Something not right with OCTOPUS Energy bill?

[lawrenceofarabia]

So I am currently trying to work out why my monthly bill with OCTOPUS Energy is so high. Bearing in mind we have not used the heating at all for at least the last 2 months. I have tried to cost each and every appliance:
Fridge freezer, washing machine (don't use tumble drier) shower, kettle, tv on standby, hair dryer, hair straightener, lamp and lightbulbs, air fryer, gas ring, security camera, Alexa.
I have worked out roughly how long each appliance is used per day and the daily cost. I have been generous in some instances in my workings and I still only get to HALF the cost of the bill. This includes adding on Octopus standing charge.
I have sent meter readings and I just don't understand how the meter readings are so much more than my daily/monthly use?
For context I live in a small 2 bed terraced house with my lodger (who goes to bed early each night and is very economical with w machine and d washer etc - we share usage and only use 2-3 times per week between us) I have a gas boiler which has recently been serviced.
Anyone else struggling to work out what is going on with their energy bills/usage?
Are the meter readings giving a false reading!

I'd get Octopus to fit you a new smart meter. You then have a display indoors that you can see how much you are using all the time and get half hourly readings so you can check if something switches on at a certain time of day. Do you have an immersion heater?Is the shower electric? Is it the electric or gas that is too high?

I don’t have much advice but I’m following as I’ve been wondering the same. We’ve only been with Octopus a few months (we were switched from Bulb when it went bust) and they immediately doubled our monthly payment upon joining. I’ve since then been sending meter readings every month and the bills seem very high. Like you, we haven’t used our heating for ages, just hot water; electricity sounds similar too, as we’re a couple so likely similar washing machine & dishwasher usage, i.e. not every day. Maybe our payment was wildly off with Bulb (I mean, they did go bust!) but I sent in meter readings etc to them regularly too and that was the amount they set it at, apparently based on our usage.

There is also an app called Octoaid which shows daily usage and costs for Octopus but again works better with a smart meter.

Octopus wouldn’t let us just pay what we used, we had to pay their estimated yearly figure divided by 12 each month. I regularly claim back the excess, it’s frustrating! I don’t want my money tied up in their bank accounts.

We're with Octopus, having come from Bulb too.

We're currently underpaying on the DD at the moment. I think the issue is the government relief. We got used to having that amount off our bills every month and now all of a sudden it's not there.

Without any actual information from you to work on (bills, photos of meter, etc.), here are a few points to consider.

With gas, the units on the meter don't represent the number of units you are charged for. There is a calculation as shown on the bill.

Is your gas meter read in m3 or ft3, and does your bill show the same?

Are you misreading due to a decimal point?

If you get a window where the lodger is out, I'd switch off everything at the fuse board. Take a meter reading (including the bits after the decimal point). Look again after half an hour. It should be the same.
The switch on circuits one by one - start with the fridge - again taking readings 30 mins after each circuit is switched on. You may find out which circuit is drawing all the current.

OR: are you paying an annualized direct debit, so you overpay in the summer to build up credit to get you through the expensive winter months? We are paying g more than a typical months usage right now, but come December, our payment will remain the same, and our usage will me massively higher.

Is your usage the same as the figure that octopus have given? As in, the meter readings are the ones you've given?

The monthly direct debit payment isn't based on your actual usage for that month, it's based on your projected usage for the year divided by 12.

Normally that means you pay more in the summer than you use, to build up some credit before the winter high usage period.

If the meter readings are higher than the amount you're working out that you use, it's nothing to do with Octopus, who don't have anything to do with the meter itself - they just use the readings from it. Is this a recent issue or has it always been like this? And is it your gas, electricity or both?

In my case, we’re paying the direct debit 12 times over the year, so would expect, as PP have said, that we’d build up credit in the summer. But the last two bills they’ve sent us based on meter readings, apparently our current DD amount is only just covering what we’re currently using, despite it being summer time and low usage of things, especially gas. With bulb by the end of the summer we’d be hundreds in credit due to building it up, but this has me worried for the winter.

I'm with Octopus and send in my meter readings. I've been using approx £150 of gas and electricity combined but they initially set my DD to £375 a month.

Each month when I submit my readings, I check my account balance and go into the forecasting section of the website to see if I'm overpaying against their prediction for each month's usage over the next 12 months.

They recommend online I drop to £201 a month as this is still above the summer month usage, I'll build up excess to cover the winter month extra usage.

If you don't see any of those options, contact them!

If I've totally misread and there is a mismatch between what your meter sayes that you submit and what octopus have on your bill, definitely contact them!

Thanks so much everyone for your very useful comments - there's lots for me to work through and try
Regarding the meter reading, this did strike a cord hedgehoglurker - when I spoke to Octopus last month the girl tried to explain to me that the meter reading I had was not correct. We had a polite but frustrating conversation and I just didn't understand what she was saying. A few years ago when I first moved into this house there was a pay as you go system because it was previously a rental property. At the time they switched my meters they tried to fit a Smart Monitor in my house - 6 engineers later - they said it couldn't be fitted. Like I said victorian terrace in town, can't remember why but there was a technical issue. Bulb and now Octopus take readings direct from my meters. However last month when I checked the bill and did my own readings they had overcalculated by £190 and removed this from the bill but ..... when I spoke to Octopus they explained that I would end up paying this next time.... and that my readings were actually incorrect. I am confused.com 😰

I’m finding octopus very difficult to deal with. I have economy 7 (or whatever the equivalent is) and they had my meter readings switched round. It took months to prove that I wasn’t using £300 of electricity a month in my one bed flat, having previously used no more than £80 with bulb. Good luck with them!

So you have smart meters for your gas and electricity? Given that you've said that Octopus take readings directly from the meters then that must be the case. And you are paying a monthly direct debit, based on a figure decided by Octopus based on estimated usage for the year divided by 12. Is that all correct?

And, do your meter readings match what Octopus are stating on your bill?

I'm with Octopus but don't have smart meters
Do the smart meter readings match what's on the bills?
I submit monthly meter readings and a bill is produced almost immersion.

I pay £287 per month just now (4 bed detached house, 2 adults and 2 teens) and last month we used about £220 worth of gas/electric. Prior to that we were using up to £350 worth as we were using the heating more.

It's normally easy to adjust the monthly direct debit on the app.

Should say almost immediately not immersion!

As others have suggested try turning everything off circuit by circuit at the fuse board and then turn off each plug or appliance. Check if the electric meter records any usage. Then turn the circuits back on one by one and reconnect the appliances, also one by one. Start with the kitchen then the rest of the house and check whether any circuit or appliance's reconnection makes the meter start whirling.

A partial short circuit can allow electricity to 'leak' without tripping a Circuit Breaker.

If you need energy advice Citizens Advice locally may have energy advisers or be able to point you to other organisations who can help.

@lawrenceofarabia I don't understand what you/Octopus mean by "your readings were incorrect" - how can this be when you submitted them yourself?

Do you have a copy of your last bill with meter readings on them? Can you post photos of your current meter readings?

I’ve always found Octopus quite good. I had a high bill once, queried it and sent in a photograph of my meter readings. I’d misread the dial meter and my bill was adjusted accordingly. They also usually respond fairly quickly.

She far I've not had any problems with Octopus.

They offer a variable direct debit which means they take exactly the amount your bill is every month.

@lawrenceofarabia I used to work for an electricity company. You have said that they fitted smart meters which sounds correct if they get their meter readings direct from the meter without physically visiting the property. The only thing you don't have is the in home display device that communicates with the meter.

Meter readings are sometimes not the default display on the meter, sometimes you have to press a button a few times to scroll through the settings (hence the in home display device which again on mine you have to scroll through some settings) I am also with Octopus who quite frankly are a brilliant utility company. If you are reading the display then that might not be the meter reading. I think this is why the person you spoke to said it will sort itself out next quarter and you will have to pay it because the meter communicates directly with Octopus and gives the correct reading.

When I submit readings to Octopus online it provides the previous meter reading precisely for the above reason because we would often get meter readings submitted that were nothing like the actual reading. Luckily the system had a built in manual check before bill issue, one I checked was for £16k for 3 months.

I also agree with @Bromptotoo that appliances/devices can draw electric as they are faulty without tripping the RCD. As they say this is a case of detective work. Best done with 2 people and in contact on mobile phones, turn everything off and turn things on one by one and see if any of them are pulling more than they should. Unfortunately this is something that takes a while to complete. My advice would be to start with kitchen appliances because they are always plugged in and usually turned on. I would start with the fridge.

If you think your meter is faulty and they send someone out and it isn't and instead it is a faulty device/appliance they will charge you for the call out so worth doing your own investigation first. This is because Octopus doesn't own your meter, the local geographic electricity company does so any works is usually arranged through them.

My bet is you have read the meter wrong as the display isn't the meter reading (one meter you had to press the button 6 times to get to it) and you have a faulty appliance in your property which is pulling a large supply. You could always contact an electrician who can check these things for you. My sparky charges £250 for a day to give you an idea of cost. I am in Yorkshire.

Thanks for the advice. Yes I do know you have to scroll through settings for the meter reading and I always check it very carefully.
I do need to isolate each appliance as suggested by yourself and others because my bill is way higher compared to my neighbours in similar properties and others on here. I am extremely worried for the colder months at this rate - it is extortion.

@lawrenceofarabia could you explain what is the actual issue with the meter readings? Are the readings you take yourself from your meter different to the ones reported on the Octopus website?

Are you paying a fixed monthly direct debit or are you paying for your actual usage on a quarterly (or monthly) basis?

Don't waste money on getting an electrician round without establishing that there is actually an issue with the amount of electricity you're using.

@lawrenceofarabia if you are correct in your meter readings then have you checked the MPAN on your bill matches the supply number on the meter so they are billing you for the correct meter?

Is this a new thing since the meters were changed? How long ago did they install the new smart meters? Am I correct that they are smart meters and that you just don't have the in home monitor?

We use Tapo smart plugs so we plugged in all our devices and let them run for 24 hours (we bought a pack of 4) and then saw how much each device was actually pulling. Part of it was to see how much the tumble dryer cost and the boy's computers.