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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

OMG how can we be paying £100 per month but owe £1000 for Gas and Electric

86 replies

icarriedawatermelon2 · 09/06/2012 22:05

Ok, I should have spotted this sooner, but have been paying a standing order of £100 per month for duel fuel. 3 bed terrace, family of 4.
The bill they send always says 'in credit' take no action etc. They never seem to ask for a reading and I can't remember anyone coming to do one.

DH looked at the metre today and compared it to the estimated bill and he thinks it works out to be about £900-1000 under what it should be!

OMG! Panic. Not sure I can quite believe this! I can pay this off in Aug/Sep in full but I don't know what to do as this just can't be right......can it......

feel stupid enough so please be kind :(

OP posts:
WorraLiberty · 09/06/2012 22:07

Is it possible to Google the meter reading and find out what it is in money?

AgentZigzag · 09/06/2012 22:08

If you've been estimating it for a while I can believe it.

This happened to us a couple of years ago, it got up to about £700 and we felt the same as you.

tyler80 · 09/06/2012 22:09

Has he worked out the estimated bill correctly?

I once had a similar panic with our gas bill but I'd neglected to take into account the fact that the price drops a lot per unit once you've used a certain amount of units per day.

QuintessentialShadows · 09/06/2012 22:10

We just had this. Unless they demand money now, try put money aside for a few months, you know you are unlikely to use a lot over summer compared to the winter.

enimmead · 09/06/2012 22:10

I had this once - not as bad but put the wrong figures in online. Have they got your correct readings ( I know - obvious)

But I think £100 a month duel fuel might be low for your house and family.

LaurieFairyCake · 09/06/2012 22:11

Just give them a reading a bit more than they currently think it is and they will raise your direct debit a bit - you don't have to pay it off quickly.

£100 a month is far too cheap for your large house - you may need about £130-£140 a month

amieis · 09/06/2012 22:11

How has he worked it out?
And is your meter on the outside of you're house?
I used to live in a terraced house and never remembered anyone coming to read my meter... It was because the meter box was on the front of the house so someone would just randomly turn up and take a reading, presumably while we wre all at work

QODSaveOurGraciousQueen · 09/06/2012 22:13

I'm in a 4 bed detached and my duel fuel, just been read, is £131

Surely yours would be about the £100?

Original poster
icarriedawatermelon2 · 09/06/2012 22:14

The estimated elec was 21643

It is really 26583

The estimated gas was 9075
It is really 9660

They think we are £80 in credit......... :( GOSH! EAK! HELP!

OP posts:
chocoroo · 09/06/2012 22:15

We pay about £100 for our 2-bed terrace, although that's £25 a month electric and £70 gas. We're pennies in credit on electric and about £100 in debt on the gas but our gas consumption drops considerably during summer. Assuming we get one that is.

I suspect you may be underpaying a bit but unless it's been racking up for a couple of years I doubt it's as bad as £1000.

DowagersHump · 09/06/2012 22:15

I pay £130/month for a similar sized house so I reckon you've probably been underpaying but I really wouldn't panic. Have they asked for meter readings and you haven't supplied them?

Original poster
icarriedawatermelon2 · 09/06/2012 22:16

Our house is tiny!

OP posts:
enimmead · 09/06/2012 22:17

How long have you been with them?
What was your last bill like?
How often do you give a correct reading?
Mine demands a proper reading online every few months.
I also give them a reading so my debits are accurate.

DowagersHump · 09/06/2012 22:17

Although just noticed you're in a terrace - my house is detached and I work from home so I use a lot of heating because I'm here all day.

If you do owe money, you can pay it back slowly, honestly don't panic, please :)

eurochick · 09/06/2012 22:18

We have a 3 bed semi that isn't occupied during the day as we both work and we've been paying more than you (about 125 for both) so I suspect you have been underpaying by a bit each month.

CoffeeDog · 09/06/2012 22:18

we have a 2 bed flat we pay 75 + 55 a month for gas electric.....

LaurieFairyCake · 09/06/2012 22:19

I thought you had a 3 bed - did I read that wrong Confused

Have you an inefficient boiler? All of my friends in 3 beds pay about £130-£200 a month depending on how efficient their boiler is.

And of course how warm they like their house - my friend is in a 3 bed 70's house and has her thermostat set to 16 and it still costs her £130 a month dual fuel - she was blooming freezing last winter.

enimmead · 09/06/2012 22:21

Hopefully they will just increase your payments a bit - but that will reflect what you should be paying plus a bit of what you owe.

I really think companies should make it easy for you to put a reading in and see exactly what you owe.

jollymollie · 09/06/2012 22:21

I have a 3 bed semi, been paying £175 per month for dual fuel, found out I am £1000 behind. Gutted! No way of paying, being advised to get a pay as you go meter.

AgentZigzag · 09/06/2012 22:21

We're four living in a two bed and we pay about what you do a month, but we've just had new boiler and windows which brought it down a lot.

I'd get the last years worth of bills you've had from them and write it down so you can see WTF's going on.

Maybe glaringly obvious miscalculation on their behalf will show up?

It's annoying because you'd think it'd be up to them to keep tabs on it, but in reality it's not.

olimpia · 09/06/2012 22:23

If you go on a price comparison website like uswitch and you enter those readings (I.e. you're pretending to be looking for a quote) it should tell you how much you should be paying.

DressDownFriday · 09/06/2012 22:24

We're a family of 4 in a 3 bed terrace.

Our monthly direct debit was escalating and Eon wanted to increase it to £175 before xmas.

I decided to cut back

  • read meter every month and submitted figures online.
  • only put heating on for 1 hour morning and evening.
  • Wore jumpers and wrapped up.

My direct debit was reduced to £92 after 3 months.

On average my monthly direct debit for last year was £134.

Hope you get it sorted.

enimmead · 09/06/2012 22:27

There are still lots of companies including Tesco doing free / cheap loft insulation and cavity wall insulation.

But I think it's ending soon.

Energy bills are scary. Working out electricity could be easier but gas is a nightmare to calculate. But not too hard if the companies got their act together so you can monitor your usage rather than having a 6 month bill.

NarkedRaspberry · 09/06/2012 22:27

Don't panic.

Are the meters accessible from outside the house?

mercibucket · 09/06/2012 22:27

Am a bit shocked at the prices some of you pay - shop around! I have a small 3 bed terrace and pay around 70 a month dual fuel. I change supplier every year via a cashback website and get around fifty quid back on that

Op, don't panic, they will adjust your dd, not demand it all back at once

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