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Original poster

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

407 replies

electricbills · 05/04/2022 10:56

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?

OP posts:
Scbchl · 05/04/2022 14:21

British Gas sent me out a cheque for the money I was in credit. I would just call up no matter how long it takes and say they have over estimated your usage by x amount can they they send out what they owe you in a cheque.

mnahmnah · 05/04/2022 14:25

Please ring them! Or have you got their app? Submit your reading on there. Either way you will definitely be owed money. It could be quite a nice amount based on those readings!

TeacupDrama · 05/04/2022 14:28

i think they can't keep more than a month in credit they don't have to return the odd 12p
mine says you can get a refund if it is greater than your monthly direct debit

JackieWeaversLaptop · 05/04/2022 14:30

I haven’t read the full thread, so I haven’t seen if anyone else has suggested this too, but can I suggest you speak to Citizens Advice OP? They’re very very good at resolving this sort of situation, so worth contacting them if you haven’t and if you still need advice on this.

Hydrangeatea · 05/04/2022 14:31

@JackieWeaversLaptop

I haven’t read the full thread, so I haven’t seen if anyone else has suggested this too, but can I suggest you speak to Citizens Advice OP? They’re very very good at resolving this sort of situation, so worth contacting them if you haven’t and if you still need advice on this.
Sometimes it's best to just read the thread. Stops you looking like a bit of a wally.
burnoutbabe · 05/04/2022 14:39

the other thing to consider is that a mistake was made in the opening reading - say that was 50,000 rather than 30,000.

so the current estimate of 55k is based on using 5000 units over x years which may well be reasonable.

So you really need to also establish, what opening reading did they have for you and does that make sense for a daily usage of elec over the last x years. you could see what usage is today to give you a rough daily amount (as if you have gas too, i assume the elec usage is fairly similar between winter and summer, unlike if you were 100% elec)

LakieLady · 05/04/2022 14:47

[quote AwkwardPaws27]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[/quote]
You can buy them in hardware shops and places like Homebase too.

I have one in my car, from the days when I used to do a lot of resettlement work with homeless clients and had to read meters when they moved in.

JackieWeaversLaptop · 05/04/2022 15:28

Ouch - was that really necessary @Hydrangeatea?

Upamountain43 · 05/04/2022 15:29

I got a gas bill once for £35,000 - it was mistake by the meter reader he had inputted two numbers the wrong way round - the gas company were very helpful and sorted it out very quickly.

Questionbloodsvial · 05/04/2022 15:29

They are due you lots of money! Call ASAP and get it all back. Or let them have it and give you free electric for years 😅

Sswhinesthebest · 05/04/2022 15:38

Another one thinking you are due a nice little windfall.

Sswhinesthebest · 05/04/2022 15:41

And don’t get a refund, keep it in there because then you’ll pay for loads of future bills at the old rate and won’t be subject to all the current increases. - and won’t actually have to pay anything in effect.

dementedpixie · 05/04/2022 15:43

They won't pay future bills at the old rate. They will have the credit balance run down at todays prices.

Better to have the money in OPs pocket than for them to be thousands of £s in credit

BrinksmansEntry · 05/04/2022 15:51

I hope you have called the utility company OP! Even if you have overpaid hugely, they may not automatically reduce your DD so you could just end up adding to the credit balance rather than either using that credit to pay future bills or (if you get a refund) to accurately reflect your actual usage.

AteAllTheBourbons · 05/04/2022 16:02

www.screwfix.com/p/3-way-services-cabinet-key/16428

This should get you into your gas box

GatoradeMeBitch · 05/04/2022 16:13

Well either you've been overpaying for ages and you're owed money back, or you've been underpaying for ages. Could you really have left it so long that the meter numbers were almost in view of overlapping themselves?

Speak to someone asap. And in any case they should not charge your whole bill at the new price. A 10 year old would know that you couldn't have used so much power in a few days.

SofiaSoFar · 05/04/2022 16:16

@electricbills

Just be aware that you'll get either an email or online message if you give readings that way saying that your reading (the correct one, that you have taken yourself) is wrong. Their system will assume it can't possibly be correct due to the previous estimates.

But don't panic and do persevere!

We have recently had similar as our meter went wacky at some point last year and started again from 0 for no good reason (it hadn't done a full circle back to 0, it just went wrong).

It took ages to try to persuade the supplier that our readings were right and theirs wrong because their system was ignoring any readings we sent and replacing with estimates. They then had the cheek to go bust before it was sorted!

Anyway, it was finally sorted just this week by the administration company and the new supplier and we've had around £800 credited.

Good luck!

Febrier · 05/04/2022 16:33

I'm not counting chickens about getting money back, to be honest I'm happy enough just thinking I hopefully don't owe £15k.

Yeah, I’d just write it off and let them keep it, being grateful I don’t owe them £15k.

Febrier · 05/04/2022 16:34

Well either you've been overpaying for ages and you're owed money back, or you've been underpaying for ages.

Yep. There’s just no way of knowing for sure.

Febrier · 05/04/2022 16:36

I hope you have called the utility company OP!

Nah, she’s not going to bother.

SpiderVersed · 05/04/2022 16:36

@edwinbear

If you're paying £300-£400 pm, unless you live in a castle, I reckon you could have quite a nice windfall coming your way OP Smile
OP corrected herself, it's per quarter
Ariela · 05/04/2022 16:41

@TeacupDrama

i think they can't keep more than a month in credit they don't have to return the odd 12p mine says you can get a refund if it is greater than your monthly direct debit
This is rubbish, they can keep as much as they like in credit, but if it's over a certain amount you can ask for it back, and they're obliged to refund you.
Tilltheend99 · 05/04/2022 16:42

Sorry if someone has already said but they can’t charge you for anything longer than a year ago. (I found this out when they rebated me 1.50 the other day) If you keep doing estimates however, they tend to overcharge. If you have over paid the money will be in your account now that you have submitted the correct figures so you can ring or email and ask for your money back or to pay your next bill out of the money

Ariela · 05/04/2022 16:44

@Sswhinesthebest

And don’t get a refund, keep it in there because then you’ll pay for loads of future bills at the old rate and won’t be subject to all the current increases. - and won’t actually have to pay anything in effect.
No, they'll keep it there as 'cash' vs a future bill. Not as units paid in advance (unless the OP had not submitted her meter reading at all, in which case they'd refer to the estimated amount and those units would all be paid in advance at the old rate)
ILookAtTheFloor · 05/04/2022 16:51

We're in a similar position actually. Not given any readings since forever (no excuses either) our direct debit is now £420 a month?! Which does seem ridiculous even in light of the price rises!

We're now getting a smart meter and sitting here freezing with a blanket on! Is it really using the dishwasher and tumble dryer means we have to pay £420 a month? It's a 4 bed semi!

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