I think I might be cursed!

wigwam12 · 14 August 2018 at 1:08AM

You might have seen my threads about issues with likely faulty gas meter at my parents house.
Well....
I switched my own energy supply from Npower to EDF in June (Still awaiting final bill from npower but that's a different story!)
Anyway - I have just been asked to submit another reading to EDF and for a home that has used about 40,000 kwh of gas pa for the past 2-3 years (~3800m3) the meter tells me we have used nearly 5400m3 of gas in the past 2 months.....for which we have been away with the central heating and hot water systems turned off for the past month!!:eek:

Can't access my npower readings to get more evidence for this but surely I can't have resolved an issue with a probable faulty gas meter at 1 house only to almost immediately encounter the same at another home!
I am even more nervous as I have just switched so they don't even have a usage history to compare with other than the reading being so outlandish

Robin9 · 14 August 2018 at 7:11AM

Let's concentrate on the readings that you have given to Edf.

Can you post the reading you gave when you switched and todays reading please?

Just so we can rule out a reading error - the meter should read something like 01234 (decimal) 56 and you ignore the numbers after the decimal but include the leading zero.

[Deleted User] · 14 August 2018 at 8:40AM

There have been several threads on here going back for around 8 years where digital gas meters , only digital, have been going rogue and increasing the digits.
I remember one doing it in front of the visiting engineer increasing M3 units ludicrously.
I have not heard of this happening with analogue gas meters.
I personally , as a meter reader, have seen many digital gas meters where the number 4 gets read as 9 if the reader does not get down very low at the same level as the meter.
The number 4 does not reveal itself until exactly the same level. Looking down on the index it looks like a 9.
Many gas meters are placed very near the ground or even below the ground in semi concealed outside boxes and easily get misread by both customers and meter readers

Skools_Out · 14 August 2018 at 9:19AM

wigwam12 wrote: »

You might have seen my threads about issues with likely faulty gas meter at my parents house.
Well....
I switched my own energy supply from Npower to EDF in June (Still awaiting final bill from npower but that's a different story!)
Anyway - I have just been asked to submit another reading to EDF and for a home that has used about 40,000 kwh of gas pa for the past 2-3 years (~3800m3) the meter tells me we have used nearly 5400m3 of gas in the past 2 months.....for which we have been away with the central heating and hot water systems turned off for the past month!!:eek:

Can't access my npower readings to get more evidence for this but surely I can't have resolved an issue with a probable faulty gas meter at 1 house only to almost immediately encounter the same at another home!
I am even more nervous as I have just switched so they don't even have a usage history to compare with other than the reading being so outlandish

The new supplier will have some details of your previous usage from the independant meter agency that all meter readings have to ve rified through.

You can also have details of your previous usage by referring to previous billa and your foinal bill from your previous supplier ... or just give them a call

Of course, if you have moved house, then the usage figures will not be available to you, and any usage by a previous occupier will be meaningless to a supplier.

If you wish to have the meter checked, your new supplier can arrange this for you. A hefty charge usually applies as the meter will need to be replaced (at least temporarily) and the current meter taken away for independent testing.

If the meter does prove to be faulty, the charge will be refunded.

wigwam12 · 14 August 2018 at 10:28AM

RIGHT (deep breath)
TLDR: EDF have entered someone else's gas meter onto my details at changeover.

Summary: Sadly a glitch on npower's account/website means I couldn't access any of my old bills or meter readings.
BUT I found an old email from British Gas from May 2017 confirming my gas meter serial number and a reading and I spotted it was same as the meter details I have (which they should be as it was changed in Aug 2016) and the reading then was 3000-something.
This is turn fits with my usage right up to the 7014 reading last night.

Rang npower (I had a complaint with them anyway as to why I hadn't had my final bill yet and it seems all these things are linked) and explained the issue and unable to see any older readings.
They confirmed the serial number for the meter they had and a reading of 6768 from May 2018
They told me EDF sent them a reading of 1688 (same as on my EDF online account) but it was for a different meter so the massive discrepancy is what locked the final bill and they assumed I had had a meter change as the national registry had been updated by EDF with the new serial number and that 1688 reading (!)

SO - I have emailed a photo of my meter and the reading this morning to both EDF and Npower and now we know what is going on asked them to sort it....

nPower · 17 August 2018 at 5:08PM

wigwam12 wrote: »

RIGHT (deep breath)
TLDR: EDF have entered someone else's gas meter onto my details at changeover.

Summary: Sadly a glitch on npower's account/website means I couldn't access any of my old bills or meter readings.
BUT I found an old email from British Gas from May 2017 confirming my gas meter serial number and a reading and I spotted it was same as the meter details I have (which they should be as it was changed in Aug 2016) and the reading then was 3000-something.
This is turn fits with my usage right up to the 7014 reading last night.

Rang npower (I had a complaint with them anyway as to why I hadn't had my final bill yet and it seems all these things are linked) and explained the issue and unable to see any older readings.
They confirmed the serial number for the meter they had and a reading of 6768 from May 2018
They told me EDF sent them a reading of 1688 (same as on my EDF online account) but it was for a different meter so the massive discrepancy is what locked the final bill and they assumed I had had a meter change as the national registry had been updated by EDF with the new serial number and that 1688 reading (!)

SO - I have emailed a photo of my meter and the reading this morning to both EDF and Npower and now we know what is going on asked them to sort it....

Hi wigwam12

Thanks for your post.

We hope you get sorted with EDF but if you need us to see what's happened to your final bill (likely a delay caused by the meter readings with EDF as it's your new supplier's responsibility to confirm the transfer readings) and provide any meter readings you need, along with checking your meter details, just pass us your account details via the info on our profile page.

Kind regards

Jess

wigwam12 · 17 August 2018 at 7:55PM

nPower wrote: »

Hi wigwam12

Thanks for your post.

We hope you get sorted with EDF but if you need us to see what's happened to your final bill (likely a delay caused by the meter readings with EDF as it's your new supplier's responsibility to confirm the transfer readings) and provide any meter readings you need, along with checking your meter details, just pass us your account details via the info on our profile page.

Kind regards

Jess

Thanks Jess - will do. I had raised this as a complaint with nPower (re final bill as I’ve been paying a direct debit for 3 months for no reason) but to be fair it was only an nPower rep who helped me unmask what was going on and calm my nerves somewhat....until the next round of correspondence no doubt:p

I think I might be cursed!

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