13k underpayment!

WiserMiser

With 5 bedrooms and a heated pool the enormous consumption is almost certainly correct. She wasn't paying nearly enough.

To get an idea, find the earliest reading that's smart or taken by a meter reader, then find the most recent one that's also smart or taken by a meter reader. Subtract one volume from the other then do the sums to convert it from m³ to kWh and then to ££.

If there's not a recent smart reading, ask them to send out a meter reader and generate an accurate bill.

Others can advise on the ins and outs of the licence conditions but it seems to me that Ovo haven't been sufficiently diligent in allowing such a huge debt to build up for so long.

Xbigman

How much did they take off for back billing? If £13k (after actual payments were taken off) has built up over 3 years I'd expect the back billing rebate to be around £8k, leaving £5k owing.

Darren

Area88

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82081129#Comment_82081129

The estate is only liable the last 12 months because they messed up the direct debits. The energy company legally cannot recover the other years due to it being an error on their behalf in not charging accurate direct debits in the first place.

QrizB

The estate is only liable the last 12 months because they messed up the direct debits.

That's only an opinion, and might not be correct.

If the supplier had tried to increase the DD but the customer pleaded hardship and kept it low, the estate (which seems to include a substantial property) could still be liable.

Grumpy_chap

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82081129#Comment_82081129

This is quite a significant amount of information being casually drip-fed into the discussion. I think the indication from the start of the thread was a rather more modest property than a substantial 5-bed house kept very warm in the winter plus the heated pool.

The usage of £6k per year is entirely plausible.

As to only paying £2k per year and the obligation to adjust the payments, that really does depend on how the payments were set. If a conversation happened similar to that between my Mum as I referenced upthread then the obligation to meet the debit falls entirely to the Estate, and it seems as though the Estate has sufficient assets to meet that obligation.

I really can imagine a conversation between an elderly lady along the lines of "there's just me in my little house and I don't do anything unusual, so how can my bill be so much more than average?" and a call-centre simply setting the payments accordingly. I don't think it is uncommon for the elderly (or the population at large come to that) to fail to recognise when they have a better than average status and associated costs.

@QrizB seems to be spot on with their last comment.

TroubledTarts

I do feel the OP could have divulged this information.about the size of house and swimming pool before the headline grabbing 13k underpayment !!!!

LARGE 5 BEDROOM HOUSE WITH HEATED SWIMMING POOL !!!!! might have been better title of the thread with them a breakdown to make sure it was all correct.

Oh how society has become so daily mail headline grabbing clickbait these days.

Boohoo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82081428#Comment_82081428

Another one of these drip drip drip threads.

Full facts at the start does help users understand the issues and give better replies.

Scot_39

EBSS ?

It seems strange that Ovo would have rebated £70+ at all - once - let alone more than once - without a recent smart or actual meter reading balance update - as most will ask for a reading within last 2-3 weeks max of a rebate request (manual or smart).

Now if the OP had said £66 / £67 - given it goes back to early 2022 - then I might have presumed that was the EBSS £400 paid Oct 2022 - Mar 2023. But I am not sure how Ovo in particular handled that payment (it varied from supplier to supplier - some reduced the DD - others rebated - iirc it had to benefit the customer - not their account balance).

If it was the EBSS - it says nothing about whether the mothers bills were ever based on real and accurate readings as a normal rebate would.

DD Reviews - Ovo now have a 1 month min balance at end of Mar policy on annual DDs

Not sure when that came in.

https://www.ovoenergy.com/help/article/how-do-direct-debits-work

Ovo are a supplier who have had for some posters complaining here in past - to them an aggressive policy on shifting their customers onto their new minimum balance at the end of Mar in recent years. Even when one had been given about 16m. And even if that was in place when the OP's mother switched - they also specify review of the initial 12m.

So its a mystery why they haven't reviewed the mother's account and DD more often.

Aan Note on the above link

"Your Direct Debit payment amount will be regularly reviewed to make sure it still covers your home’s energy use."

Of course if smart meters weren't reporting that would be contingent on them getting readings - regular readings - I think that means monthly these days for non reporting smart. Or if mum needed help - via PSR registration - then likely 6-12m readings at best by professionals.

Bills

I havent seen any of the sections of the revised final or the start and end of the 2022 backdated bill - bill as removed by forum operators (no doubt due to above mentioned disclosure of details that needed redaction).

I wonder if the OP can actually see enough on the 4 yr revision to tell what the original bills would have been for the same periods - at least the figures in £s - as from memory SG/BG etc tend to issue revised bills showing old cancelled charges.

If the meters were smart - were they reporting - if not were readings provided manually - and possibly even in error. If electric multi-register and manual readings - were they getting both readings etc.

Given a five bed + pool - is there a chance of a second MPAn supply for electric being missed in some way.

Or as above is there a risk that the final bill for gas has reverted to a ft3 overbilling (by a factor of 2.83) that previous statements had not. But even then £13k on top of a near £2k annual DD - seems a lot.

As to no comms history

Are Ovo one of the firms - a la SG (BG?) - who only provide limited comms (but iirc they do at least provide a short annual summary - but I know no regular statements) - and expect users to log in and download their own bills or track account with portal user account history etc - to explain the lack of contact.

If the mum was IT wary - possibly never having done so - when notified ?

Would any of that online - old history - still exist if an executor wanted to access ? OR would they need a SAR.

As to checking the amount

The best advice as to the amount - was as above for the OP to find if possible two actual readings in the 4 year period - and check the kWh - if not so easy over longer term - the costs accrued in between - so gas readings to kWh at the correct (ft3 or m3) scaling factor - and electric kWh - and if actual occur regularly - the appropriate costs at the time.

Remember this period also includes the EPG capped period - where some bills were complex in any case - we saw many posts here with people seeking explanations from some suppliers versions. EBSS and EPG might make a rebill across Oct 22 - July 23 even more confusing.

However given a solicitor involved and the size of the property - I suspect whilst it's not a pleasant surprise - it is one that the estate is likely to be able to cover comfortably. And the more time a professional executor spends pursuing it - the larger their bill is likely to be.

jem16

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82081572#Comment_82081572

I was with Ovo and always received a monthly bill via email without any need to login to my account.

Scot_39

Thanks - didnt know what the Ovo norm was.

Only added as the Op has stated family has reviewed the mums remaining email history.

They could of course not have sent correctly - or not gotten an email address in first place. My statements were even bounced my ISP from EOn Next for many months at the first security vetting - until the software difference resolved. So things dont always work.

I still have to prompt an IT wary sibling to log in, download and retrieve electronic bills from some of their utilities - as they aren't emailed automatically. In fact often will only do when I visit.