Estimate bills for two years now with a real reading BG say I owe £900 instead of £57

phillw

newlywed said:

I don’t think the Op is trying to fight paying, but just wants to be paying for the energy they used at the relevant rate.

It's kinda too late for that.

All they can do now is estimate when all the energy was used, which is almost certainly going to be different to what they would bill if monthly meter readings were taken. However it might not be a large discrepancy and it might work in your favor, if you used more energy since the rises than you were before.

phillw

Sensitivesoul said:
Sadly I don't often take pictures of the inside of my cupboard (sorry just joking ) I don't have any pictures that I can present unfortunately.

What is the joke? Taking pictures of the inside of your cupboard every month is recommended and common practice among those who want to make sure they are charged the correct amount.

phillw

ariarnia said:
do we know they have refused access? the posts arent very clear if anyone came in the lat couple of years or if the op is talking about meter readers in general. the op says the last reading was shortly before covid so its very possible they didn't send anyone out to read the meter for a couple of years (i know we havent had anyone for at least 3 years).

I had meter readers turn up 2020 through 2022, I think one even turned up during lockdown, though they wouldn't come in to read it and instead they asked me to read it to them.

I don't see how that affects the OP though, whether they refused access or not they know they hadn't submitted a meter reading or let someone into the property.

Moving forward, you need to get updated bills for the periods since the last meter reading to now and analyse how they have calculated it.

ariarnia

phillw said:

ariarnia said:
do we know they have refused access? the posts arent very clear if anyone came in the lat couple of years or if the op is talking about meter readers in general. the op says the last reading was shortly before covid so its very possible they didn't send anyone out to read the meter for a couple of years (i know we havent had anyone for at least 3 years).

I had meter readers turn up 2020 through 2022, I think one even turned up during lockdown, though they wouldn't come in to read it and instead they asked me to read it to them.

I don't see how that affects the OP though, whether they refused access or not they know they hadn't submitted a meter reading or let someone into the property.

Moving forward, you need to get updated bills for the periods since the last meter reading to now and analyse how they have calculated it.

it makes a difference for the op as its the energy companies responsibility (not the bill payer) to ensure they have at least one accurate reading a year. which is one of the reasons the back billing rules only let them backdate inaccurate bills 12 months. if the energy company sent a meter reader and was refused entry then they can argue back billing doesn't apply. if they didn't then maybe the op could argue that any use over the estemated bill for more than 12 months ago should be ignored. 

DE_612183

wild666 said:

Could the person you spoke too just have taken  the recent rates and the last reading given and multiplied it by the October prices? 
I would get into the habit of submitting monthly readings, that way you will know how much your using. 

probably what they did was replace the most recent estimated reading with the now actual reading - so lots of usage would be at higher rates - it needs to be profiled across a longer period

[Deleted User]

DE_612183 said:

wild666 said:

Could the person you spoke too just have taken  the recent rates and the last reading given and multiplied it by the October prices? 
I would get into the habit of submitting monthly readings, that way you will know how much your using. 

probably what they did was replace the most recent estimated reading with the now actual reading - so lots of usage would be at higher rates - it needs to be profiled across a longer period

Probably replaced the most recent estimate with the actual?  Yes, that's what happens (if they are the same date) or the actual is used on the date it was given.

That doesn't mean that all the 'new' units are at the new rate though. That's not how the billing systems work.

Sensitivesoul

Kat78MFW said:

If you cannot afford to pay this energy debt, this fund may help. I think you have to seek money advice support first to qualify though. https://britishgasenergytrust.org.uk/who-can-apply/

Thank you for posting this information.

I think this issue has been sorted, I'll give more details in my last post after replying to other posts in this thread.

Sensitivesoul

I think the bill has been sorted, and it's better than what I had hoped. The majority of units used seemed to be before the price increases.

Instead of having to pay the £900 odd it has been knocked down to £300 odd.

Over these two years that I can remember I've only had three cards posted through my door and one of those cards has a note on saying he's knock again the next day, so that must have been my last correct reading (because obviously I let him in to read the meter).

I'm happy (well, happier) with this new amount, I know I've used more units and I know I owe them money for that which obviously I'm willing to pay.

@sammyjammy @turnitround @newlywed @[Deleted User] @tOrtOise @Kat78MFW @Robin9 @pochase @Keep_pedalling @poppellerant @Coffeekup @wild666 @ariarnia @armistice @Sea_Shell @EssexHebridean @[Deleted User] @phillw @DE_612183

I want to really thank everyone for coming into this thread and to be willing to help me out with this problem (I'm sorry if I missed anyone). Spending your free time helping a stranger. I don't know how often you get thanks for helping people out, but what you do here is a really good thing and you're a lifeline to a lot of peoiple in need (especially lately). Thank you.

(In the past I've spent a few hours on pc virus help forums and I've seen a lot of people not coming back to thank them for their help, so I just wanted to voice my appreciation of the help and advice you give)

[Deleted User]

That's good news, thanks for the update.

400ixl

Good to hear that the bill isn't as bad as feared.

As it is British Gas, they appear to have a large backlog of orders for smart meters, but if you have not already, get yourself on that list. It will mean they get readings automatically. In the meantime I would start taking regular meter readings, ideally once a month, so that you stay on track, as BG only do their reviews every 6 months you may want to keep your own monthly calculation to check you are on track.

Have BG suggested you / they change your DD amount to stay on track?