Madly inflated OVO electricity reading and bill received.... help please!

PrudentEllie

Yesterday I received my latest OVO energy (gas and electricity) for January - and was shocked to see that although my gas reading seemed possibly ok, the electricity reading was inexplicably through the roof.  As I am ill, a pensioner, and disabled and housebound, I had not submitted a reading for these things since last June.  I've been with OVO for around 15 years or so, and have since gone onto their website and seen my meter readings (amazingly, despite most of the numbers there being estimated, it says they are all 'manual' readings - as if!) - I have taken care to take overlapping screenshots of the elec bills going back to 2013, and have thus calculated my average energy usage over a 9 year period (3,380 units approx per year over a nine year period), then from Sept 2022 to today's date, approx 2990 per year over a 2.5 year period - I've been trying desperately to save energy (as has everyone, I know). 

The latest bill says that I have used over 800 kwh of electricity in January alone - with their 'reading' being dated in the middle of February, when no-one came to the house or went into the front garden (brambles to deter burglars).  By co-incidence, between 1 Jan 24 and 1 April 2024 I used around 800 Kwh according to their records - in three months, not one.  

I know I have to have all sorts of details ready to query this with Ovo - can anyone advise me?  BTW although I know how to take screenshots, I don't know anything else really on the computer apart from sending emails and ordering stuff for the house as I can't get out.  I do know however, that (I think it was Microsoft) quietly stopped letting us send photos from our photo albums online with emails, so how I could send them proof I don't know. 

Can anyone help?  (I haven't looked at the gas figures yet).  BTW the online updating your meter readings accepted my gas meter reading but did not accept my electricity reading as their alleged one was so much higher than my one now - by 600 units!  I am always very careful with gas and electricity - relying on hot water bottles to keep me warm, it really isn't me, and it isn't the meter - it is Ovo.

 

Any help/encouragement to get things organised before I try and fight my corner?

 

QrizB

Smart meter, or conventional?

Rather than submitting today's meter reading via the website, can you phone them up and let them add it manually?

Are you on the Priority Services Register?

t0rt0ise

You simply need to call them and give current meter readings for both gas and electricity. They've been estimating since last June and have got wildly out. No need to explain about using less or anything else, just say you want to give up to date meter reads.  They will then recalculate and give updated bills.

Newbie_John

Estimation is always estimation, sometimes it's lower, sometimes higher - you either overpay, Orr under pay and then have to pay the difference in very short period of time.

Get smart meter - all problems solved.

PrudentEllie

Thanks t0rt0ise- I've put in my correct reading on the website a lot and it doesn't accept it - and I've just phoned up Ovo and put it in on the phone - and it didn't accept it either.  The automated voice said it would transfer me to a person - then said that they don't work on Sundays (understandably).  I will try again tomorrow. 

What I am worried about though is that they are pretending that someone submitted the reading in the middle of February and they didn't - no-one read the meter, either them or me.  What am I to do if they insist that someone did?  I could ask for a photo of their alleged reading I suppose....?

PrudentEllie

Thanks QrizB - I am on the Priority Services Register.  It is a conventional meter - I am sensitive to EMFs.  

Robin9

PrudentEllie said:

Thanks t0rt0ise- I've put in my correct reading on the website a lot and it doesn't accept it - and I've just phoned up Ovo and put it in on the phone - and it didn't accept it either. ...........................

Quite possibly your reading is outside the range that the computer will accept. Let us how you get on tomorrow.

PrudentEllie

Thank you Robin9 - I will let you all know here how things go tomorrow.  

Thank you all so much, as I am alone, it really helps to have someone else to talk to!

MWT

They are likely to ask for a photo of the meter to confirm the reading, if that is not something you can do, is there someone else that could help you?

Failing that as you are on the priority register they can send out a meter reader to take a reading for you, so remind them of that if they do not accept your reading...

PrudentEllie

Thank you MWT, alas the nice neighbour that I used to have moved house, so I don't have anyone to send a photo to me that I could send on to Ovo.  I will remind them that I am on the priority register though, and ask them to send out a meter reader if necessary.  I'm going to sign off now as I need to wobble off and try and get my daily meal - thank you so much!

Scot_39

Assuming you are on the priority services register and noted as having difficulty reading your meter - for whatever medical reason - eyesight, too  high or too low to reach etc - they should be sending meter readers regularly - at least once per year.

You might not have registered as such when had a local helper - you might want to now.

Estimates are estimates - and any and all bills based on them - are estimates - you need to get regular meter readings - and if not able - the company has a duty to make a reasonable effort to get them at least once a year.

But even over a year or so these days you can be talking a lot of money.

In my mums case - despite 4 readings on file - but not used for billing - so for a 2.5 year period of estimated bills and this over a decade ago - her bills were estimated and ended up with a bill for immediate payment - of over £700 initially - when finally took notice of the call when noticed not using the 4th - and submitted yet another 5th reading - about 2 weeks after the latest statement.  In end we paid it off interest free over 12 months - but still a lot of money to find out of her pension - so I paid.

But they will need clear access to the meter - and the homeowner has to provide that - I suspect they wont fight their way through bushes for an external meter (or clear out a storage cupboard to get to an internal meter at the back of it etc) to do so.

My mum was on 12 than 6 monthly meter visits at both SG and SP meter reading intervals (the statement cycle at the time) - although paid by DD. 

Most suppliers these days will prefer to install a smart meter than continue manual readings.

Not sure about EMF or EMI sensitivity impacts for medical devices etc though.  Remember the long list an uncle was given after pacemaker style implant though - even the small magnet on a phone case was mentioned as a no no for a breast pocket - let alone the phone itself.