British Gas- Please Help!!

Little_lion · 20 March 2006 at 2:37PM

Hi there,

I've been a lurker for years but have never actually posted until now because I'm totally desperate and in a blind panic!

I live in a small 1 bed flat on my own. I have 2 storage heaters that are on for approx 5 hours a day and a normal amount of appliances. I have lived in my flat for just over 2 years and up until 18 months ago my bills were between 60-80 a quarter. I had given them 2 meter readings in that time. They came round to check the meter about 6 months ago and then sent me a bill for £294 saying it had been underestimated for the last year. I queried it and they said the reading was correct and If someone came out to check if meter was faulty and it wasnt it would cost me an extra £100 on top. I paid up.

I now have a bill for £554 for the last quarter- the meter reading is correct but there is no way I can have used that much electricity- Im not in all day.

What can I do? Please help- I dont even have £54 to give them never mind £550!!

Huge thanks

LL

matto · 20 March 2006 at 2:41PM

Is this just for electricity?

julesgr · 20 March 2006 at 2:46PM

We're having a similar problem with powergen who reckon we have use about £400 IN THE QUARTER we use two halogen heaters as we knew the convector wall heaters were too expensive to run. Powergen asked us to do daily readings fora period of 2 weeks our readings showed we were using under half of what they said we were using on a daily basis.....go figure

Upshot is our bill has been suspended until april and we're waiting to hear !!

matto · 20 March 2006 at 3:04PM

I think the jist of Little-lions's post is that based on two correct meter readings 6 months apart she has had two quarterly bills in that time of £294 and £554. Whilst the first may have included an element relating to a previous underpayment £554 for a quarter for a 1 bed flat is excessive.

Difficult to know what could be at fault.

Should you be on an Economy 7 tariff? Are the storage heaters set to turn on and off at the correct times? Does the immersion heater turn on and off automatically?

Rockingit · 20 March 2006 at 3:04PM

You don't say if you're on economy 7, or what price you're paying per unit, etc, nor some other relevant information.

I've just done some VERY rough and ready calculation and reckon for a whole quarter, just the two heaters alone would add up to around £110 (plus the VAT, standing charges etc etc).

Send me some more info on what else is going on and I'll take a stab at a better calculation for you.

OR, I heard a funny story from a friend of mine who decades ago whilst an impoverished student managed with some other friends in a shared house to actually clock the meter back over to where it should have been, based on the estimates, and actually got a refund for over charge!!!!! PLEASE - NOBODY TRY THIS!!!!!!!! :T

Little_lion · 20 March 2006 at 3:07PM

Hi there,

The £294 has been paid- the £554 is just for this quarter!

I supplied 2 meter readings previously which my estimated bills in between were based on. For 2 years I was paying between £60 and 80 a quarter. The 2 heaters are not economy seven, they are just convection heaters they are on a timer and come on for approx 4-5 hours a day (2 hours before I get up and 3 hours in the evening) I often switch one of them off as I have a gas fire. The emersion heater is on a timer as well but that hasnt changed in the last 2 years so there is nothing significant to make the bills rise. Could someone be using my electricity supply? One of my neighbours is having a similar problem...

Maybe I'll try the daily meter readings- does anyone know what it should be for a 1 bed flat?

hjb123 · 20 March 2006 at 3:14PM

We have been having big problems with British Gas. They have been saying that we owe them over £2000 more than we do - we are a business and know we owe them alot.

We joined BG in 2002. In order to work out exactly how much we owed them we did as follows: ( bear in mind we were a business)

1. Got our start meter reading out
2. Got current meter reading
3. Worked out difference
4. Calculated what was owed
5. Worked out the standing charge and climate change that we have to pay - these are by unit and by day
6. Clearly typed the differences up with the calculations clear for any person - no matter what their IQ was
7. Rang BG up and emailed it over to them
8. Which reminds me to ring them up and get them moving off their rears and sorting it - again!!!

matto · 20 March 2006 at 3:14PM

Maybe you can keep an eye on the meter to try and work out when it's whizzing round and then work out which appliance is causing this to happen. Is the meter in your flat?

Rockingit · 20 March 2006 at 3:21PM

Little_lion wrote:

Hi there,

The £294 has been paid- the £554 is just for this quarter!

I supplied 2 meter readings previously which my estimated bills in between were based on. For 2 years I was paying between £60 and 80 a quarter. The 2 heaters are not economy seven, they are just convection heaters they are on a timer and come on for approx 4-5 hours a day (2 hours before I get up and 3 hours in the evening) I often switch one of them off as I have a gas fire. The emersion heater is on a timer as well but that hasnt changed in the last 2 years so there is nothing significant to make the bills rise. Could someone be using my electricity supply? One of my neighbours is having a similar problem...

Maybe I'll try the daily meter readings- does anyone know what it should be for a 1 bed flat?

Do you have a record of what those meter readings were? If so, tell me. I can do the maths for you, just tell me what to crunch.

Little_lion · 20 March 2006 at 3:27PM

Rockingit wrote:

Do you have a record of what those meter readings were? If so, tell me. I can do the maths for you, just tell me what to crunch.

I'm at work atm so will have to go digging when I get in...

Surely I'd have to leave the tumble drier on all the time (I dont have one) to rack up £550 in a quarter!? I used to live in a shared 5 bed house with 4 other people and the heating/drier on constantly and we never had a bill like that! I know their prices have gone up but still!?

Little_lion · 20 March 2006 at 3:30PM

julesgr wrote:

We're having a similar problem with powergen who reckon we have use about £400 IN THE QUARTER we use two halogen heaters as we knew the convector wall heaters were too expensive to run. Powergen asked us to do daily readings fora period of 2 weeks our readings showed we were using under half of what they said we were using on a daily basis.....go figure
Upshot is our bill has been suspended until april and we're waiting to hear !!

If the meter reading (for the £554 bill) is actually UNDER what it says- could this still apply to me? We're your meter readings correct?

British Gas- Please Help!!

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