Meter readings

QuantumCactus42

Hi guys, I've got a potentially worrying scenario.

I've recently reached an age where I've become "conscious" of bills and how they work. I decided to look into why out energy bill was so high. We have been with the same provider for 14 years and since then, my parents have been submitting the day and night readings the wrong way around. They did not realise this until I have brought it up to them recently. Im terrified that if i get we get in contact with the energy provider, that they would charge back tens of thousands. Would this be the case?

What is the best route of action in this situation?

QuantumCactus42

Just another thing to add on. We have had people come over to take meter readings several times over the 14 year time period as I have had to let them into the building which makes it even weirder that this has not been brought up before.

Keep_pedalling

Do they have storage heaters? If they do I would have thought reading them the wrong way round would mean they have been over paying rather than under paying.

vic_sf49

What makes you think they're the wrong way around?

For example, Reading 1 might be the day reading, or it might be night; there seems to be no convention as to how all the different meters are configured.

If you look at the meter, it should show you which rate is currently active, somehow or other, but errrr, there's far more clever folk on here, if you need help with that.

QuantumCactus42

vic_sf49 said:

What makes you think they're the wrong way around?

For example, Reading 1 might be the day reading, or it might be night; there seems to be no convention as to how all the different meters are configured.

If you look at the meter, it should show you which rate is currently active, somehow or other, but errrr, there's far more clever folk on here, if you need help with that.

My meter has a "low" and "normal" number. They also show on the app which has the word night next to low and day next to normal. However, for some reason my parents have been putting the low into the normal and the normal into the low so it looks like were using way more energy at night than during the day. Im really not sure how this has happened.

QuantumCactus42

Keep_pedalling said:

Do they have storage heaters? If they do I would have thought reading them the wrong way round would mean they have been over paying rather than under paying.

What is a storage heater in this context? How comes they would be overpaying rather than underpaying?

Keep_pedalling

QuantumCactus42 said:

Keep_pedalling said:

Do they have storage heaters? If they do I would have thought reading them the wrong way round would mean they have been over paying rather than under paying.

What is a storage heater in this context? How comes they would be overpaying rather than underpaying?

The most common use of these day and night tariffs is to provided cheaper electricity for night storage heaters, these will use the bulk of a household’s electricity, so if you reverse the readings you are going to end up over paying not underpaying.

Can you tell us what sort of heating do they actually have? 

vic_sf49

QuantumCactus42 said:

vic_sf49 said:

What makes you think they're the wrong way around?

For example, Reading 1 might be the day reading, or it might be night; there seems to be no convention as to how all the different meters are configured.

If you look at the meter, it should show you which rate is currently active, somehow or other, but errrr, there's far more clever folk on here, if you need help with that.

My meter has a "low" and "normal" number. They also show on the app which has the word night next to low and day next to normal. However, for some reason my parents have been putting the low into the normal and the normal into the low so it looks like were using way more energy at night than during the day. Im really not sure how this has happened.

The point of Economy 7 for example, is to have 7 hours of cheaper electricity, through the night, athough exact timings may vary.

It's a tariff designed for people with storage heaters, that heat up on that cheaper rate at night, and discharge the heat during the day.

If the majority of their usage is at night, and they're on Economy 7, then that's excellent, and is how it is intended to be used. 

Edited to add, sorry @Keep_pedalling, I mostly just repeated what you said. 

QuantumCactus42

vic_sf49 said:

QuantumCactus42 said:

vic_sf49 said:

What makes you think they're the wrong way around?

For example, Reading 1 might be the day reading, or it might be night; there seems to be no convention as to how all the different meters are configured.

If you look at the meter, it should show you which rate is currently active, somehow or other, but errrr, there's far more clever folk on here, if you need help with that.

My meter has a "low" and "normal" number. They also show on the app which has the word night next to low and day next to normal. However, for some reason my parents have been putting the low into the normal and the normal into the low so it looks like were using way more energy at night than during the day. Im really not sure how this has happened.

The point of Economy 7 for example, is to have 7 hours of cheaper electricity, through the night, athough exact timings may vary.

It's a tariff designed for people with storage heaters, that heat up on that cheaper rate at night, and discharge the heat during the day.

If the majority of their usage is at night, and they're on Economy 7, then that's excellent, and is how it is intended to be used. 

Edited to add, sorry @Keep_pedalling, I mostly just repeated what you said. 

Sorry dont mean to sound rude but not sure howelse to phrase it but what does the heating have to do with the initial post?

EssexHebridean

QuantumCactus42 said:

vic_sf49 said:

QuantumCactus42 said:

vic_sf49 said:

What makes you think they're the wrong way around?

For example, Reading 1 might be the day reading, or it might be night; there seems to be no convention as to how all the different meters are configured.

If you look at the meter, it should show you which rate is currently active, somehow or other, but errrr, there's far more clever folk on here, if you need help with that.

My meter has a "low" and "normal" number. They also show on the app which has the word night next to low and day next to normal. However, for some reason my parents have been putting the low into the normal and the normal into the low so it looks like were using way more energy at night than during the day. Im really not sure how this has happened.

The point of Economy 7 for example, is to have 7 hours of cheaper electricity, through the night, athough exact timings may vary.

It's a tariff designed for people with storage heaters, that heat up on that cheaper rate at night, and discharge the heat during the day.

If the majority of their usage is at night, and they're on Economy 7, then that's excellent, and is how it is intended to be used. 

Edited to add, sorry @Keep_pedalling, I mostly just repeated what you said. 

Sorry dont mean to sound rude but not sure howelse to phrase it but what does the heating have to do with the initial post?

As explained above - most commonly Economy 7 meters, so those that have a peak (daytime) and off-peak (night-time) rate are used by those who use night storage heaters for their heating. For example where I used to live we had that heating - that mean that of our roughly 4500 kWh annual electricity use, around 75% of this was used at night because that was when our heaters and out water tank heated up ready for the day ahead. 

An example:
If someone used 100kWh a week - that might mean that they were using 25 of those units at the peak rate (let's say 20p for arguments sake) and 75 at night - 10p. That will see a weekly bill of £5 for daytime use, and £7.50 for night time. Total bill = £12.50 
If the readings were entered the wrong way round, that would mean the person would be charged for 75 at daytime = £15.00, and 25 at night-time = £2.50. Total bill = £17.50  This is why the general assumption that if E7 readings are entered back to front, it will mean money back to the customer, not additional payments being needed. 

How do your parents heat their home?
How do they heat their water?

Flugelhorn

QuantumCactus42 said:

vic_sf49 said:

QuantumCactus42 said:

vic_sf49 said:

What makes you think they're the wrong way around?

For example, Reading 1 might be the day reading, or it might be night; there seems to be no convention as to how all the different meters are configured.

If you look at the meter, it should show you which rate is currently active, somehow or other, but errrr, there's far more clever folk on here, if you need help with that.

My meter has a "low" and "normal" number. They also show on the app which has the word night next to low and day next to normal. However, for some reason my parents have been putting the low into the normal and the normal into the low so it looks like were using way more energy at night than during the day. Im really not sure how this has happened.

The point of Economy 7 for example, is to have 7 hours of cheaper electricity, through the night, athough exact timings may vary.

It's a tariff designed for people with storage heaters, that heat up on that cheaper rate at night, and discharge the heat during the day.

If the majority of their usage is at night, and they're on Economy 7, then that's excellent, and is how it is intended to be used. 

Edited to add, sorry @Keep_pedalling, I mostly just repeated what you said. 

Sorry dont mean to sound rude but not sure howelse to phrase it but what does the heating have to do with the initial post?

they were trying to explain that this error may not be as worrying as you first thought as they might have been overpaying