the gas meter was moved. Our entire neighbourhood had their meters at the back of the property (mine was inside the pantry) and they were all taken out and moved to the front of the property into one of those locked boxes. It was after the move that I switched the boiler off because I had it inspected and it was just shy of being condemned because the sump is cracked (amongst other issues). It would have cost more in repairs than to replace it but I didn't (& still don't) have a spare £3k to replace it so we just switched it off. It only fires up now if we need hot water, we don't have heating. They didn't totally condemn it because the emissions were still within a safe range but we were to use with caution.

QrizB

Janeybabe said:

Sept 22 - 8557
...
Oct 21 - 8222
They're my actual readings.

So on your actual readings you've used 335 hundred cubic feet of gas in 11 months. Depending on calorific value that's 10-11000 kWh, so the same as you calculated in the opening post.

SSE's readings for the same period are close in parts but way out in others:

Sept 22 - 8561 (E) vs 8557
...
Oct 21 - 7705 (E) vs 8222

Somehow, it seems as though your billed (estimated) readings dropped behind your actual readings and SSE have been playing catch-up for the past year.

Before October 2021, when was the last time your meter readings more-or-less agreed?

Janeybabe

December 2020. I gave them a reading then of 7526 which was on the Jan 2021 bill as "reading given last time" but the "reading now" was an estimation of 7621. 

Estimations have appeared on every bill since despite me giving actual readings. 

Janeybabe

I don't have any bills from SSE prior to January 2021

QrizB

Janeybabe said:

December 2020. I gave them a reading then of 7526 which was on the Jan 2021 bill as "reading given last time" but the "reading now" was an estimation of 7621.

Thank you.

Using that reading, between December 2020 and October 2021 you used 696 hundred cubic feet of gas, 22-23000 kWh. This could be why SSE think you're going to use more than 10000 kWh in a year.

The winter of 2021-22 was quite mild, while 2020-21 was more typical.

Janeybabe

That's quite helpful information QrizB, thank you. 

A) So in 11 months over 20-21 with a usual winter period we used 23000kWh based on estimated readings to get from A-B.

In the 10 months since over 21-22 with a mild winter period we have used 9187kWh (but paid for the estimated 26000kWh) based on actual readings.

Have they tried to capture payment for the energy used 20-21 in 21-22 by estimating the conditions to be the same rather than using the actual readings? So they think now 22-23 we will have another bad winter therefore their estimation has gone up again to over 30000kWh. They don't know I've switched off the boiler so they're assuming that we're using the central heating. It's their estimations rather than my readings that are driving the bills. If I can show the actual usage for 21-22 would that not show them that the payments made within that period were unreasonably high and my account would be in credit after the recalculations based on usage? 

jbuchanangb

For reasons that are not obvious the estimated readings in Oct 21 and Dec 21 were low compared to actual usage.

Considering Dec 20 to Oct 21 you were undercharged 517 units and gradually you have caught up so your billed readings are close to your actuals. SSE are now estimating your future usage based on this catch-up usage. One option for you would be to change to variable direct debit payment method where you pay each month for the actual amount billed, instead of accepting their excessive suggested regular DD amount. But it may be that if you explain that the last 12 months billing has been playing catch-up and the actual consumption is around 10000 kWh, they will agree to a lower regular DD amount.

MWT

Janeybabe said:

... but is there any chance of me being refunded the £1500 overcharge? By my calculations and the ones on here (Martin's energy cap calculator) my monthly payments should be around £84 a month. Not £264. 

Any tips for getting this sorted?

Based on what you have posted, I don't think there has been any 'overcharge', just a catchup bill because they were estimating your use significantly below the actual use as per your meter readings, but that has now been corrected.