Fight on our hands - electricity £100 per week

SkyChild

So we moved house recently into a rented cottage. We are on all-electric and have storage heaters (new ones, but still we knew that they are expensive to run)
Recent SSE sent us an email to say our DD would go up to £447 per month. When I gave them another meter reading (14 days after the last one) it added another £200. When I phoned the man said it was because we have 2 meters and our bills would go up to £800 per month!!

We both work full-time so are out all day. We only use the storage heater to heat one room for a couple of hours each morning and evening. I would consider our energy usage as pretty careful, using dehumidifier and no tumble dryer, no dishwasher, using a gas fire and electric blanket instead of the storage heaters. 
How do we fight this? There must be something wrong with the meter to use £200 of electricity in two weeks, surely? 

MorningcoffeeIV

Changes in your DD don't mean you've used £200 of electricity in two weeks.

You'll ultimately pay the electricity you use, so your starting point is to check your usage.

If you have two meters, that will also mean two standing charges - why do you have two?

MikeJXE

Enter your meter readings kWh on here 

Your move in reading and date and the most recent reading and date, the plan you are on and the region and someone will work it out for you 

Why 2 meters ? 

Robin9

Can you give us the make and model of the SH's please ?  

What is your tariff - E7 or E10 (look at your bill)?

SkyChild

Well it's one meter but with 2 rates on it. I have no idea why we have 2 - possibly a leftover from economy 7 or 10? The admin lady who works for the landlords seems a bit useless, we are going to phone her today and try to figure out what's happening. 

I'm at work at the moment so don't have the meter readings/plan details etc to hand. Will return and add them in tonight/tomorrow. 

But is there no way that the meters could be faulty and registering much more than our usage? Like I said, we're really very careful. The house is freezing most of the time. 

Swipe

SkyChild said:

Well it's one meter but with 2 rates on it. I have no idea why we have 2 - possibly a leftover from economy 7 or 10? The admin lady who works for the landlords seems a bit useless, we are going to phone her today and try to figure out what's happening. 

I'm at work at the moment so don't have the meter readings/plan details etc to hand. Will return and add them in tonight/tomorrow. 

But is there no way that the meters could be faulty and registering much more than our usage? Like I said, we're really very careful. The house is freezing most of the time. 

If you have storage heaters (are you sure they are not panel heaters?) you really need to be on economy 7. If you are not on an economy 7 tariff then that would explain the high cost of charging the storage heaters at expensive peak rate.

Reed_Richards

The whole point of storage heaters is that you charge them up with stored heat using cheap night-rate electricity, which would typically be the Economy 7 tariff (although possibly Economy 10).  You seem to be implying by "leftover" that you're not on one of these tariffs but that would be a terrible mistake if it's true.  

[Deleted User]

SkyChild said:

But is there no way that the meters could be faulty and registering much more than our usage? Like I said, we're really very careful. The house is freezing most of the time. 

Very few meters are ever found to be faulty. All meters have a certificated life and in use meters are independently tested for accuracy.

As a consumer, you have the right to ask for an independent electricity meter check. A calibrated check meter will be fitted alongside your existing meter. If your meter is found to be faulty, it will be replaced and no charge will be made. If the meter is found to be accurate, you will be charged for the check.

Before you call in the cavalry, you need to become more usage aware by taking daily meter readings of what you are using. You have two rates because of your storage heaters which use the lower night rate. You should also be reheating your HW cylinder during the cheap period.

Any storage heater boost you select when you come home will be charged at the higher day rate and is best avoided.

Robin9

Going back in time - when you moved in did you read your meters and give readings to SSE.  Just need to check that you are not paying for the previous tenant.

SAC2334

My freind up in Aberdeenshire was on 2 meter system on  a legacy meter called THTC one which used to be impossible to move away from with SSE .paying 25 p kwh night rate and 42 p day rate .

 He s now broken free of the hostage of SSE paying highest nigt rates in UK and switched to EDF who I think have about the lowest night rates in the UK paying 10 p kwh for the night rate . Some areas are down to around 8 p kwh for night rate .

So my advice is switch away to EDF asap as you are going to halve your night rate at least .  You will get nowhere with SSE ( Ovo run the customer service and billing now by the way ) He was trying for years until EDF came up and took over the 2 meters one of which was a Radio Teleswitch meter , so it can be done .Get switching !

As a former meter reader recording 2 rate meters for two decades , you need to first establish which of the 2 rates is the night rate and more importantly find out when it starts and when it stops. The meter itself will be registering in some way when its active. The small red light will start to flash when previosly it will have been not flashing at all. 
Get to grips with how many kwhs you are using daily on each rate then you can work out your spring and summer usage  which will be  mostly without the night rate active at all in summer. 
Once you have done that you can then tell the supplier what your usage is .You do not need a supplier telling you what your weekly/monthly usage , you will know better than them .

[Deleted User]

Hi,

SkyChild said:

When I phoned the man said it was because we have 2 meters and our bills would go up to £800 per month!!

We only use the storage heater to heat one room for a couple of hours each morning and evening.

SkyChild said:

Well it's one meter but with 2 rates on it. I have no idea why we have 2 - possibly a leftover from economy 7 or 10?

are they charging you two standing charges?

The reason for two rates is a day rate and a night, sounds as though your set up is all wrong for storage heaters.