Electricity Cost Doubled
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So I had a call from my father who explained he has received a letter stating the direct debit has gone from £86 a month to £163. The usage from Nov - Jan being 1818 KW and Feb - April 3736 KW.
My mother doesn't like getting involved with bills, she just likes to ensure they are paid and isn't to savy with ensuring she has the best deal. My father and I are adamant there has to be a problem, surely there is no way their usage can double? My mum is blaming having the electric heater on during the snow in March but to me it still doesn't add up. She doesn't want me to call as it will all sort itself out eventually as long as they pay it.
Overall they aren't careful anyway, they have a pond which has a filter on all day. tv left on for dog ect, this is exactly why I don't think it is possible for it to double as they haven't gone from one extreme to another.
So, my questions are.... Is there a way the meter reading could be wrong? Is it possible they have doubled usage without living any differently? Does that usage seem excessive for a 3 bed house with 2 adults?
My mother doesn't like getting involved with bills, she just likes to ensure they are paid and isn't to savy with ensuring she has the best deal. My father and I are adamant there has to be a problem, surely there is no way their usage can double? My mum is blaming having the electric heater on during the snow in March but to me it still doesn't add up. She doesn't want me to call as it will all sort itself out eventually as long as they pay it.
Overall they aren't careful anyway, they have a pond which has a filter on all day. tv left on for dog ect, this is exactly why I don't think it is possible for it to double as they haven't gone from one extreme to another.
So, my questions are.... Is there a way the meter reading could be wrong? Is it possible they have doubled usage without living any differently? Does that usage seem excessive for a 3 bed house with 2 adults?
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Comments
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Estimated and catch up bills are the most likely cause. You need to dig out their bills and check.0
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As Molerat suggests, they've probably managed to get bills based on actual meter reads after a long period of estimated bills.
Their costs probably haven't doubled it's just that their direct debit has increased because they haven't been paying enough to cover their consumption.
If they have got a large debit then the dd will have to be increased by the amount they've been underpaying together with the extra required to pay off the arrears.
You have to work it it out to understand whether they've been underpaying and if so by how much and whether they've been sending in readings and checking bills and getting them corrected. A year or so of uncorrected estimated bills could mount up to quite a large arrears.
A direct debit of £86 a month isn't a lot if they are fairly profligate with their use of energy, so it's easy to ramp up some arrears especially over the winter period.
The only way to sort it out is to root through previous bills to find the last one based on an actual read, then take a reading now and see how much energy has been used and do your own sums.Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers0 -
Are they coming towards the end of a 12 month fix ? If so the supplier may be adjusting the DD to ensure all is balanced out at the end of the fix.
Does you dad read his meter regularly ?
How does the reading on the last bill compare with the actual reading ?Never pay on an estimated bill0 -
If you think your energy bill is incorrect, first of all contact your energy provider.They will check the issue and look after this.
If the meter reading is wrong, you may get a compensation from your energy supplier company.0 -
Thanks for all your replies, I spoke with the provider who said the readings have always been actuals, they had a look over the past few years and said something can't be right as for 7 years its always been roughly the same then to double there must be something wrong. The meter is being changed on Wednesday, they will wait another 3 months (keeping old direct debits) then review as they too think it can't be possible. If it is then the direct debit will obviously increase which is fine.0
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Thanks for all your replies, I spoke with the provider who said the readings have always been actuals, they had a look over the past few years and said something can't be right as for 7 years its always been roughly the same then to double there must be something wrong. The meter is being changed on Wednesday, they will wait another 3 months (keeping old direct debits) then review as they too think it can't be possible. If it is then the direct debit will obviously increase which is fine.
Seems reasonable. Meters do go bad.
It's just finding someone to talk to who takes a sensible approach rather than thinks you may have just taken up a hobby eletrocuting 20 elephants a day ;-).0 -
Well the first person I spoke with insisted its an actual so youve spent it, I said I havent opened up an electric car charging port on my drive, he put the phone down.
The second guy was amazing! So really is luck of who answers the call which is very annoying.0 -
Our direct debit for dual fuel has just increased from £115.52 to £185 for 4 bed house and 2 adults so I would say £163 is not too far off of the mark. In our case I have a strong suspicion that our direct debit was pegged too low when changing from another supplier as we were £159 per month before changing so we are now going to have to catch up. As your parents haven't changed suppliers though and have paid roughly the same for 7 years this can't be the issue in their case.
Your mum may be right re the electric heater use over the cold snap.I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Debt free Wannabe, Budgeting and Banking and Savings and Investment boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.0 -
How does your mother feel now, having gone against her express wishes?0
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