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Original poster

Electric estimated bill much higher than usual…

27 replies

pj20000 · 01/09/2022 13:33

I tried a little experiment, I usually send in meter readings but wanted to see what an estimated bill would look like. It was almost double what my usual bill is when I send in readings….Now…..
I have done nothing wrong (except not send in a reading this month) so will pay this high estimated bill and in October submit the actual reading which should mean I pay next to nothing for the month the price increase kicks in.
Is my thinking correct or am I missing something…

OP posts:
Beachhutnut · 02/09/2022 01:58

No they'll keep what you paid as a credit

BarbaraofSeville · 02/09/2022 03:24

Won't you have to miss another reading for your plan to work?

Your current bill must be for August, so the next one will be for September, before the price increase kicks in from 1st October.

Of course, you could let them estimate again and then you might be even further ahead, so when you 'remember' to start sending readings again, by then the price will have increased and you will have turned your heating off and started to use a lot less because you can't afford the new prices.........

If they pull you up on it, you could always say you 'don'ot understand numbers and stuff' so didn't notice, like most people claim on all the recent energy threads.

Original poster
pj20000 · 02/09/2022 10:38

So I will let them send me another estimate for Septembers usage, which will hopefully be another silly high estimate, pay that and then put in my meter reading for Octobers usage which will probably keep me in credit throughout winter.
I think that is a nice little legal loophole.
It cannot be “fraud” because I have not done anything. I presume it would be fraud if people submit silly high readings themselves.

OP posts:
Original poster
pj20000 · 02/09/2022 10:41

The only flaw in my plan is they will up my DD to “pay” for the usage.

OP posts:
Blondeshavemorefun · 02/09/2022 10:48

put online your reading. They will adjust the bill

ThreeFeetTall · 02/09/2022 10:49

Paying in advance for your bills isn't fraud...

SeaThingChild · 02/09/2022 10:49

I don't think I understand your plan, aren't you just paying them in advance when you could keep the money yourself and pay as you go along with actual meter readings? I can't see what you'll gain from doing this? You've got the money to pay the large over-estimated bills so it's not that you're buying time. Putting your account in credit only benefits them doesn't it?

ThreeFeetTall · 02/09/2022 10:49

Ah you mean paying the lower rate, I see

Original poster
pj20000 · 02/09/2022 10:54

SeaThingChild · 02/09/2022 10:49

I don't think I understand your plan, aren't you just paying them in advance when you could keep the money yourself and pay as you go along with actual meter readings? I can't see what you'll gain from doing this? You've got the money to pay the large over-estimated bills so it's not that you're buying time. Putting your account in credit only benefits them doesn't it?

At the moment I am paying 26p elec and 7p Gas, come October that will double. So yes, I am paying for October, and Novembers bill in advance but at half the price.

OP posts:
SeaThingChild · 02/09/2022 11:11

ok bear with me, I'm probably missing something:
August estimate 300
You pay that
September estimate 300
You pay that
October actual reading shows August and Septembers bills should have been 150 each, so your account is changed to 300 in credit. October's actual bill is now 300 because the amount has doubled, the money you paid in already can be used to cover October.

But you've not saved any money or avoided paying the price increase as far as I'm understanding it?

JudgeRindersMinder · 02/09/2022 11:12

Just make sure you submit an actual reading on 30th September so you’re not paying any previous usage at the new rate!

KweenieBeanz · 02/09/2022 11:22

Be aware you are not buying your October electricity at September's prices by doing this. All they will do is hold the money in your account as credit, then whatever you use in October will be charged at October's prices and the sum of money needed deducted accordingly.

KweenieBeanz · 02/09/2022 11:24

They don't credit your account with X number of units if electricity, they just credit it with a sum of money and the electricity used will be charged at the appropriate rate for the day you use it. This is not some clever hack to buy the electricity in advance at today's prices I'm afraid.

anotheropinion · 02/09/2022 11:27

Clever. I was pondering whether to submit an accidentally high reading on 1st October. But I like your solution better.

KweenieBeanz · 02/09/2022 11:28

Oh hang on do you not have a smart meter? It possibly might work.... But surely they will ask for a meter reading before the price increase kicks in?

KweenieBeanz · 02/09/2022 11:28

anotheropinion · 02/09/2022 11:27

Clever. I was pondering whether to submit an accidentally high reading on 1st October. But I like your solution better.

This I think would be fraud, whereas what OP is suggesting I think is a better way to do it....

BarbaraofSeville · 02/09/2022 11:29

KweenieBeanz · 02/09/2022 11:24

They don't credit your account with X number of units if electricity, they just credit it with a sum of money and the electricity used will be charged at the appropriate rate for the day you use it. This is not some clever hack to buy the electricity in advance at today's prices I'm afraid.

It is if they've used the reading that suggests that the electricity has already been used, as described by the OP.

They've incorrectly estimated that this electricity has already been used, so will charge the current rate. Any that is used after 1 October, according to the meter readings that appear on the bill, will cost twice as much.

Original poster
pj20000 · 02/09/2022 11:34

KweenieBeanz · 02/09/2022 11:22

Be aware you are not buying your October electricity at September's prices by doing this. All they will do is hold the money in your account as credit, then whatever you use in October will be charged at October's prices and the sum of money needed deducted accordingly.

I may have it wrong so I will try examples.
My electric meter reading is 1000. They estimate it at 2000 so my bill for August is £260 more. I pay the extra with the bill.
September my electric meter reading is 1500 but they estimate it at 3000, again I pay the extra £260
October my meter reading is 2000 and I send in the reading. BUT I have paid up to 3000 units so am 1000 units in credit. So when I put my meter readings in for the next few months I will be in credit and have nothing to pay.
I may have got it all wrong but I am sure to be in credit if I overpaid on August and September.

OP posts:
Original poster
pj20000 · 02/09/2022 11:37

KweenieBeanz · 02/09/2022 11:28

Oh hang on do you not have a smart meter? It possibly might work.... But surely they will ask for a meter reading before the price increase kicks in?

No smart meter and I don’t HAVE to submit monthly readings, they just suggest it.

OP posts:
BrieAndChilli · 02/09/2022 11:39

No because they won’t keep your account in credits of units - they will ‘refund’ the 1000 credits you have overpaid by at the price you paid for them. This will sit in your account and then Octobers usage at the higher rate per unit will be taken out of the refunded money.

Original poster
pj20000 · 02/09/2022 11:42

SeaThingChild · 02/09/2022 11:11

ok bear with me, I'm probably missing something:
August estimate 300
You pay that
September estimate 300
You pay that
October actual reading shows August and Septembers bills should have been 150 each, so your account is changed to 300 in credit. October's actual bill is now 300 because the amount has doubled, the money you paid in already can be used to cover October.

But you've not saved any money or avoided paying the price increase as far as I'm understanding it?

Instead of using £ use units. So by your calculation I will be 300 “units in credit, which means no bill.

OP posts:
Original poster
pj20000 · 02/09/2022 11:50

BrieAndChilli · 02/09/2022 11:39

No because they won’t keep your account in credits of units - they will ‘refund’ the 1000 credits you have overpaid by at the price you paid for them. This will sit in your account and then Octobers usage at the higher rate per unit will be taken out of the refunded money.

Nooooo Don’t say that. I thought I had a cunning plan.

OP posts:
Forestdweller11 · 02/09/2022 12:04

So no smart meter? As the elec co don't know exactly how many units you've used for August and September but are billing you the current rate but estimating what kw they guess you might have used - which is more than what you actually have. Come end of October and you submit an actual reading and they bill you, they will bill you the difference between their estimated and your actual. They won't know when you used the power in August, September or October. So yes think that's fine, and not fraud. Our elec co like us to submit meter reading monthly but we are quite variable in when we do the meter reading and sometimes we get an estimated bill. It's corrected when we submit the reading, but we pay the rate at the time. I wouldn't like to 'estimate' for too long as I like to track our usage monthly/seasonally.

Forestdweller11 · 02/09/2022 12:11

Brieandchilli - but the elec co won't know when the units have been used. OP is not on a smart meter. They have issued a bill (albeit it estimated) and OP pays. When reading is submitted elec co can only go off that.

OhmygodDont · 02/09/2022 14:42

I was pondering summiting a higher reading than we have used on 30th September for this kinda reason. We don’t have smart meters and the meters are actually inside our house so they couldn’t even be read without us letting someone in.

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