Extortionate Electricity Bills, Help!

alexmart · 20 July 2018 at 10:30AM

This is my first time ever posting on a forum so thank you in advance for anyone who can offer advice.

Myself and my partner moved into rented accommodation at the end of February when we accepted an offer on our house. The property we moved into is a new build 2 bed flat which is electric only, no gas.

We had previously paid around £60 a month combined gas and electricity, so when I called Scottish Power to set up a direct debit for the new flat and she said £46 was our estimated monthly usage, it sounded about right (compared to our usage in a larger, older property).

This week I submitted our first meter reading since moving in and today have received an email to say my monthly DD has been adjusted to £248!!!!! And we also have an outstanding balance of £1300. I know that the meter reading we supplied when we moved in was accurate, and I have been down to check this week's reading again but again, it is definitely correct.

I cannot figure out how we have used this much. We did also have the immersion heater on for the first month without realising as we had not figured out the control system, but since April, we have not had the heating on once and only have the immersion heater on a timer for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours at night. Could this possibly have racked up a bill of £1300, on top of our monthly £46 payments?

I have tried to adjust the DD down to a more reasonable amount but they will not let me do so, so I am at risk of not being able to pay other bills/ rent etc. this month. I am terrified that we cannot prove this bill is incorrect, in which case we will have to give up our tenancy as we simply cannot afford these payments.

Although I know they can legally adjust a direct debit without consultation, is there any obligation for them to adjust it within reason, instead of increasing it by £202? Is there any way of checking whether our meter is working properly or if there is something causing this issue?

Thanks!

dogshome · 20 July 2018 at 11:00AM

Hmmm - "and I've been down to check this weeks readings again"

So your meter is in a common services room along with all the other meters for the entire block
Errors in the allocation of which meter is supplying a particular flat, are quite common

Check yours by turning off all appliances, lights and sockets, then check your meter that should be inactive
As a further check have someone in the flat with a mobile phone, turn the kettle on and off to your order - The meter should react in exact synch. to your commands - If doesn't, you are not looking at the meter that supplies your flat

Having the Immersion on for month hasn't helped, but at worse it pumped up the bill by by appx £350

Robin9 · 20 July 2018 at 12:08PM

Can you double check that you are reading the meter correctly - .on a modern digital meter it looks like 01234 (decimal) 5 if you have used 1234 the supplier may take this as 12340; if you have ignored the decimal point the supplier could use 12345. There's plenty of scope to get it wrong and even more so in the old dial meters.

What readings have you used ?

D_M_E · 20 July 2018 at 1:14PM

Has the bill been calculated using the actual readings supplied by you?

Does the time period on the bill correspond with the date you moved in?

As Dogshome says above, have you checked that the meter which you think is yours actually is the one supplying your power?

matelodave · 20 July 2018 at 6:12PM

It really would help you a lot if you read the meter a bit more often, at least once a month and sent the readings into your supplier. Just reading the meter regularly would give you a better idea of your consumption rather than once every six months.

You should also check your on-line account to ensure that they are actually using the readings you give them and get the statement/bills corrected if they aren't. Do not accept estimated bills.

What sort of tariff are you on. E7 or a single rate. Check your bills to make sure that day and night rates are being correctly used if you are on an E7 tariff. And, as said above, make sure it's your meter that you are reading and your meter that's on your bill (check the serial number/MPAN)

Carrot007 · 20 July 2018 at 6:22PM

alexmart wrote: »

property we moved into is a new build 2 bed flat which is electric only, no gas.

We had previously paid around £60 a month combined gas and electricity, so when I called Scottish Power to set up a direct debit for the new flat and she said £46

Expect to pay AT LEAST double what you paid in a elec/gas place (I have taken different place sizes into account here) if you ever want to heat it. Though not really applicable to this time of the year!

So other people have good suggestions.

Take daily reads.

It is very likely a meter mix up with someone going crazy because it does not seem to cost them.

Turn the meter off at the source. See if someone complains (and if yours goes off).

Did you have a proper opening read? please provide all reads you have with dates to see if it sounds reasonable.

No point in involving the electric company untill you know more. They will just doubt you and want to charge.

welshmoneylover · 20 July 2018 at 6:28PM

Your initial did was set far too low, I would have recommended at least £120/month for 12.
You have lived there over a harsh winter so you have used more.
The bill sounds about right. I doubt if it!!!8217;s a meter mix up tbh.

enthusiasticsaver · 22 July 2018 at 1:02PM

£46 a month is pretty low. Our bill has gone up from £115 to £185 a month on DD so I am in the process of trying to work out what has caused this and looking at bills it appears to be the harsh winter we had. I would read the meter more regularly but £1300 for a 2 bed flat sounds ridiculous especially since you have only been there since February. Ask them to investigate further and tell them you cannot afford the monthly payment. The immersion heater usage wont have helped. Maybe read the meter weekly or ask them to install a smart meter if it is free so you can see what is using the electricity. That is what I am going to do.

Robin9 · 22 July 2018 at 1:10PM

alexmart - have you been able to digest the info you have been given ?

Extortionate Electricity Bills, Help!

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