Anomalously high gas bill - from British Gas

brianposter

"the readings used were underestimates". I wonder what that means. It should be an interesting chat.

Just stick to the fact that your gas consumption was under 40kwh per day in 2023 and you are expecting bills which are not ridiculously out-of-line with that figure.

Qyburn

Contrary view from the ICO, this is nipped from their response to a complaint.

Petriix

CazeryBird said:

Petriix said:

I think the real focus of your investigation/analysis needs to be on the reading when you moved into the property. We know what the meter reading is now so, if that start reading is accurate, your usage between then and now is whatever the total difference between the opening and current readings. The photo we really need to see is the one you took of the meter on the day you moved in. 

British Gas have form for inventing spuriously low historical readings as part of the transition to their new system. If something has gone wrong, I'd be looking carefully at those historic readings.

Absolutely fundamental to proving anything is having evidence of the actual opening reading. It can't be emphasised enough that the first thing anyone should do when they gain access to a new home is to photograph all the meters. Obviously you can't go back in time and do that, but it might help someone else who reads this. 

I did take a photo and am happy that the move in reading was accurate (that said I'm not sure where it is).

My issue is that I think something went wrong with the meter around late spring this year, when a massive leap in usage was recorded with no changes in our usage. They say we are on schedule to have used 50,000kWh in a year for our 3 bed terrace (not a big house, and mostly heated by a log burner), where we used 14,000 last year. Our usage pattern hasn't changed and since the spring high blip it's been at a much more average usage level so something went wrong around then. It also coincides with my account being erroneously transfered to another supplier and then back again.

The first bg person I spoke to seemed to be suggesting he could adjust the reading to make a more reasonable average, but when I responded to clarify before agreeing I stopped receiving constructive replies and none since address that proposed solution.

(Sorry for the essay, thought a recap might be useful as the thread is long now!)

So the meter has actually recorded that usage. You seem convinced that the meter is faulty but there are possible scenarios where there has been a different fault such as a leak (of either hot water or gas) or a boiler fault.

Have you downloaded your smart meter data from n3rgy or similar? That might give some more insight into exactly when the usage was accrued. If it all appeared overnight then you might have a case. 

Do you have readings from around the time of the sudden jump? Is it possible that it was recorded over a longer period including the time when they say they weren't receiving meter readings in 2023?

You say it's a new boiler. Was it replaced around the time the spike in usage occurred? 

CazeryBird

Petriix said:

So the meter has actually recorded that usage. You seem convinced that the meter is faulty but there are possible scenarios where there has been a different fault such as a leak (of either hot water or gas) or a boiler fault.

Have you downloaded your smart meter data from n3rgy or similar?

Do you have readings from around the time of the sudden jump? Is it possible that it was recorded over a longer period including the time when they say they weren't receiving meter readings in 2023?

You say it's a new boiler. Was it replaced around the time the spike in usage occurred? 

The boiler was checked around that time because we had the kitchen removed and I wanted to be sure everything was working fine and there were no leaks so all OK there. All the hot water pipes related to the kitchen (amd bathroom) were visible because we had no ceiling, and there were no leaks from them.

My main suspicion is that something happened with the meter around the time of the erroneous supplier swap as this is when the jump happened. They had the wrong name/details for our address (someone at the opposite end of the country who had zero links to this house) so I am now wondering whether her opening meter reading could have been uploaded to my meter?

I'm requesting all my readings from bg as part of the SAR.

I don't have readings from then*, but I do have a  actual reading from the end of 2023, so it wasn't accrued over that year.

The new boiler was installed the first week of October 2022: a week after we moved in.

* I touched upon it earlier in the thread, but my partner was suicidal for a big chunk of spring/summer so my focus was on keeping him alive rather than meter readings. I realise I should have done both and would have probably been able to avoid all this stress, but hindsight...🤷🏻‍♀️

CazeryBird

Just received an email from them to say they are working on my complaint.

I haven't submitted a complaint yet. I asked how I submit one and haven't received a response to that request. So I've asked them to confirm the complaint details they have noted as they weren't written by me and I have no idea what they are or if they reflect accurately my actual complaint..

EssexHebridean

Nope, your priority was absolutely spot on - in the same situation again, maintain the same focus - that is by far the most important thing in that situation. I really hope he’s seeing a way back out through the blackness now  - it’s never the real answer people thing it is, and only creates more questions for those remaining.

Earlier in the BG responses they were adamant that all use recorded related to accurate meter reads weren’t they? Now they admit to estimates, and a lot of them presumably. 

Am I correct in thinking there was a question;mark over whether your boiler was even capable of using tr amount of gas in question? If so, I suggest that narrowing down precisely where the jumps occurred (as said via one of the third party sites) could be key. 

Petriix

Definitely, as a priority, download your smart meter data. That will show actual consumption and should highlight any anomalies and sudden jumps. If there was some kind of reset in the last 12 months then it might become apparent. Look on the n3rgy website and see if you can access the data. 

debitcardmayhem

Petriix said:

Definitely, as a priority, download your smart meter data. That will show actual consumption and should highlight any anomalies and sudden jumps. If there was some kind of reset in the last 12 months then it might become apparent. Look on the n3rgy website and see if you can access the data. 

Further up the thread there are actual readings that show a big jump between april and june

Petriix

debitcardmayhem said:

Petriix said:

Definitely, as a priority, download your smart meter data. That will show actual consumption and should highlight any anomalies and sudden jumps. If there was some kind of reset in the last 12 months then it might become apparent. Look on the n3rgy website and see if you can access the data. 

Further up the thread there are actual readings that show a big jump between april and june

I wouldn't be taking the readings provided by BG as fact. In any case, the smart meter data will show exactly when the gas was used and could easily confirm or contradict the bills in question. 

Ildhund

debitcardmayhem said:
Further up the thread there are actual readings that show a big jump between april and june

There are readings, and then there are readings. What was shown upthreads was indeed a set of meter readings - what you see if you look at the meter and press the right buttons. What you can get from authorized third-party users like Bright is usage data - how much gas or electricity was consumed in each time period, e.g. each half-hour. These figures will reveal any unusual behaviour.