Need help to reduce bill urgently

[worriedabouthealth]

We are having massive issues with our electric bill. I’m stressed and upset as have tried to reduce it to no avail

It was too high but kept creeping up so we started to make changes and tbh we weren’t using tons anyway.
We accepted a smart meter to try and help
I thought the tumble dryer was a problem so we got a double washing line and 2 airers but still the bill went up

We made sure we turned off all lights etc.
Checked how energy efficient appliances were
Got different light bulbs to be better

Still the bill went up.

In desperation we decided last October to switch as found out we were on an expensive standard tariff and not allowed to switch so we decided to change suppliers.
We have been blocked at every turn it was meant to switch in early Dec but the company kept saying they weren’t aware we wanted to switch (they were as wrote to us ‘sorry you’re thinking of leaving us’??? )

The bills kept going up and the smart meter no matter what changes we made wasn’t showing less. Then it was showing more ???
We were living in darkness it was ridiculous

FINALLY after lying what we thought was the final bill we switched this week and having been carrying on our efforts so hopefully it will help BUT

We got another final bill for an astronomical amount from old supplier. The letter stated ‘tariff change in 4 Dec’ and they’d put us in an even more expensive one ???
It also said the bill was estimated ?

I called them and they denied both saying it’s not estimated (why does it say that ?) and they haven’t changed any tariff (again why does it say that ?)

I don’t know to do I’m worried we aren’t doing enough to save energy but I’m turning everything off at night and I’m the day I’m here and it’s dark and I’m not using anything I even use a flask and make one lot of tea in the morning so not boiling kettle a lot etc

I dont see how they could change the tariff to a more expensive one as we were switching they said I was mistaken it was just a price change

I’m so angry. They won’t accept there’s anything wrong I don’t know who can help
Plus I don’t know if there’s anything else I can do to reduce the electric usage and I’d really appreciate some help
Thankyou

10-13 jan says 135kwh

Yes the switch is labelled and definitely off

That’s about the cost of ours and we are powering a 4 bed, 6 downstairs rooms and 2 people working from home so electric on literally all the time other than overnight. We don’t go mad and have every light on all the time but we also don’t sit in darkness with no kettle or laptops.
Your bill seem HUGE! especially as you are doing loads to try and keep the bill down.

You’ve had some really good advice so far but wanted to add that maybe you could try emailing Martin Lewis for advice/help?

stuff about energy theft

I feel either too much is being used and not by us or is it a usual amount and there’s a huge billing mistake

The immersion heating being on or off makes hardly any difference (it on used electric when the tempretute drops below a certain level), I have a key meter that shows the amount on the key (money amount) I tested this theory out and turning the immersion off then on when needed literally saves you about £1.00 per week if that. Tbh for the convience of hot water when ever I want it I'd rather pay the extra.

Agree with some of the above posters. Write a blow-by-blow list of all the actions you've taken, dating (as near as you can) the phone calls and the outcome of each phone call. Use completely factual non-emotional language.
Send it to British Gas, CC the CEO, OfGen, Guardian consumer pages, anyone else you can think of.
Make it very clear this is THEIR error and THEIR problem to solve. And you expect compensation for the time and distress they've caused you.

Good luck!

It only uses electric...

We only have 1 reception room and kitchen downstairs
3 beds and bathroom then the loft room it’s 4 bed but it’s not a big house if that makes sense and during the day just me and ds here so I’m making sure nothings turned on that isn’t necessary

I’ve just checked and for the period 31 Oct-9 jan it was 2669 kWH

That's about 8-12 months usage in a little over 2 months

www.ofgem.gov.uk/gas/retail-market/monitoring-data-and-statistics/typical-domestic-consumption-values

Have you checked that your DH isn't running a cannabis farm in the loft/cellar?

Tell your supplier that something is wrong and you're not paying them another penny until the matter is resolved. Maybe if you phone them and ask for the complaints department, not general customer service, you might get further.

How would I know of someone else was tapping the supply though would it be if everything was off would it show a high level still

If all your electrical things are switched off and your meter is still registering some power being used, there is something wrong.
You then have to find out what is wrong - meter fault, hidden immersion tank, neighbors tapping in, whatever.

You'd be best to do this in the daytime, as you'll need to have all your lights switched off as well as your freezer etc.

I had even screenshot the chat service to use if I needed to

Your electricity use seems really high . I’ve just calculated that as 38kwh per day or 13,900 per year! That assumes you use electricity at that rate all year round.
For comparison I use about 4000kwh in electricity per year. I live in a large 4 bed house with teenagers. Someone is using it illegally or something is wrong. I know it’s a pain but you need to check the meter reading daily to calculate your actual usage. Definitely complain about the bill.

I am with Utility Warehouse and pay £143 per month

This is for :

Gas
Elec
Broadband
2 x mobile phones (£15 each)
House/Building insurance

I live in a 2 bedroomed miners cottage

That's bonkers OP, there's definitely something going on with the usage.

I haven't read all the responses I'm afraid, but this exact same thing happened to us. Basically our electricity usage on a small 4 bed house would have powered Blackpool Illuminations (the providers - I forget whom I'm afraid, actually used that phrase). It turned out that there was a problem with the meter and we had to get it changed. Incredibly stressful as we were moving house and providing final readings etc.

In the end the final bill was recalculated, but I think we had to pay for a new meter (or go halves with the people buying our house).

Ok Thankyou I wasn’t sure what the actual numbers meant I knew it’s too high but honestly if that equates to 8-12 months of electric it’s def a big mistake somewhere as we don’t have anything that could be using that much

I’m going to see if I can get the meter checked I’m assuming the new company although they are Scottish and we are London would they have local engineers to check ? I’ll have to call them as we can’t continue like this

Our immersion was left on for a whole year and we didn't notice. Cost us £600.

Can you trip your electric and see if the meter still ticks over? Then you'll know immediately if anyone else is using your supply.

There's definitely something wrong here.
It's either a malfunctioning meter or someone is tapping into your supply and growing cannabis plants

Could you get one of these:

www.amazon.co.uk/geo-Minim-Energy-Monitor-Self-Installed/dp/B00JIMQP6Y?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

It clips onto the cable going out of the meter and will tell you exactly how much you're using. Also I used to fit meters a few years back, if you pm me some photos of your electric meter, and the cables coming out and where they go I might be able to offer an opinion on if someones done anything.

Another thing that uses loads of electricity is an electric shower, ours is 10.8 kw you would have to be showering hell of a lot to use that amount though, we did have to mention this to DS when he was about 15 and was disappearing into the bathroom for a long showers.

We pay £90 a month with BG for 3 bed detached for gas and electric on a 1 yr fixed rate.

Sounds like the meter or someone stealing it.

I used to work for an energy company. We used to deal with this stuff all the time. My guess is a faulty appliance as your meter has been changed rather than the meter needing recalibration.

As has been suggested you need to turn everything off until the meter isn't registering anything. That means fridge freezer, microwave, tv anything and everything attached to a plug. Go round the house, check every room and every socket to make sure they are off.

If you manage to get the meter reading no consumption, then you turn stuff on one by one, so yes, very helpful to have 2 people. But you do it slowly so the meter has time to register. If it starts going crazy, you have found your appliance. It is almost always something that is on all the time as in an oven which powers the clock, an electric shower supply, a coffee machine, games console, sky box or maybe a baby monitor? Outside lights?

As you have had a smart meter fitted then no-one should have been able to take from your supply, it would have to go through your meter first to be able to bill you then supply you and whoever else. Not before the meter. All meters when fitted have crimps on the tails (the main wires going into the meter, the "tails" and then the person fitting the meter crimps the bits holding the meter in place and each fitter has their own number/code on their crimping tools which imprint on the little metal tubes that they squeeze shut) I am assuming it all looks fine and not tampered with.

I find it weird that your supplier isn't concerned about your increasing bill and doesn't seem to be helping you sort it.

It doesn't matter what sized house you have, it matters what tech you have and every day appliances. So even in a 2 bed house with 2 adults and 2 children/teens there would probably still be all the usual kitchen stuff, then add in mobile phone chargers, games consoles, Sky boxes, laptops and their chargers it all starts to add up.

We have a spreadsheet that we record our consumption of both gas and electric on. We read the meter every month. Gas should fluctuate due to summer/winter, electric not so much, it really only should be lights as you are usually using the same things day in day out.

Is it possible that one of your appliances is playing up? I accidently left our chest freezer open for a week (it's in the shed that we rarely use) and while everything was still nicely frozen when I found it, the electricity bill was doubled for the three month period that I had done it through (bills issued quarterly).

So in effect one week of a hard working freezer cost us the same amount as our usual 3month bill.

Re local, yes the engineers are local, the meter belongs to your local company whoever that was before the market opened, just your bill is from another company.

I believe London Electric never had offices in London due to the cost of buildings so their call centre was somewhere in the North but the people who do the physical stuff like jointing -fixing cables when workmen cut through them, etc are still in the area.

Sounds huge. We pay approx £112 for gas and electric, three bed detached, with dh quite often working at home, and teens with computers on all the time.