Electric usage has quadrupled, what to do?

I'm completely confused by this thread now. I thought we were talking about electricity use, but the figures posted on the previous page were for gas? Surely that drop in the number for May last year should have rung alarm bells with them - they don't go backwards and that might suggest to them that you'd tampered with the equipment, so you'd think they'd be on to that smartish - if that figure was correct and not just typed wrong. And there was a mention of the spend for dual fuels? Presumably from the same supplier but metered separately?

I don't have a smart meter - just an old fashioned one with a disc that spins - if you have a smart meter, does it replace your old meter completely, so that it's now the only one you have? Doesn't a smart meter report directly to your supplier supposedly to avoid the need to take and submit your own readings or them call round to do it periodically? Is that why you're waiting for them to come back to you with the readings they've recorded? I'm not sure how it works.

Can you not log in to your energy account and see what the readings were against your bill at whatever intervals they record them for billing purposes?

Have you tried the exercise of turning everything off and checking the meter yet? I don't think turning the juice off at the CU will necessarily help (might try it as plan B depending on what the first test indicates), as it will also turn off what might potentially be the high-use culprit you need to identify. You need to turn things off at the wall/switch (including things like TVs on standby, DVD players, digital clocks etc.) and see what the meter displays. Leave your fridge/freezer on if you can't reach the plugs (I can't either), but the energy usage during the test period should then reflect what you'd expect just to be used by those appliances.

Robin9 wrote: »

Hence my earlier question - here is a reading which is apparently blatantly wrong, would be rejected by the computer but is verified by the supplier ? That cannot be right.

My assumption would have been - as recipient of the email - that it was a typo, so I would have replied, querying that series of numbers.

But the OP said she also got a decent refund at that time, suggesting that the low May 17 reading was actually used by them for billing - seemingly adding to the current deficit - assuming that it's dual fuel with the same supplier? So there's something peculiar going on.

Smodlet wrote: »

I'm not even clear as to whether those figures were meter readings or usage in kwh! It is somewhat confusing. Maybe my brain cell needs charging. :think:

Mine too - I'm also getting progressively confused.

The numbers on page 2 were actually gas readings - but I think the OP has dual fuel with the same supplier, so wonky gas readings historically might also be suggestive of something awry/inconsistent with electricity readings too. If I'm understanding it correctly, the low gas reading last May generated a substantial refund (£200+), possibly contributing to the deficit on the combined fuel account now.

I think the OP needs to clarify some of these details in order to get the best possible help.