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High electricity one bedroom flat

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Comments

  • We have not put the heating on at all this season. No plans to either unless there’s a particularly cold snap. The flat is small, on the 7th floor and is generally quite cosy anyway 
  • Swipe
    Swipe Posts: 5,814 Forumite
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    Blotto17 said:
    We have not put the heating on at all this season. No plans to either unless there’s a particularly cold snap. The flat is small, on the 7th floor and is generally quite cosy anyway 
    Definitely sounds like they have the wrong meter then. Whoever is getting billed for your meter is in for a nasty surprise.
  • Robin9
    Robin9 Posts: 12,907 Forumite
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    Blotto17 said:
    We have not put the heating on at all this season. No plans to either unless there’s a particularly cold snap. The flat is small, on the 7th floor and is generally quite cosy anyway 
    Have you done SparkyGrad's meter test ?
    Never pay on an estimated bill. Always read and understand your bill
  • QrizB
    QrizB Posts: 19,897 Forumite
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    Robin9 said:
    Blotto17 said:
    We have not put the heating on at all this season. No plans to either unless there’s a particularly cold snap. The flat is small, on the 7th floor and is generally quite cosy anyway 
    Have you done SparkyGrad's meter test ?
    As you've got a flat, the extra steps in @Gerry1's meter sanity test might help:
    Gerry1 said:
    Have you done the meter sanity test?  If it's not inside your flat but in a communal cupboard or meter room then what you think is your meter might in reality be supplying someone else's flat or even all the heating and lighting for the communal areas of the block.
    Gain access to the meter, preferably after dark and as late as possible, turn absolutely everything on especially the immersion heater, washing machine, tumble dryer, oven etc.  Find the meter with the serial number shown on your bill and look at the red LED marked '1000 Imp/kWh' or similar.  It should be flashing like crazy.  Then unplug all sensitive electronic equipment and switch everything off at the consumer unit.  Go back to the meter, watch the red LED like a hawk for at least five minutes and make sure it never flashes once.  Rinse and repeat if in any doubt.
    Finally, do a rough and ready accuracy test by plugging in just one item of known high usage, a full 3kW kettle is ideal provided that you're quick enough to complete the test before it boils.  Count the number of flashes per minute and calculate the power being drawn.  For example, if the LED is marked '1000 Imp/kWh' then you'd expect to see about 50 flashes per minute.

    N. Hampshire, he/him. Octopus Intelligent Go elec & Tracker gas / Vodafone BB / iD mobile. Ripple Kirk Hill Coop member.
    2.72kWp PV facing SSW installed Jan 2012. 11 x 247w panels, 3.6kw inverter. 34 MWh generated, long-term average 2.6 Os.
    Ofgem cap table, Ofgem cap explainer. Economy 7 cap explainer. Gas vs E7 vs peak elec heating costs, Best kettle!
  • Robin9 said:
    Blotto17 said:
    We have not put the heating on at all this season. No plans to either unless there’s a particularly cold snap. The flat is small, on the 7th floor and is generally quite cosy anyway 
    Have you done SparkyGrad's meter test ?
    I can't take credit - I just paraphrased a simple version of Gerry1's because I couldn't find the original.

    Thankfully, QrizB has found it.
  • ROY47
    ROY47 Posts: 570 Forumite
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    edited 24 November 2022 at 9:33PM
    look at your bills  it should give a meter serial number  get maintenance back
     look again at the meter "registered " to the flat ... is it the same ??
  • macman
    macman Posts: 53,129 Forumite
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    edited 24 November 2022 at 10:15PM
    You still haven't told us what sort of heating and hot water system your flat has: these two items will account for 80% of your annual usage. Forget lights, tv etc, they are relatively trivial. Underfloor heating left on maybe?
    As above, cross check the serial number on your bill against the s/n on your meter.
    Finally, what supplier, and what tariff? It's hardly unusual for many flats in the same (new-build?) building to have the same legacy supplier-that doesn't mean the meters are transposed.
    This has nothing to do with the building management-your contract is with the supplier, and the building management do not administrate the metering arrangements. So it's up to you to be proactive and sort this out yourself. Give us some kWh figures and meaningful advice can be given, because ££'s tell us nothing.
    No free lunch, and no free laptop ;)
  • Chrysalis
    Chrysalis Posts: 4,793 Forumite
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    Sounds like a quick switch flip test can be done here, flip it and see if their lights go out and if yours stay on.
  • lohr500
    lohr500 Posts: 1,378 Forumite
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    @Blotto17 Thanks for the update. I hope you are able to finally get the matter resolved.
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