Electric bill problem, I think I owe £15k :o

[electricbills]

This is not a begging thread before anyone piles on. But I am in a flap over discovering the above.

I've had some health issues, plus building works at home which combined together meant I've not been able to read my meter for a few years as it's in an awkward spot. I can't remember the last time either I gave a reading or anyone came out.

I can now access the meter and with all the stuff about electric prices rising I thought I should start with a clean slate. I couldn't access any of the previous readings online but submitted my figure of 31460.

I've since had a bill (obviously generated before my reading) and according to this my last estimate was 52440. I can't access any bills or readings online further back than 12 months and I don't get paper bills haven't for years.

So by my rough calculations based on kwh of I think 21p, I owe about 15k. My usual bills are about £300-400 per quarter. I feel sick.

I can just about pay it if I completely empty my savings and sell some stuff. But it's such a huge amount of money. I couldn't pay it in one go.

What do I do now?

I'm very sure about which meter is where. The gas meter was moved outside not long after I bought the house, I can't remember the whys now as it was quite a few years ago, but it was moved then. None of the other houses in the street have any external meters there's are all inside.

Before I saw what the previous readings were my gut feeling was that I probably owed them something, maybe £1-2k or slightly more. I thought that perhaps if I'd underpaid the true usage by say £50 a month, it could come out to that kind of figure over a few years. Alternatively I thought that they might owe me a tiny amount like £100.

I didn't expect I could possibly owe £15k which seems a huge amount, but equally them owing me £4k doesn't seem quite right either. But those are the figures so unless there's something wrong with the meter it's got to be one of the 2. And naturally I'd hope it's that the calculation is in my favour.

Until you do your gas reading you won't know the actual value you are in credit/debit as I assume the quarterly payment was for both utilities

It's certainly a strange one - when I entered my reads the app made a huge fuss about the reading being unexpectedly low for electric and kept sending me back to check. I was then hoping for a large credit but it turned out to be £19 over more than a year. Revised bill was issued within 3 days and that was over a weekend too. Agree you need to read your gas one asap - open it with a pair of pliers and please update us as I'm intrigued now 😆

The gas bills are separate, so I'd pay on average £3-400 for electric per quarter, and less for gas (usually around £200 per quarter). I know the gas meter has been read more regularly, being external, so I'm not expecting it to be out by much. The only gas is for my heating/ hot water, and I don't use much of either, so gas being less would make sense to me.

I've tried using pliers on the cupboard and couldn't open it, so I'm waiting for a key.

I'm sure you can buy a yellow plastic meter key for 60p or so.
mail order if no local stores
Wilkinson
B & q
Amazon

Ah ok of your dad is separate anyway then it's less important, and does make the likelihood of them owing you higher. I'd assumed (sorry if I missed it earlier in the post) that the 3-400 was a combined bill which is low. If you've a been paying 5-600 that's quite a lot

£1,200-£1,600 pa for electricity only if you have gas heating is a crazy high amount, there's no way whatsoever that you could have underpaid significantly if you're paying that. Being £4,000 in credit over a period of a few years is entirely plausible.

We used around £80 electricity per month (prior to the price rises) so that would be about £240 per quarter (and we are quite high users of electricity). If you're paying £3-400 per quarter just for electricity then it's likely you have been overpaying

@liveforsummer

Ah ok of your dad is separate anyway then it's less important, and does make the likelihood of them owing you higher. I'd assumed (sorry if I missed it earlier in the post) that the 3-400 was a combined bill which is low. If you've a been paying 5-600 that's quite a lot

Gas obviously not dad - not sure where that came from 🙈

@liveforsummer

I put my meter readings in last week and according to the app it was 988 days since my last one. Tuned out I'd under paid gas by about £25 and over paid else by £19 so the estimate system clearly had worked well. It's virtually impossible that you owe 15k when youve been paying regularly however just over £100 pm is cheap for a 4 bed - I pay more and live in a tiny 2 bed flat so I'd also be surprised if they owed you over £4K. Are you sure you have your meters the right way around? My gas is indoors and electric is out and this has been the case everywhere I've lived

Bit of a detail but I think it sounds more like you are paying too much?

I live in a (not tiny) 2 bed flat and we only have electric and still only pay £42 p/m! We have just increased our DD to £70 to hopefully cover the increases. Speaking to neighbours this seems similar to theirs too.

My parents live in a large 4 bed detached and were paying £130 for electric until recently.

How long is "a few years"? You're only paying £1200-1600 a year; is it really likely you've paid an extra 2-3 years worth of fuel?

When we lived in a three bed house our electric bill was always under £50pm. So I would definitely assume you have been over paying quite significantly. We were never careful either.
Our bills are higher now that we have two working from home and live in a larger house but still under £400 pm for electricity.

@kittensinthekitchen

How long is "a few years"? You're only paying £1200-1600 a year; is it really likely you've paid an extra 2-3 years worth of fuel?

Well as I said I didn't think it would be that far out BUT the alternative is that I owe them £15k, which is less palatable.

The only other possibility I suppose is that there's a problem with the meter.

The quickest way to sort it out would be to phone them

Can you borrow a meter key from a neighbour or a friend? I would think most people would have one.

Not really sure what you mean by my lack of agency?

I've tried calling re the electricity, but can't get through to anyone. Having said that, I think even if/when I do they will probably tell me to wait for the revised bill (which I'd expect in the next week or so) and contact them then.

Depending on whether they say I owe £15k or am owed £4k, I'll respond accordingly. But of course I'd prefer it to be the latter, who wouldn't.

As to the gas, I still can't log on to my account, I have ordered a key for the cupboard (as I can't open it any other way, I've tried) and waiting for that to arrive so I can check the current reading on there and then try to find out what if anything I owe or am owed.

Is your gas with a different supplier?
Is there a way to message your electricity supplier?

Can you try the live chat option online?

If your gas supply is in an external box, then the gas meter readers will have accessed it whenever they came to read it. They have their own keys

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

If your gas supply is in an external box, then the gas meter readers will have accessed it whenever they came to read it. They have their own keys

Yes I did say upthread it has been read. I can't remember when exactly (as I can't see the past years gas bills to see which were based on estimated or actual readings) but I know it will have been read at some point in the past year or so.

I've never had an indoor gas mete, nor an outdoor electricity meter.

@electricbills they owe you money. Quite a lot.

They've estimated more than you've used. So you don't owe them. If anything, you're account will be in credit

That’s what I thought 🤷‍♀️