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?

Just call them and get them to clarify, but as their estimated number is higher than your actual number, no you don't owe them money, they owe you.

@redbigbananafeet

Can you not just call them?

I'm sorry, it's not really relevant to the thread, but have you tried "just" calling any of these companies lately?

@BarbaraofSeville

Sorry, questions as your post is unclear (to me anyway)

I couldn't access any of the previous readings online but submitted my figure of 31460

When was this for? Now, or some time in the past? Is this reading actual or estimated?

according to this my last estimate was 52440 Again, is this a real reading, or an estimate and for when? Do you think you need to pay for 52440 units, the difference between 52440 and 31460 or something else?

What time period does all this refer to and what payments have you made in that time? Can you prove this - estimated bills, bank statements etc?

Has your supplier tried to read the meter? How awkward is the meter location? Is it just that you're unable to see it, or could someone more active, better eyesight etc see it?

There are back billing rules that mean that if the supplier hasn't made reasonable attempts to bill you, they can't make you pay for more than a year's bill, plus ways of making a reasonable estimate based on property size, occupancy, type of heating etc.

Have you had gas too, and have you paid for any gas, or is the property all electric.

Slow down and don't panic. It's very unlikely that you will be required to pay the £15k, especially if your supplier has been neglible.

Sorry for being unclear, I'm normally quite good at explaining myself but I'm panicking so mixing things up.

I submitted my reading online of the 31460, this was last week, this was from me actually eyeballing the meter which I can now do (and will be able to going forward). I can't remember when I last did a reading or when anyone last came in before this.

The figure of 52440 is taken from my online bill, that's estimated and so are all the previous ones I can see online.

What I'm thinking I need to pay for is the difference between 52440 and 31460, as if it was actually (1)31460, hope that makes sense.

I've always paid my bills quarterly for 10+ years.

The gas meter is outside, I can't access it (not for physical reasons, it's in one of those locked meter cupboards I don't have a key for). Annoyingly I can't log into my gas account online at the moment but I am pretty sure it has been read within the last year or so.

It sounds to me like you have been overpaying for years and they actually owe you money. You need to call them

I don't understand why you think you owe them money?
Their estimate is far higher than your actual reading, so they owe you.

Why do you think you owe them money if they've estimated you've used 52440 and you've actually used less than that?

I'm totally confused by this thread.

The gas meter is outside, I can't access it (not for physical reasons, it's in one of those locked meter cupboards I don't have a key for)

Those keys can be bought on Ebay for a coupke of pounds.

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yellow-Plastic-Gas-Meter-Box-Key-Single-Meter-Key-/372273529540?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

I really dont think you will have clocked your meter. Weve been here in this house 3 years and only used half a clock.

Call them. Ask them to refund any overpayment.

You do not owe them money.

They've issued bills on the basis of a ridiculously high figure in the past and you've paid them for more electricity than you have used on the basis of trusting their estimations.

Now you've sent them an actual reading, there is evidence that you have not used the electricity they have overcharged you for.

They owe you a fuckton of money.

Could you ask them to come and check if your meter is calibrated correctly?

What I'm thinking I need to pay for is the difference between 52440 and 31460, as if it was actually (1)31460, hope that makes sense

I'm not sure you do need to pay the difference between 131460 and 52440. That's an extra 80000 units of electricity, which is about 10-20 years worth for a house that also uses gas, so it's unlikely your meter has 'gone round' without being picked up (and possibly replaced) by the supplier.

If you've been paying £100 a month for electricity and had gas too, you should have been paying for your usage, and 52440 sounds like a massive overestimate or a mistake, someone has misentered numbers or similar.

On the matter of the gas meter, you can buy the keys for not much at all (or use pliers) so always worth checking the actual reading for yourself every once in a while.

What does the bill they've sent to you actually say? If they've sent you a bill based on your latest meter reading, it must tell you whether you now owe them money, or you're in credit? Why are you trying to work it out when you've been sent a bill?

Because your actual is so much lower, they will likely want another read in 7 days time.

@MabelsApron

Why do you think you owe them money if they've estimated you've used 52440 and you've actually used less than that?

I'm totally confused by this thread.

Me too.. Cannot fathom why the OP thinks she needs to pay the difference between the 52440 and 31460. the 52440 is an ESTIMATED figure based on what they THINK you might use, but haven't.

Actual reading trumps estimated reading. So if the actual reading is lower, they owe you.

Think of it like this OP, you call a builder to quote for work. He estimates it to be 20k. When he finishes he didn't need to use all the labour he thought and got materials cheaper, so the price is now £10k - you pay the £10k not the 20k as that was an estimate.

They owe you

You just ignore their ESTIMATED readings and submit your real one

It doesn't sound like you owe them anything (you've not gone round the clock, it's not a car)

I think OP thinks the meter might have ticked all the way around and got back up to 31460 that’s why she thought she might owe. The reality of that is you’d have to be running Blackpool illuminations or something.

In the first place, from what you have said, you appear to have overpaid for your electricity, and, as previous posters have said, they owe you money, not the other way around.

In the second place, assuming some confusion with the meter readings and you actually have underpaid, the electricity supplier cannot charge you for electricity used more than 12 months ago. That’s the furthest they are allowed to charge in arrears for if they have not read your meter.

Reading the meter, or supplying and fitting a smart meter, is the electricity provider’s job, not yours. Sure, they can ask you for a reading, but you have no obligation to supply one. If they fail to do their job, they can’t charge you.

So don’t worry. If you get a bill that looks like they have charged you further back than 12 months then absolutely query it.

And don’t worry! There is no chance that you owe them £15k.

If it helps (sorry if it doesn't), I'll make up some figures to illustrate this - please note all I've done is use £ symbols to see if that helps you visualise the situation better.

Assuming your meter was at zero and each digit represents £1 (because it's easier than actual bill calculations, this is to illustrate where you are in terms of use and credit/debit)

They have charged you over the years for £52440 of electricity because that's what they guessed you were using they wanted to make as much money from you as possible.

However, now you've got into the meter cupboard, what you have actually used is £31460.

The difference between the two sums is £20980.

They therefore owe you 52440 - 31460 = 20,980 that they have charged you for that you never, ever used.

OP, in my experience they overestimate, they don't underestimate.

So as everyone is suggesting, it's far more likely that you've hugely overpaid and they owe you quite a bit.

Unless the meter has gone round from 52440 - passed through 00000 - and up to 31460 . . . . . . but I think that's very unlikely. Albeit possible.

Now, we all want to know how much of a windfall you're hopefully going to be returned. So go and get in touch with them and get it sorted.

And then tell us how you're going to share it with us

Please don't stress OP, it's going to be that they owe you (a lot!) rather than vice versa.

Because of the large amount of money they now owe you they may want to send someone round to read the meter in person, but once that's been done they'll pay out.