Overpayment on Estimated Heat Bill for 8 Years - England

Qyburn

Was the meter replaced, tthe time they fixed it? Hopefully your bills will have meter serial number like electricity bills do.

Boohoo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82086758#Comment_82086758

Untill the OP tells us the truth about which meter it is then we are guessing.

Is it a smart electric meter or is the OP on about Eon Heat meter (I don't know if there is a thing) or is just one meter?

Why would the electric company allow the OP's meter to not send meter readings for up to 8 years?

Reed_Richards

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82086393#Comment_82086393

The OP posted some way back (30 July at 6:47PM) that they are talking about a meter on a heat network. And surely we all know that electricity meters don't have a battery?

Keep_pedalling

E.ON Heat is a community heating scheme, so we are not talking standard gas or electricity meters here.

https://www.eonenergy.com/heat/help-support/about-heat.html

Qyburn

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82086773#Comment_82086773

is the OP on about Eon Heat meter (I don't know if there is a thing)

Heat meters measure water flow and temperature in and out, to calculate heat supplied in kWh

Boohoo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82086888#Comment_82086888

Do you have link from a reliable source that says all electric smart meters do not have batteries in them please?

OP stars engineer changed the battery and then gave eon the updated readings.

You say electric meters don't have batteries so do you mean non Heat meters.

I have edited this post and lost what I put so redid it so this maybe outdated.

MeteredOut

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82086983#Comment_82086983

It would take a special kind of engineer to design something that measures electricity to be powered by something other than electricity.

But, I've met some special engineers in my time.

However, we've since found out the OPs query is regarding a heat meter, not an electricity meter.

Ildhund

About batteries in electricity meters …

@Reed_Richards wrote:

… electricity meters don't have a battery

SMETS2 mentions batteries, but only in gas meters. However, my own SMETS2 electricity meter - and I suspect all of them - does indeed contain a battery with two main functions: to keep memory alive and to keep the clock going during a power cut. From the Aclara SGM-1400 manual:

The SGM1400-B Series meter includes a lithium battery backup with sufficient
capacity to maintain the meter’s real-time clock for up to two years. The battery
has a 20 year lifespan that is designed in line with the product life.

Reed_Richards

Yes, I phrased the comment badly, and should have written that smart electricity meters do not have replaceable batteries. Although smart meters rely on mains power for their actual metering, they must have an internal clock that can keep going in the event of a power failure and that must require a battery. But I cannot find a link about replacing the battery in a (UK) electricity meter. And the OP makes it clear in the comment that I quoted that they are not talking about their electricity meter.

bobbycat2

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82086575#Comment_82086575

First off, thanks for the due diligence here, it's much appreciated. I am with E.On Heat and do not pay by DD. I think it was asked in another post but I rounded out the usage numbers just for ease. I'm absolutely fine with them billing me for estimates - I didn't provide actual readings so I'm the idiot. However, my issue is where do I stand with getting that overpayment back - even if it's credit on my account. The only credit the complaint handler at E.On has mentioned is the £5 gesture which is what worries me. Surely they can't just take a massive overpayment (despite who's at fault) and walk away into the sunset?

I've just checked and in the 20 days since the meter was fixed I've used 20 kWh, so basically 1 kWh a day / 365 a year - I know it's a baking hot July but over 8 years that's approx 3000 kWh so with perhaps a little extra bump in the winter months that does line up reasonably with my reading of 9500 up from 5000 back in 2018. From what everyone on this thread is saying it, my usage is very, very low but not sure what else I can say about that.