Wrong opening estimated and continued for 3 years

financehelp23

Hi, It is a long story. The provider has taken over from the other provider with the wrong estimated bill(went bust the other one the price was very good). It was Covid. I could not sort out the actual reading. Then huge price increased every 2-3 months at that time. The meter got confused with the 3-phase meter. the provider took the meter reading a few months ago. I was expecting an argument about a huge bill. because the opening reading estimates are very low. They did not update anything of the bill and went quiet. What shall I do now? If I give actual, it is super huge differences. It i not possible to sort it out now seems. I did not have the meter reading when they were forced to take over.We did not have a choice when one bankrupt.  Only had the meter reading pic 6 months after they took over. The opening is about 10,000kw more. i do not know how will they bill and why they did not update the actual reading after they came. The price is going up If I submit now, will they go back for 3 years? How can this work out with an estimated wrong opening 3 years ago  

EssexHebridean

OK - it's a little tricky to establish exactly what has gone on here from your post, but one thing is very clear - you HAVE to give the correct current reading to the supplier if that is what you are considering not doing. 

There are back billing rules that are designed to stop "bill shock" and it sounds as though you could well benefit from that - if your situation qualities then this could mean that the supplier can only bill you going back 12 months, so long as you have made good efforts to resolve the situation. Someone with more knowledge on the specifics of that will no doubt be along to help further though. 

Mark_d

What exactly is the issue here?  If the supplier is asking for a meter reading, then provide what they ask for.  You can take a photo of the meter to prove the reading you take.

EssexHebridean

@mark_d - I think it's to do with a historic incorrect opening reading with a new supplier which was then perpetuated due to a SOLR transfer and then the events that occurred in 2020/21 and still has never been resolved. Could definitely do with a bit of clarification from the OP though! 

financehelp23

Mark_d said:

What exactly is the issue here?  If the supplier is asking for a meter reading, then provide what they ask for.  You can take a photo of the meter to prove the reading you take.

the issue is opening 3 years ago was wrong 10K HIGHER READING. It is transferred provider without much time for the customer's action. And covid I was not there. If they backdated 12 months or further, I still end up pay 10k EXTRA reading. I do not know what to do. They took the reading a few months ago by coming to the house. Bu they did not do anything. I got 3 3-phase meters, even the guy came said not easy to understand reading. I got one very big reading and one very small. Assume is the bigger one

financehelp23

EssexHebridean said:

OK - it's a little tricky to establish exactly what has gone on here from your post, but one thing is very clear - you HAVE to give the correct current reading to the supplier if that is what you are considering not doing. 

There are back billing rules that are designed to stop "bill shock" and it sounds as though you could well benefit from that - if your situation qualities then this could mean that the supplier can only bill you going back 12 months, so long as you have made good efforts to resolve the situation. Someone with more knowledge on the specifics of that will no doubt be along to help further though. 

Hi, yes, they took the meter eading a few month ago on site. But they did not do anything. Not sure why. If I submit now, will be huge for a year back. Or do they backdate 3 years? But the opening estimated was wrong. They didn to know. It is a mess there since some provider went bust and price huge jump in 2021

financehelp23

My account is positively overpaid now. If I transfer the provider. They will send me a big bill later. But their price is not better than the others. If I update now, I will end up big debts,  they will not allow me to transfer and increase DD hugely likely 1k a month. They took the meter a few months ago and the meter is hard to understand. They did not do anything. Not all my fault. Shall I transfer to a chapter provider and sort out this later or shall I update the meter and lock with them and then see how to sort out? I am confused. 

MattMattMattUK

financehelp23 said:

Hi, It is a long story. The provider has taken over from the other provider with the wrong estimated bill(went bust the other one the price was very good). It was Covid. I could not sort out the actual reading.

Why could you not sort an actual reading? Going back historically, at what point did you have an actual reading? Can you collate all your actual readings together?

financehelp23 said:

Then huge price increased every 2-3 months at that time. 

They happened, but they are not the issue here.

financehelp23 said:

The meter got confused with the 3-phase meter. 

Was this caused by the SOLR process, something else? Is this now resolved and do your bills reflect a single phase?

financehelp23 said:

the provider took the meter reading a few months ago. I was expecting an argument about a huge bill. because the opening reading estimates are very low. They did not update anything of the bill and went quiet. What shall I do now? If I give actual, it is super huge differences. 

Are your bills still based on estimates? I am going to presume that the difference is you have been under charged, not overcharged? What is the difference in kWh?

financehelp23 said:

It i not possible to sort it out now seems. 

It is possible, it will just take a bit of time and effort. 

financehelp23 said:

I did not have the meter reading when they were forced to take over.We did not have a choice when one bankrupt.

What is the closest actual reading you have to that time period?

financehelp23 said:

i do not know how will they bill and why they did not update the actual reading after they came. 

Have you been paying an amount by Direct Debit every month? Does your account show a credit, a debt?

financehelp23 said:

The price is going up If I submit now, will they go back for 3 years? How can this work out with an estimated wrong opening 3 years ago  

They will go back three years as part of the calculation yes, but anything more than twelve month ago will be covered by back billing. That does not mean, as some seem to think that the costs get written off and you get your credits back, but it means that say you paid £200 a month in payments, totalling £4,800, but your actual energy usage was £6,000, then the difference, £1,200 is written off. If there is a credit then you get to keep that. There are methodologies to work this out, the average the usage over the whole period. The supplier may be able to resolve this or it might require you to go to the ombudsman. You need to get all the facts together first. 

financehelp23

MattMattMattUK said:

financehelp23 said:

Hi, It is a long story. The provider has taken over from the other provider with the wrong estimated bill(went bust the other one the price was very good). It was Covid. I could not sort out the actual reading.

Why could you not sort an actual reading? Going back historically, at what point did you have an actual reading? Can you collate all your actual readings together?

financehelp23 said:

Then huge price increased every 2-3 months at that time. 

They happened, but they are not the issue here.

financehelp23 said:

The meter got confused with the 3-phase meter. 

Was this caused by the SOLR process, something else? Is this now resolved and do your bills reflect a single phase?

financehelp23 said:

the provider took the meter reading a few months ago. I was expecting an argument about a huge bill. because the opening reading estimates are very low. They did not update anything of the bill and went quiet. What shall I do now? If I give actual, it is super huge differences. 

Are your bills still based on estimates? I am going to presume that the difference is you have been under charged, not overcharged? What is the difference in kWh?

financehelp23 said:

It i not possible to sort it out now seems. 

It is possible, it will just take a bit of time and effort. 

financehelp23 said:

I did not have the meter reading when they were forced to take over.We did not have a choice when one bankrupt.

What is the closest actual reading you have to that time period?

financehelp23 said:

i do not know how will they bill and why they did not update the actual reading after they came. 

Have you been paying an amount by Direct Debit every month? Does your account show a credit, a debt?

financehelp23 said:

The price is going up If I submit now, will they go back for 3 years? How can this work out with an estimated wrong opening 3 years ago  

They will go back three years as part of the calculation yes, but anything more than twelve month ago will be covered by back billing. That does not mean, as some seem to think that the costs get written off and you get your credits back, but it means that say you paid £200 a month in payments, totalling £4,800, but your actual energy usage was £6,000, then the difference, £1,200 is written off. If there is a credit then you get to keep that. There are methodologies to work this out, the average the usage over the whole period. The supplier may be able to resolve this or it might require you to go to the ombudsman. You need to get all the facts together first. 

Thanks, just answer all the questions. We paid a few K to change the single-phase meter to 3 phase because we planned to have Solar and electric car charges later. But the house is a normal residential house. The house was empty and under renovation from 2018 to 2022. The previous bankrupt provider was on the estimate as well. Too low reading but a cheap price. I have some meter readings pic in each year. The first pic was in 2022, 6 months after they took over. During these 6 months was empty, covid could not get reading. I was not on the DD, and could not afford DD in 2022. The DD was set up over 1 year ago. paid back 6-7K. Now is credit shows overpaid.  We only have 2 audits and 2 kids usage average of 40 kw in summer a day 50-65kw IN winter based on the meter seems high. No gas.  If they backdated 3 years, depends on the price per kw they used the opening I guess 10k kw MORE THAN ACTUAL., I do not know how much will be worse. 

MattMattMattUK

financehelp23 said:

MattMattMattUK said:

financehelp23 said:

Hi, It is a long story. The provider has taken over from the other provider with the wrong estimated bill(went bust the other one the price was very good). It was Covid. I could not sort out the actual reading.

Why could you not sort an actual reading? Going back historically, at what point did you have an actual reading? Can you collate all your actual readings together?

financehelp23 said:

Then huge price increased every 2-3 months at that time. 

They happened, but they are not the issue here.

financehelp23 said:

The meter got confused with the 3-phase meter. 

Was this caused by the SOLR process, something else? Is this now resolved and do your bills reflect a single phase?

financehelp23 said:

the provider took the meter reading a few months ago. I was expecting an argument about a huge bill. because the opening reading estimates are very low. They did not update anything of the bill and went quiet. What shall I do now? If I give actual, it is super huge differences. 

Are your bills still based on estimates? I am going to presume that the difference is you have been under charged, not overcharged? What is the difference in kWh?

financehelp23 said:

It i not possible to sort it out now seems. 

It is possible, it will just take a bit of time and effort. 

financehelp23 said:

I did not have the meter reading when they were forced to take over.We did not have a choice when one bankrupt.

What is the closest actual reading you have to that time period?

financehelp23 said:

i do not know how will they bill and why they did not update the actual reading after they came. 

Have you been paying an amount by Direct Debit every month? Does your account show a credit, a debt?

financehelp23 said:

The price is going up If I submit now, will they go back for 3 years? How can this work out with an estimated wrong opening 3 years ago  

They will go back three years as part of the calculation yes, but anything more than twelve month ago will be covered by back billing. That does not mean, as some seem to think that the costs get written off and you get your credits back, but it means that say you paid £200 a month in payments, totalling £4,800, but your actual energy usage was £6,000, then the difference, £1,200 is written off. If there is a credit then you get to keep that. There are methodologies to work this out, the average the usage over the whole period. The supplier may be able to resolve this or it might require you to go to the ombudsman. You need to get all the facts together first. 

Thanks, just answer all the questions. We paid a few K to change the single phase meter to 3 pahase because we planned to have Solar and electric car changed later. But the house is a normal residential house.

Ok, so that is not a confusion about three-phase, you did actually have three-phase installed, which does impact things. You might potentially be on a commercial tariff as not all suppliers offer domestic three phase tariffs and even if they do they are different to normal domestic tariffs. For the benefit of others, you almost certainly did not need three phase for solar, EV charging, or both combined. 

financehelp23 said:
The house was empty and under renovation until 2022. I have some meter readings pic in each year. The first pic was in 2022, 6 months after they took over.

What are the actual readings you do have, date and meter reading in kWh? Also when was the install date for the three-phase supply.

financehelp23 said:
During these 6 months was empty, covid could not get reading.

Ok, I am not totally sure why unless it was a long way from where you live, but it is what it is.

financehelp23 said:
I was not on the DD, and could not afford DD in 2022. The DD was set up over 1 year ago. 

Did you pay anything? Direct Debit is the cheapest way to pay, not paying by Direct Debit probably increased costs by around 15-20%. Have the energy supplier taken any debt collection action against you?

financehelp23 said:
We only have 2 audits and 2 kids usage average of 40 kw in summer a day 50-65kw IN winter based on the meter seems high. No gas.

That does not seem high to me for an all electric house with four occupants. 

financehelp23 said:
If they backdated 3 years, depends on the price per kw they used the opening I guess 10k kw MORE THAN ACTUAL., I do not know how much will be worse. 

I am not totally sure what you are saying there, do you mean that your actual usage is 10,000 kWh more than you have been billed for?

Please can you give the actual reads you have, together with the dates they were taken.
Please can you give your current meter reading.
Please can you give the estimated reading they used to calculate your most recent bill and the date. 
Please can you confirm what payments you have made in total over the relevant period.

financehelp23

MattMattMattUK said:

financehelp23 said:

MattMattMattUK said:

financehelp23 said:

Hi, It is a long story. The provider has taken over from the other provider with the wrong estimated bill(went bust the other one the price was very good). It was Covid. I could not sort out the actual reading.

Why could you not sort an actual reading? Going back historically, at what point did you have an actual reading? Can you collate all your actual readings together?

financehelp23 said:

Then huge price increased every 2-3 months at that time. 

They happened, but they are not the issue here.

financehelp23 said:

The meter got confused with the 3-phase meter. 

Was this caused by the SOLR process, something else? Is this now resolved and do your bills reflect a single phase?

financehelp23 said:

the provider took the meter reading a few months ago. I was expecting an argument about a huge bill. because the opening reading estimates are very low. They did not update anything of the bill and went quiet. What shall I do now? If I give actual, it is super huge differences. 

Are your bills still based on estimates? I am going to presume that the difference is you have been under charged, not overcharged? What is the difference in kWh?

financehelp23 said:

It i not possible to sort it out now seems. 

It is possible, it will just take a bit of time and effort. 

financehelp23 said:

I did not have the meter reading when they were forced to take over.We did not have a choice when one bankrupt.

What is the closest actual reading you have to that time period?

financehelp23 said:

i do not know how will they bill and why they did not update the actual reading after they came. 

Have you been paying an amount by Direct Debit every month? Does your account show a credit, a debt?

financehelp23 said:

The price is going up If I submit now, will they go back for 3 years? How can this work out with an estimated wrong opening 3 years ago  

They will go back three years as part of the calculation yes, but anything more than twelve month ago will be covered by back billing. That does not mean, as some seem to think that the costs get written off and you get your credits back, but it means that say you paid £200 a month in payments, totalling £4,800, but your actual energy usage was £6,000, then the difference, £1,200 is written off. If there is a credit then you get to keep that. There are methodologies to work this out, the average the usage over the whole period. The supplier may be able to resolve this or it might require you to go to the ombudsman. You need to get all the facts together first. 

Thanks, just answer all the questions. We paid a few K to change the single phase meter to 3 pahase because we planned to have Solar and electric car changed later. But the house is a normal residential house.

Ok, so that is not a confusion about three-phase, you did actually have three-phase installed, which does impact things. You might potentially be on a commercial tariff as not all suppliers offer domestic three phase tariffs and even if they do they are different to normal domestic tariffs. For the benefit of others, you almost certainly did not need three phase for solar, EV charging, or both combined. 

financehelp23 said:
The house was empty and under renovation until 2022. I have some meter readings pic in each year. The first pic was in 2022, 6 months after they took over.

What are the actual readings you do have, date and meter reading in kWh? Also when was the install date for the three-phase supply.

financehelp23 said:
During these 6 months was empty, covid could not get reading.

Ok, I am not totally sure why unless it was a long way from where you live, but it is what it is.

financehelp23 said:
I was not on the DD, and could not afford DD in 2022. The DD was set up over 1 year ago. 

Did you pay anything? Direct Debit is the cheapest way to pay, not paying by Direct Debit probably increased costs by around 15-20%. Have the energy supplier taken any debt collection action against you?

financehelp23 said:
We only have 2 audits and 2 kids usage average of 40 kw in summer a day 50-65kw IN winter based on the meter seems high. No gas.

That does not seem high to me for an all electric house with four occupants. 

financehelp23 said:
If they backdated 3 years, depends on the price per kw they used the opening I guess 10k kw MORE THAN ACTUAL., I do not know how much will be worse. 

I am not totally sure what you are saying there, do you mean that your actual usage is 10,000 kWh more than you have been billed for?

Please can you give the actual reads you have, together with the dates they were taken.
Please can you give your current meter reading.
Please can you give the estimated reading they used to calculate your most recent bill and the date. 
Please can you confirm what payments you have made in total over the relevant period.

Thanks, were planned 3 phases for 2 electric car changes, But we did not finish the renovation and we did not buy another car. We were not on the commercial plan. We did not charge car at tall. It is a normal residential House. My partner did it, he is a builder and IT person. I do not understand why, he try to build a green warm house that we do to have a heating at tall but warm with insulation. The differences of meters are about 30k above now. The previous provider bankrupt, and can not correct them. Means have to pay more to the current provider although I did not use these much with them because the opening was wrong. Not sure if they will consider opening was wrong. 10k HIGER. If consider opening wrong, I owe them about 20k usage, if not, 30k usage. About 6-8k in money. I will pay back them but need on monthly. It was much higher without DD, I was in a mess and COVID-19, energy prices were super high. They did chase debts but added a late payment fee £100 plus. In 2023, I set up DD and paid based on the estimated lower than actual. I do not know why they took the meter and did not update the bill a few months ago, I gues the guy is confused about why we have 3 phases as well. Their fixed plan is still much higher. Do you know how much debts I need to clear DOWN IN ORDER TO TRANSFER To another provider with a better plan if I update the meter to them now? Do they have a standard like £500?