Gas bill and estimated annual usage - £7,000

[Gas]

Hi - we have just had £7k taken from our bank account for gas. It is an estimate. We are on holiday so it has cleaned the account out for spending. Normally it is about £1600 for the year.

Checked online our estimated use for the year ahead is 500,000 kWh. This works out about £90,000 on our variable tariff. Does this look like a mistake to you or will bills go up that much? Cannot pay it obviously. It is a large house with 5 bedrooms, though we do not waste heat. Bit shocked this can happen actually.

It is at the end of the garden and covered in bushes and thorns. Long story but the house was built 170 years ago and originally it was a commercial mill house. When gas was put in, the previous owner had to have it the other side of a moat.

Why would you not want a smart meter? It stops this kind of madness because the readings are supplied automatically and you are paying for what you actually use rather than based on estimated readings.

If you can’t get to the meter just put a smart meter in! Better than estimates

Wait. I got it muddled. The 500k was not for past, but JUST for next year?
So you are not arguing with them about the fact that 500k usage is average usage of over 40 houses combined?

DH says they can control us with smart meters. Accessing other data and tailoring marketing through smartphones.

Ah. Wind up. Got it

Ok well if you have been underpaying for 8 years and never submitted a reading during that time then the problem is explained. And it doesn't mean you will continue to be walloped with very high bills - this will be a one-off if you stay up-to-date with your payments.

Yes 500k is estimated energy, not cost. So it is less than 10% of that because it is 8p per hour kw, I think. Anyway it looks like £9,600 a year.

Does he wear a tin foil hat as well…? 🤔☺️

He’s being ridiculous.

You sound like you have no real grasp of how much you use / what’s average use / how much you should be paying.

I would start by getting smart meters installed, find out what you’re paying by unit rate and monitor your daily usage for a while to find out what’s average for you.

Guardian article that explains smart meters

This is why he won't have one. I agree it would be sensible.

Our last 2 years were 26,000 and 30,000kwh for 5 people in a 5/6 bed detached.

Suuuuuuure.

So does he not have a bank account / mobile phone / passport / travel card / online account for anything etc etc - all of these things can be used to “spy” on us. It really isn’t worth getting worried about. You have to balance up these things against what makes life easier.

Getting a huge bill doesn’t make life easier…!

I would just ignore him and get them installed. They’ll remove the old ones and they’ll be no turning back.

*there will be

Op you don't seem concerned about back billing rules. Recover the £7k then negotiate what amount of years you need to pay and then pay it.

This is 50% on you not supplying readings and 50% on them not getting readings.

You sound very blase about the whole thing.

Stop agreeing to direct debits from these vultures - paying quarterly adds about £8/year to your bill. As opposed to having your account cleared out.

phone your bank and get it reversed.

tell the leccy company to get tae fuck. “Prove it”

Lol!

If you agree that £7k is the amount you owe over 7 (or whatever) years then I don't think it's unreasonable to just pay it, because sounds like OP can afford the one-off and it's morally a right thing to pay what you owe.

But in future keep that bit of garden clear so you pay correct amounts.

And be glad the tariff was calculated now & not next February.

Ha, that was a good giggle!

It would be much cheaper if he got a smart meter but got rid of his smart phone then if he really believes that...

@lljkk What is happening in February? Is this the tax rises?

Not Im not blaise about it. DH is. I think the money is better spent on some solar panels or some source undergound pumps. That way it would be free. Or some of it.

The prices for energy are going up in October and again in January. So the bills that drop in in February will be huge.

Yes but you can use the money they shouldn't have taken as back pay to pay for solar panels etc to be installed.

They have no right to take your money.

Are you always so passive?

If you can afford a tax bill of £39,000 I don't think you have anything to worry about!

Is this a stealth post?