Ridiculous electricity amount paid...

SPlatten

We have been with EDF since 17/02/2022, this is the date from our bank statement when the first payment was taken.  EDF initially fixed our bill at £114, 3 months later they changed it to our smart meter reading.

On 06/05/2022 a new direct debit was set-up for pay back £64.50 per month because apparently our account was over £1,500 over our direct debit.  I don't understand this, how can our usage have suddenly increased like this, EDF give no explanation.

On 29/02/2024 EDF took £914.97 from our account, we checked our smart meter, the readings for the entire month of February 2024 is less than half the amount we were billed.

I have been through our bank statements for all payments paid to EDF and £7,882.14 through our billing based on our smart meter and £1,419, total mount paid £9301.14

There has been no explanation of how our consumption has increased so much. 

DE_612183

Have you asked them?

Have you analysed your consumption and your payments?

Your smart meter should be able to break down when the worst time for usage are.

What tariff are you on?

You can't just look at payments in isolation.

MattMattMattUK

SPlatten said:

We have been with EDF since 17/02/2022, this is the date from our bank statement when the first payment was taken.  EDF initially fixed our bill at £114, 3 months later they changed it to our smart meter reading.

On 06/05/2022 a new direct debit was set-up for pay back £64.50 per month because apparently our account was over £1,500 over our direct debit.  I don't understand this, how can our usage have suddenly increased like this, EDF give no explanation.

On 29/02/2024 EDF took £914.97 from our account, we checked our smart meter, the readings for the entire month of February 2024 is less than half the amount we were billed.

I have been through our bank statements for all payments paid to EDF and £7,882.14 through our billing based on our smart meter and £1,419, total mount paid £9301.14

There has been no explanation of how our consumption has increased so much. 

Trying to figure things out, but I think you have got confused between Direct Debits and bills. Direct Debits put money into a pot, bills come out of that pot of money.

SPlatten said:

a new direct debit was set-up for pay back £64.50 per month

What do you mean by "setu-up for pay back"?

SPlatten said:

On 29/02/2024 EDF took £914.97 from our account, we checked our smart meter, the readings for the entire month of February 2024 is less than half the amount we were billed.

On that basis you were using around £450 a month of energy, but had only been paying £64.50 per month into the pot, via Direct Debit. Now whilst that was winter usage and so likely higher than the year round average it would indicate a severe shortfall in the funds from the Direct Debit. 

SPlatten said:

I have been through our bank statements for all payments paid to EDF and £7,882.14 through our billing based on our smart meter and £1,419, total mount paid £9301.14

Do you mean smart meter, or IHD? How much energy have you used in kWh and which region are you in? On your bills what does it say your estimated annual consumption is in kWh?

EDF are currently moving billing systems, so it could be related to that, but from what you have said above I suspect that the reality is that your Direct Debit has been far too low for several years and that has caused you to accumulate significant debt. There may be a situation where back billing applies, but that would depend if they had billed you or not and is not a get out of jail free card. 

SPlatten said:

EDF initially fixed our bill at £114, 3 months later they changed it to our smart meter reading.

On 06/05/2022 a new direct debit was set-up for pay back £64.50 per month

Are you saying that one of these was your monthly Direct Debit?

SPlatten said:

 total mount paid £9301.14

Because if so that does not add up, it would take either 82 or 144 months to accumulate that amount in payments,  which is 6.8-12 years and you have said that is since Feb 2022, so the numbers do not make sense. 

CouldntResist

Who else has deja vu?

EssexHebridean

I suspect this thread will go the same way as the OPs previous ones on the same subject, however. 

OP - what reading is shown on your smart meter - the actual meter on the wall, NOT the little digital display - right now. How does that compare with the reading on your most recent bill? 

Robin9

@SPlatten I think it would help if you gave us the meter readings please -  from 17 Feb 2022 and today. 

Look closely at your bills and 1) for the letters which follow the meter readings - A, C, E  or our read/your read (just because the meter is Smart is doesn't mean it is communicating  and 2) note the meter serial numbers on the bill and compare that with the actual meter (that's the one in your garage or meter box, not the toy in your kitchen.

QrizB

CouldntResist said:

Who else has deja vu?

For the benefit of the community, OP lives in an all-electric house. Here's the OP's previous thread (May last year) which contains some of the background info that's missing from this one:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6444028/incredible-price-hike-how-can-they-do-this/p1

Amd from March 223:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6434777/what-is-going-on/p1

And from 2021, which was before the Op joined EDF but includes some meter readings and consumption figures:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6245406/can-anyone-help-me-understand-these-bills/p1

Between 18th Oct 2020 and 18th Feb 2021, OP's household used just shy of 11700kWh of electricity. If this winter has seen similar usage, that's something like £3000-worth.

dunstonh

EDF initially fixed our bill at £114, 

That isn't how a fixed deal works.   The fix is on the unit price.   It is not on the direct debit amount.    Fixes are not an all-you-can-eat deal.   Its unit count multiplied by the unit price.  The more you use, the more you pay.

There has been no explanation of how our consumption has increased so much. 

For us to comment on your consumption we would need to know details of that consumption.  You have been focusing on cost and direct debit amounts but they are meaningless without knowing what your actual use is.

And it must be actual. Not estimates.  If you have been relying on estimates which were understating the real position and then an actual/smart meter reading was made, then you could be playing catch up.

bagand96

SPlatten said:

There has been no explanation of how our consumption has increased so much. 

The explanation will be in the bills.

You need to stop thinking in terms of £ and monthly Direct Debits and think in terms of electricity used in kWh.  Your bills should tell you exactly how many kWh you have been billed for.

With the help of the very knowledgeable people on this forum you'll hopefully able to establish if EDF have billed you for the correct amount (ie are reading actual or estimated).

MultiFuelBurner

SPlatten said:

We have been with EDF since 17/02/2022, this is the date from our bank statement when the first payment was taken.  EDF initially fixed our bill at £114, 3 months later they changed it to our smart meter reading.

On 06/05/2022 a new direct debit was set-up for pay back £64.50 per month because apparently our account was over £1,500 over our direct debit.  I don't understand this, how can our usage have suddenly increased like this, EDF give no explanation.

On 29/02/2024 EDF took £914.97 from our account, we checked our smart meter, the readings for the entire month of February 2024 is less than half the amount we were billed.

I have been through our bank statements for all payments paid to EDF and £7,882.14 through our billing based on our smart meter and £1,419, total mount paid £9301.14

There has been no explanation of how our consumption has increased so much. 

I haven't read the replies but you are responsible to know your readings and usage and make sure it all adds up. That way things that go wrong are spotted earlier.

The reason I am so harsh on this is that by law the energy supplier can rebill you on usage so it's in your interests to know exactly what you use and how much it costs.

Now the bit I do agree with us that some energy supplier are shocking and these things appear to happen more often with them than others.

So go back to readings you know and bills that state actual and not estimates and ideally back as far as you can and recalculate 

Tucosalamanca

You're all very patient and kind going over this with OP again.
If they don't understand by now, I fear that they never will....