Electricity Meter Thinks I Live In A Mansion
Discussion
Have an ongoing situation with my electricity meter.
I live in a small 2 bedroom semi with 3x2kw storage heaters and an immersion on the off peak (Economy 7) and apart from the fridge / freezer very little else running in the daytime. However my bills have been getting progressively and disproportionately more expensive.
Just switching suppliers now and in the process of comparing the usage over exactly 12 months I have apparently used 24,000 units ?!
19,000 off peak and 6,000 full price - despite the above appliances and the fact that the house is often empty during the day.
My new supplier reckoned my consumption should be around 6,000 units total for 12 months and have agreed to fit a new meter.
My question is this: If the new meter indicates a instant drop of 75% can I launch a retrospective claim concerning the previous over payment ?
Is this something my supplier would do or do I need someone more legal ?
Any experiences and practical suggestions gratefully received.
I live in a small 2 bedroom semi with 3x2kw storage heaters and an immersion on the off peak (Economy 7) and apart from the fridge / freezer very little else running in the daytime. However my bills have been getting progressively and disproportionately more expensive.
Just switching suppliers now and in the process of comparing the usage over exactly 12 months I have apparently used 24,000 units ?!
19,000 off peak and 6,000 full price - despite the above appliances and the fact that the house is often empty during the day.
My new supplier reckoned my consumption should be around 6,000 units total for 12 months and have agreed to fit a new meter.
My question is this: If the new meter indicates a instant drop of 75% can I launch a retrospective claim concerning the previous over payment ?
Is this something my supplier would do or do I need someone more legal ?
Any experiences and practical suggestions gratefully received.
Is the meter actually showing the larger figure or is it just the electric supplier's paperwork/bill?
I ask because we had to re-route our water supply under the driveway and the water company fitted a meter at the time (were previously on rateable value) but when we got the first bill it was enormous.
I argued with them for ages as it was a silly figure but they insisted it was correct, I refused to pay it and then discovered that I could revert back to rateable value charge if done within a certain time frame so I did.
A few months later they admitted that they had read the meter wrong and overcharged me by a factor of 10.
I ask because we had to re-route our water supply under the driveway and the water company fitted a meter at the time (were previously on rateable value) but when we got the first bill it was enormous.
I argued with them for ages as it was a silly figure but they insisted it was correct, I refused to pay it and then discovered that I could revert back to rateable value charge if done within a certain time frame so I did.
A few months later they admitted that they had read the meter wrong and overcharged me by a factor of 10.
What are the timers set to on your storage and immersion heaters, 24,000 units is near enough all of them running on full for eight hours a day, every day.
You probably want to get the meter checked before you have it swapped otherwise you have no proof it was misreading.
Something like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/geo-Minim-Energy-Monitor-... might give you an idea. Similar things were given away free by British Gas etc. several year ago so worth asking friends and family if they have one kicking around you could borrow.
You probably want to get the meter checked before you have it swapped otherwise you have no proof it was misreading.
Something like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/geo-Minim-Energy-Monitor-... might give you an idea. Similar things were given away free by British Gas etc. several year ago so worth asking friends and family if they have one kicking around you could borrow.
EU_Foreigner said:
3 2kw heaters - how long are they on per day as that is 6 kw per hour in consumption.
If it was 12 hours per day, 12 * 6 * 365 = 26280 units.
That is obviously running at maximum every day of the year (including summer) but gives you an idea of how those units add up.
Good point. They are actually running on Economy 7 for 7 hours nightly only, at around 7p per kwh. They're also only in use about 4 months of the year as I have a solid fuel fire as well and it's rarely that cold for so long.If it was 12 hours per day, 12 * 6 * 365 = 26280 units.
That is obviously running at maximum every day of the year (including summer) but gives you an idea of how those units add up.
catso said:
Is the meter actually showing the larger figure or is it just the electric supplier's paperwork/bill?
I ask because we had to re-route our water supply under the driveway and the water company fitted a meter at the time (were previously on rateable value) but when we got the first bill it was enormous.
I argued with them for ages as it was a silly figure but they insisted it was correct, I refused to pay it and then discovered that I could revert back to rateable value charge if done within a certain time frame so I did.
A few months later they admitted that they had read the meter wrong and overcharged me by a factor of 10.
It's the actual readings taken 12 months apart from the closing bill of the old supplier to the new readings I've submitted to the new supplier.I ask because we had to re-route our water supply under the driveway and the water company fitted a meter at the time (were previously on rateable value) but when we got the first bill it was enormous.
I argued with them for ages as it was a silly figure but they insisted it was correct, I refused to pay it and then discovered that I could revert back to rateable value charge if done within a certain time frame so I did.
A few months later they admitted that they had read the meter wrong and overcharged me by a factor of 10.
Do you know the history of the property? One of the few times I have listened to the Jeremy Vine show on R2 was when the phone-in topic was meter readings. There was a fella on there who had evidence that a much higher standing order charge had been placed o their property due to a previous tenant racking up large unpaid bills and the supplier was trying to recoup costs from the next person... Eye-opening.
Is your immersion on any sort of timer/switch or does it just run all the time? Even though they cycle on and off, it takes a fair bit of energy to keep a tank of water warm for 24 hours. When we moved into our current house I found the immersion switched on and unsurprisingly a sizeable bill popped through the letterbox even though the place had been empty for a year.
Buffalo said:
Do you know the history of the property? One of the few times I have listened to the Jeremy Vine show on R2 was when the phone-in topic was meter readings. There was a fella on there who had evidence that a much higher standing order charge had been placed o their property due to a previous tenant racking up large unpaid bills and the supplier was trying to recoup costs from the next person... Eye-opening.
Scary ! (Vine that is)Yes, myself in residence for several decades with an oddly escalating bill
over_the_hill said:
Other things to consider
Cooking
Washing machine
Dryer
What temp is the hot water tank set on - if too high it will be almost continually on
Cooking is sporadic.Cooking
Washing machine
Dryer
What temp is the hot water tank set on - if too high it will be almost continually on
Washing is done weekly.
Clothes are air dried.
Hot water tank runs a max of 2 hours on Economy 7, (11-12 midnight then 1-2 am) say 6 Kwh (2x3kw) or 36p daily.
foxbody-87 said:
Is your immersion on any sort of timer/switch or does it just run all the time? Even though they cycle on and off, it takes a fair bit of energy to keep a tank of water warm for 24 hours. When we moved into our current house I found the immersion switched on and unsurprisingly a sizeable bill popped through the letterbox even though the place had been empty for a year.
Good thinking.Economy 7 only so 2 hours at night at 3kw per hour at 6p a unit and about 36p.
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