How can I possibly pay this back?

FoxySA

I would appreciate any help and advice possible around my current situation:

I split from my partner and then began having to input my meter readings for gas and electricity by myself. It had always previously been my partner's job. My gas readings were low and my energy company (Bulb now Octopus) reduced my bills to £1 per month at one point because I had a lot of credit in my account and they wanted me to use this rather than continue paying £40-£60 per month and not using the energy.

At no point did they ask to send anyone out to check my meter even with the such low readings which I was sending for 18 months. But then it was brought to my attention (by a gas engineer) that what I thought was the gas meter was actually my water meter.

I then input my actual gas reading into my energy supplier and I was greeted with a huge debit bill of thousands (we are talking roughly £4500) that I have no possible way of ever paying off. I informed Octopus of this and they sent me links for grants and advice around energy but I am only able to pay £120 per month towards my bill.

I am very conscious that my bill will continue to grow as I continue to use energy.

Is there any advice you can give me? 

Krakkkers

With the refund on your water bill?
Your supplier will set up a repayment plan for you.
Does the £120 include debt repayment and does that really cover your actual usage as it seems low.

dunstonh

I then input my actual gas reading into my energy supplier and I was greeted with a huge debit bill of thousands (we are talking roughly £4500) that I have no possible way of ever paying off. I informed Octopus of this and they sent me links for grants and advice around energy but I am only able to pay £120 per month towards my bill.

There are some questions that need to be asked and checked on.
a) when you split with your partner, how did you agree on the financial issues?     Some of this use may pre-date the split for example.  So, they could be responsible for some of it.
b) what have you been declaring for your water use if you have been using the water meter for gas readings?
c) how long ago did you take control of the supply? (i.e. when did your ex partner move out) - this is to gauge the period you built up £4500 of gas supply and whether the £120pm is viable going forward 

Ultimately, there is no way to get this written off.   It is energy you have used and a debt you owe.   So a repayment plan needs to be put in place.     This will need to be above your actual use going forward.

Flugelhorn

dunstonh said:

I then input my actual gas reading into my energy supplier and I was greeted with a huge debit bill of thousands (we are talking roughly £4500) that I have no possible way of ever paying off. I informed Octopus of this and they sent me links for grants and advice around energy but I am only able to pay £120 per month towards my bill.

There are some questions that need to be asked and checked on.
a) when you split with your partner, how did you agree on the financial issues?     Some of this use may pre-date the split for example.  So, they could be responsible for some of it.
b) what have you been declaring for your water use if you have been using the water meter for gas readings?
c) how long ago did you take control of the supply? (i.e. when did your ex partner move out) - this is to gauge the period you built up £4500 of gas supply and whether the £120pm is viable going forward 

Ultimately, there is no way to get this written off.   It is energy you have used and a debt you owe.   So a repayment plan needs to be put in place.     This will need to be above your actual use going forward.

perhaps the water company read their own meter ( they certainly do for ours, we never send any readings) - the thing that would puzzle me is the first time you did this then I would have thought they might have commented that the reading didn't look right and queried it then

Bendo

Unless the water meter was at a similar reading to the gas, surely it would have been rejected.

Have they rebilled from the last known good gas reading out your last water meter reading?

Reed_Richards

Realistically, if your home uses more energy than you can now afford then you will have to move to somewhere with lower running costs.  If you have enough income to cover your real running costs then you will have to try to negotiate to pay off your debt at a rate that you can manage.

Kat78MFW

If it's only been 18 months that you have been entering the wrong gas reading, £4500 sounds like a huge amount of gas to have used, especially if there was also credit to use up. Are you sure you are now entering the correct reading? Is it an imperial or metric meter and does this match your bills? Maybe if you can take a photo of the gas meter and post it on here then we can help check the reading for you.

theoretica

4500 for 18 months comes to 250 a month - which is much higher than the 40-60 a month you say you had been paying previously.  Have you double checked all their figures that this bill is correct - especially that both starting figure and ending one are gas meter and not water meter?