HUGE electricity meter reading

espresso

mute_posting wrote: »

Was thinking the exact same thing!

Glad that it's not just me!

lesley1960

We have had a new meter ( sept 07) , and we appear to be using loads , even customer services thought it was alot , thanks for this thread

russ21282

The meter was working correctly, but since we have noticed the problem we have been taking readings and they have been coming in between 100 and 130 a week. which is about right.

However i'm guessing the meter wasn't at zero to start with, they couldn't find out and the meter installer never left a tag. The one on there that i read at the beginning was from 2002, which is why i'm guessing they have chosen to base it on old usage. They billed us saying the first meter reading was at 6500 instead of zero.

We are going to continue monitoring the readings as to ensure this doesn't happen again though!

jo.b_5

Hi - can anybody offer some advice on our high electricity meter readings...
We've recently moved into a 2bed flat - just 2 of us. Our first electricity bill was estimated at about £8 (flat was empty for months). I read the meter to check the estimate but have found we're using HUGE amounts of electricity - our first monthly bill should have calculated at over £200!
The flat is all electric except a gas hob. We have 3 fairly new E7 storage heaters, a dishwasher, washerdryer and a few pcs - nothing out the ordinary. We're out most of the day and don't use anyting excessively. I've monitered our useage over the last few days and our night reading is 20 units per night and day useage about 20 making our daily total 40 units - about £4.50 per day, over £140 per month with standing charge - ridiculous amount.

Could our meter be "speeding"???

Thanks in advance for any help

beingjdc

Storage heaters, a few PCs, and water (you don't mention how you're getting hot water) will easily add up to 40 units a day. We've used 22 a day over the last week, and I'm careful about not leaving the water heater on, and we're miserly with the heating.

jo.b_5

Hi - thanks for info. The electric heats our water tank, but we only have it on for 30mins per day during night time/E7 times. I'd be happy at 20 or less units for the whole 24hrs, but double that translates to bills of far more money than I have ever paid for normal electric and gas totalled in other houses...

We've turned all our electric off except 1 storage heater, the fridge freezer and a few lights for tonight... hopefully our night time meter reading should be substantially less than 20 units in the morning! If not, then there is defo a problem with our meter...eek!

dunloadin

Good to see that the original poster got a positive result from BG. Fitting check meters resolves disputes and doubts on the accuracy of meters, not the accuracy of previous readings or bills, and it's very rare to find a meter that falls outside the allowed tolerences (I've yet to see one).

I occasionally get a job to check the meter system or to confirm the meter details of a property, normally due to a dispute with the bill. It has to be said that it's not a regular thing , so most suppliers/customers are getting it right. A variety of reasons can cause the readings to be recorded incorrectly, some are the suppliers fault, some the occupants. Heres a few to look out for....

Wrong readings

Customers fail to take a meter reading on first entering the property.

The readings when changing suppliers differ....I have seen bills where the 'old' supplier has closed an account with an estimated reading instead of the recorded one!

Customer/Meter Reader gives incorrect meter read....the newer meters with an LCD display can be easily misread, partiulary if they have more than 5 digits on the read; the first 5 digits are the read, the 6th digit is 1/10th of a unit. The older meters have different coloured numbers or a red border round the last one or two digits, LCD displays don't, and it's easier for people to misread and include the 6th digit...result a bill 10x more than it should be.

Normal and Low readings on Multi Rate meters are reversed.

Digital Multi Rate meters have 3 reads, cycle through using the button; the reads have a symbol in the left of the display....T= total of Day & Night, do not use if you have a multi rate tariff. R1 (or just 1)=Day read, R2 (or just 2)= Night use.

Suppliers set up wrong billing

Most common one with this is a multi rate system billed as a single rate tariff. The day and night units get added together and charged at a single rate tariff, expensive if you still have storage heaters!

Systems with two meters or MPAN numbers...these systems have exotic names and tend to be 'owned' by one supplier only i.e. Comfort Plus, Total Heating Total Control. When changing to a supplier other than the original 'owner' problems with billing often occur as often both meters are classed as single rate. Another problem that crops up with this system is that the new supplier may only get one meter transferred to them and the customer ends up with two suppliers, and the grief that goes with it.

Lethargy/procrastination

Occasionally you'll get someone who has been with the same supplier for years, is happy getting estimated bills, then gets a shock when the meter gets read and a huge bill comes through the door.

Suppliers can pass on duff information or meter reads when transferring customer information, it's very rare but happens.

jo.b_5

Right, so overnight with only 1 storage heater on medium, 1 fridgefreezer and a few lights for half hour or so, our E7 reading has come in at 10units. This is still fairly high considering for 3 heaters overnight plus the boiler (hot water) set for only 30mins used 20 units!

Do storage heaters really use a high amount of units... anyone?

espresso

jo.b wrote: »

Do storage heaters really use a high amount of units... anyone?

They have a wattage rating on them somewhere e.g. a 2kW storage heater on for the standard seven night rate hours (E7 tariff) would use a maximum of 14kWh overnight.

chas1937

Had new meter fitted sept 2007 and it wasn't set to zero.Even though i provided correct readings at time and also do that on regular basis they kept saying meter readings were wrong.It was only when I got a girl with some brains that problem was sorted out as the installer had sent them all zero.s.Even now when they come to read meter i usually get "have you just had new meter installed question".So looks like they still dont know their !!! from their elbow