Electricity bill for empty house

northernexposure_2

Brie said:

northernexposure_2 said:

I'm currently on week 12 of probate application wait (took them 4 weeks to record receiving it) my fathers electricity bill is £245 per quarter. All I have on is 2 lamps on timers 🤷‍♀️

He was in credit with his supplier and this money is just being whittled away, I cannot believe they are charging this amount.  I've checked the metre and their estimate matches the meter reading. 

You say how much is being paid but not if this matches what is being used.  If he was in credit then maybe there's nothing really to be paid?

Have you informed the supplier that he has died? (sorry for your loss btw)  I would ensure that this is done and then cancel any DD and let them know that you will settle the bill when the house is sold.  Make sure you record everything that is discussed in the call along with date, time and who you talk to.

Thank for your reply, yes they have been informed he has passed. They will not refund the money until probate has been granted so they are deducting this from the money they already have 🤷‍♀️ I so not happy about this.

I will have to monitor the meter as this is pants

sheramber

 I've checked the metre and their estimate matches the meter reading. 

Were previous readings actual or estimates?

Previous estimates may have been low and the usage has caught up.

Robin9

Have you the reading from about the date of his death and what is your reading now ?

BooJewels

I'm not quite sure why you're so not happy about this - everyone who has an estate property to sell is in the same boat.  Suppliers sometimes differ in the details of how they treat estate accounts, but if there's energy supplied to the property it will cost for that service.  You can't have viewings in a dark property, so it's a necessary evil.

I'm currently in the same situation and have been before.  I have a number of security lamps on timers - the fridge and 2 freezers are still on as I'm sure they'll keep better than being off and empty (and we're leaving them) and I have some emergency food in the freezer in case I need to stay again.  All of that has used about 82kWh of electricity since she died in mid February - at a cost of £52.85 to date, including standing charge.  We also have the heating on with the thermostat at 15°C, as this is required by the insurers - and the pump will use some electricity too. 

So your usage should be rather less in comparison - just your standing charge and a few kWh per week at worst - probably less.  If he had a credit and it's being used to fund this, then that is better than having to pay it as you go along, if there's nothing in the pot to do so.

If you have some of the bills and you want help understanding them, we can help you out with that.

northernexposure_2

BooJewels said:

I'm not quite sure why you're so not happy about this - everyone who has an estate property to sell is in the same boat.  Suppliers sometimes differ in the details of how they treat estate accounts, but if there's energy supplied to the property it will cost for that service.  You can't have viewings in a dark property, so it's a necessary evil.

I'm currently in the same situation and have been before.  I have a number of security lamps on timers - the fridge and 2 freezers are still on as I'm sure they'll keep better than being off and empty (and we're leaving them) and I have some emergency food in the freezer in case I need to stay again.  All of that has used about 82kWh of electricity since she died in mid February - at a cost of £52.85 to date, including standing charge.  We also have the heating on with the thermostat at 15°C, as this is required by the insurers - and the pump will use some electricity too. 

So your usage should be rather less in comparison - just your standing charge and a few kWh per week at worst - probably less.  If he had a credit and it's being used to fund this, then that is better than having to pay it as you go along, if there's nothing in the pot to do so.

If you have some of the bills and you want help understanding them, we can help you out with that.

£250 for 3 months electricity to an empty house using only 2 lamps, yeah I'm unhappy with this.

As for retaining over £1000 of my dads money yeah I'm unhappy with this too, I would much rather be accruing the interest as tiny as it might be than EDF.

As for viewings I was planning on making them go around with candles 🙄

Robin9

Please it will help if you can give us readings - then we can do some sums. 

Have you copies of the bills ?  Blank out the personal info.


Edit - PS Is the £245 a DD or an actual bill ?

tooldle

That does seem quite a cost for a couple of lamps. I can see the suppliers perspective, if they require probate to issue a refund (as you’ve said), you are not yet in a position to close the account and don’t yet have the authority to do so. 

How do these charges compare to the bills your dad received when he was alive?
Is there a garage or a greenhouse where there might be a heater left on?
for comparison, I used just over 32KWh in the past 6 days at a cost of just over £10. I’m running an oven, washing machine, dishwasher, lights, broadband, laptops and charging a variety of implements.

BooJewels

£250 for 3 months for an empty house with a couple of lamps on timers does sound excessive - it would equate to standing charges for that period and electricity of over 600kWh which would be around 7kWh per day - just not plausible, unless there's an error somewhere or an emersion heater stuck on 24/7.

So how do you get to the number of £250 - has that actually been billed to you?  As Robin mentioned, if you supply some more details, we might just get to the bottom of it for you - £25 per month would sound more plausible, probably less.

As for them holding the credit until you have Probate, that's perhaps just the way they do things - they no doubt publish this information in their T&Cs.  At least if there is a credit on the account, they'll be using that to cover your usage, saving you having to pay for it whilst you wait.

ArGee68

Probate office won't help you until you have waited at least 16 weeks so there is no point chasing them yet.

It would be helpful to know the actual electricity usage which should be stated on your bill.  We have just received a 6 month bill for a period when the property was empty and its for 495kwh (actual readings).    As the property has no central heating, we left the bathroom heated towel rail on permanently through winter to try to get keep some heat in the property.  The only other usage was whatever we used for a few hours each weekend whilst cleaning & clearing the property.

Also - I assume you have received the £67pm energy discount for Feb and March as that should have reduced the bill by £134.  Is the £245 before or after any discount? 

Sarahspangles

OH set up an account in his name not long after MIL died.  I know he didn’t need to do it this way but the payments are being made from the executor’s account.

About four month’s usage over the Winter has cost £700.  That’s with the thermostat for the central heating set at 12C and a couple of lamps on timers or PIR sensors.  Plus there were several days getting the house ready for sale, with the heating a little higher, and use of the kitchen, hot water and a vacuum cleaner. £201 of the cost is covered by the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

For March, electricity alone was £70 which would be lighting, the pump on the central heating and vacuuming up after the furniture was collected. £22 of that is standing charge.