Page 9 | What to do Electricity bill could be £10,000?

LampLighter414 · 12/03/2022 20:00

Kind of brought this on yourself never looking at your meter for years...

I imagine you will be able to pay in instalments

Shitfuckcommaetc · 12/03/2022 20:02

Are you sure you're sums are correct?
Because I make 30,000kw at 20p £6000.
Plus take off what you've already paid if you pay monthly, so it may not be as bad as feared?!

j89vsd · 12/03/2022 20:03

@kittensinthekitchen and yet loads of people get into debt on credit cards, overdrafts, payday loans and so on. End up with unmanageable debt. But I've seen more sniping on this thread than is usually directed to people in those situations. My friend has no other debts, she never uses her overdraft. Having her head in the sand on this one particular point is a mistake but there are reasons.

VaizyCrazyDaizy · 12/03/2022 20:12

I live in a three bed house am frugal with gas and electric and my bill is now £3500 per annum - we were paying £1,600 but although using less. It’s the price of the gas and electricity has being increased including the standing charge so you can not reduce it even if you turn it all off. If anything we are using even less but bill doesn’t change. The companies are profiteering. My sister has a much larger home and pays £7,000 a year already. She is the woolly jumper coat wearing kind and pays also for fuel for two open fires. Me I’m thinking of opening up the old fire place and burning wood. Many around me already do as gas and electric already unaffordable a while back. Even old trees in the park get used around here for timber!

kittensinthekitchen · 12/03/2022 20:34

[quote j89vsd]@kittensinthekitchen and yet loads of people get into debt on credit cards, overdrafts, payday loans and so on. End up with unmanageable debt. But I've seen more sniping on this thread than is usually directed to people in those situations. My friend has no other debts, she never uses her overdraft. Having her head in the sand on this one particular point is a mistake but there are reasons.[/quote]
Yes, lots of people do get into debt. Why does that make it excusable?
Your 'friend' has run up £10k of debt, because she has intentionally not paid what she is due, whilst putting the money in savings instead. Now she has to pay it. Luckily she has those savings so can pay. "Well, I pay all my other bills!" is not an excuse.

If your 'friend' has valid reason for avoiding paying for her fuel usage, I'm sure she can appeal to have those reasons taken into consideration.

Riseholme · 12/03/2022 20:40

Well if your mil was using 1kw of electricity every hour for 3 years that’s over 26 thousand kws.
Did she never leave her room.
My dm has a radiator on all night when she’s visiting in winter but it’s set at 18c and I turn it off as soon as she’s up and it goes back on in the evening.
Even that for 1 week is worrying me.

YumiOomy · 12/03/2022 20:42

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haggisaggis · 12/03/2022 20:58

@kittensinthekitchen no not years. Possibly 18 months? We are an all electric household. Consumption is huge! But if one estimated bill is based on 999000kws, then next 000001 kws, but actual consumption is 999999 kws then electricity co invoice on 999999 - 000001 you can see the issue.

Bromse · 13/03/2022 14:42

If your mother in law was with you for three years, op, did she not make a financial contribution to the household? I'd understand if she was only with you for a short while and didn't, but three years is a long time. You couldn't expect her to be cold either, some people feel the cold more than others.

I didn't read meter or meters for quite a time, just couldn't be bothered so my bill was assessed; when I did, my bill went down considerably. I have a smart meter (I don't remember it being installed, frankly, but it couldn't have been that long ago); I still have to read two meters, one indoors and one outside on the front wall, for electricity and gas with EDF, and submit my readings online. I will be sure to do that religiously in future as it paid off.

Your bill sounds way too high and I'm sure if your meter is accurately read, it will be reduced. Please do that - get somebody else who is used to reading meters to have a look. With the best will in the world you could have made a mistake.

Good luck and let us know how you get on with it all.

claremmm · 13/03/2022 17:27

Citizens advice have an ‘extra help unit’ for vulnerable customers - you could be classed this way due due to having elderly relative living there. They are great at raising issues on your behalf and finding a fair resolution.

fetchacloth · 13/03/2022 17:42

@elbea

I think you’d benefit from a Smart Meter going forward, you’ll see what is being spent every day to keep on top of it.

Totally agree with this advice. I've had my smart meter for 7 years now and the billing is always accurate so I know I'm always paying the correct amount as I get billed.

dreamingofaholidaysoon · 13/03/2022 17:42

I used to work for a gas supplier and solved complex queries like this quite regularly. It's more common than you think.

Ring them up (before 1st October). Ask when last confirmed read was. Ask them to refill you from the date of last confirmed read to your current read. That'll will spread the consumption from the last confirmed read and give you the previous pricing and not front load it from the estimate. You might find the call centre doesn't know how to do this so ask for it to be raised as a complex query or complaint. Then you'll find someone that does. You can then ask for a payment plan. Quite often they'll even knock some off. They have a duty to read your meter every two years so there is some blame there too.

dreamingofaholidaysoon · 13/03/2022 17:42

1st April sorry

dreamingofaholidaysoon · 13/03/2022 17:43

And rebill not fill. Fat fingers

TheHumanSatsuma · 13/03/2022 17:44

@floridapalmtree

I have read the meter and think we are over 30,000 kw's over. I have been asked for a meter reading and think it's going to come to around £10,000. What do I do give them an accurate reading now? Or wait a year or so to give the correct reading hoping prices will come down?

The reason it is so much over is my mil was living here and had electric radiators on all day in her room and didn't care about the cost as long as she was warm. Plus there is a problem with the boiler and we have had the emersion heater on often continuously to heat water.

I just don't know what to do, any advice?

I have a large 3 storey, very draughty Victorian house on a cliff by the sea. Our bill is always high. £10,000?! Double check your reading and contact supplier.

Lifeismeh · 13/03/2022 17:48

I’d be interested to see what your bill is op. Obviously submit your reading asap but I can’t imagine that’s where jt would be. We’re a very high usage household (run our business farming sheds etc) and couldn’t reach that amount if we tried!

Schooldilemma2345 · 13/03/2022 17:49

Are you absolutely sure it’s that much over?
We have a large 4 bed house and a separate 1 bed annexe we rent out as a holiday let. The holiday let has 4 electric radiators which are constantly on because we always have guests and they all seem to want it like a sauna, it also has a hot tub which is always on and I do at least 12 loads of washing per week which I tumble dry. Our house and the holiday let are on the same meter and this costs me £500 per month in the winter at the current prices (extortionate, but cheaper than laundry service etc).
How long since your last reading?

PUGMEISTER21 · 13/03/2022 17:51

I would start by asking them for a statement of account. This should tell you how many KW they think you have been using so should give you some guidance. As an example we are young 12000 for lekky and about 8000 for Gas and pay between £90-£130 a month. Give citizens advice a ring also £10,000 a year sounds like you might have a Canabis farm in the loft?

mumoftinyterrors · 13/03/2022 18:02

OP what is that 30,000 units over? A few months, 6 months, a year? We use around 4,000 units a month because we have a bastard air heat pump that is constantly breaking down.

3WildOnes · 13/03/2022 18:08

Definitely submit a meter reading before the 1st of April. Price cap is currently 21p but going up to 28p.

Rescuedog12 · 13/03/2022 18:12

If you had a smart meter you would not have to submit meter readings.Plus mine took most of the day to fit.

2bazookas · 13/03/2022 18:20

Ask to have the meter checked.

Years ago our meter unaccountably "jumped" 40,000 units, about 2 years after it was newly installed by the power company. The supplier insisted we had used the power. I INSISTED they install a checkmeter. "Suddenly" the power company "remembered" an email from the meter manufacturer warning them about a faulty batch of new meters. The fault would cause the meters to jump 40,000 units , and gave the serial numbers of the faulty batch.

Including ours.

Blondeshavemorefun · 13/03/2022 18:24

I’m amazed they didn’t send someone round or ask fir a proper metre reading and picture

I didn’t do fir a few months last year and then dud a reading and they queried it (due to spa so eats electricity)

I hate to send them a pic to prove was this night
.they should have contacted your dh

2yrs with no reading and no contact from company doesn’t sound right

Georgeskitchen · 13/03/2022 18:48

The first thing I would be doing is disconnecting the heater in MILS room!!

Hellocatshome · 13/03/2022 18:51

2yrs with no reading and no contact from company doesn’t sound right

Thats because its not right, they received estimated bills so they knew the bills they were paying were based on estimated reads.