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Monthly electric bill gone from £120 to £800 increase HELP

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Hello 

My mother (72 years) recently widowed and on a fixed pension income living in a 3 bedroom bungalow has recently seen a dramatic increase in her electricity bill from Scottish Power. Her bills which were previously £120 per month have increased to £800 per month from Feb 2023 to March 2023 and have stayed around £700 - £800 per month since then. This is on top of gas (she has gas heating).

She is on a fixed tariff so there is no change in the rate, just a sharp increase in energy usage to over 3000kw despite her having been away for several weeks during this period. There is no obvious reason for the increase in energy usage. We have had the electrician round who determined that the energy consumption is modest and more in line with  300kw per month. We have checked that the emersion heater is off and any other heaters. 

My mother has tried to contact Scottish Power for help and was told that her monthly bill would be reduced to £330 per month but the high energy usage and bills of circa £800 per month are continuing. We are at a complete loss. No one seems to be able to help. My mums electric bill is now more than her pension! This is rapidly eating into her savings and is not sustainable for her. We don’t know what to do. Can you give us any advice?

Comments

  • Jonboy_1984
    Jonboy_1984 Posts: 1,233 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Are the bills based on actual or estimated readings. How far back since the last actual reading?

    Do they have any letters such as A, C, or E after the meter reading to indicate the type of reading or do they say actual, estimated, smart or meter reader on the bill?


  • Robin9
    Robin9 Posts: 12,776 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper

    Put £ and DD's aside for the time being.


    Please can we have meter readings from about 12 months ago that are ACTUAL reads.  Read the meter today.

    Take care in reading the meters some of the modern ones can be difficult to read -  watch out for the decimal point.

    Has the meter been changed recently ?


    Never pay on an estimated bill. Always read and understand your bill
  • CSI_Yorkshire
    CSI_Yorkshire Posts: 1,792 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Clever electrician if he can tell from a single inspection what the monthly consumption will be.

    As the others have said - meter reads.  Actual meter reads.  That's how we start to understand this.
  • dunstonh
    dunstonh Posts: 119,640 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
     Can you give us any advice?
    Facts are crucial.    So, we need some facts

    Firstly, put aside monthly direct debit or monetary figures and work in kWh (i.e units).
    Secondly, we need some readings and clarifications on the readings being used for the billing.   i.e. are those readings estimates or actual meter reads.

    In most cases like this, it tends to be either that the person wasn't paying enough to begin with and the increase is not only to bring it up to the amount it should be but also a catch up what it should have been.   Or, that they are not providing meter readings and estimates are being used and the estimate is higher than actual.

    So, we need some actual readings and dates along with the readings used on bill and whether they were actual readings or estimates.

    I am an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA). The comments I make are just my opinion and are for discussion purposes only. They are not financial advice and you should not treat them as such. If you feel an area discussed may be relevant to you, then please seek advice from an Independent Financial Adviser local to you.
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