Cost of electricity bill in retirement flat

[midgeycatsmum]

Hi, my mum has been living in a retirement flat for about 5 years now, the complex is electric only (no gas) and I don't see her bills (she's very scatty, beginnings of dementia, so paperwork is all over the place but she thinks she's quite capable of dealing with it all).

Today, she casually mentioned that at some point (it sounded like very recently), she had received a bill for £2000 for possibly a 3-month supply of electricity! She seemed to think it was high, so presumably doesn't normally pay that.

I am going to attempt to go through her bills very shortly, but I wondered if anyone else's parents live in an electric only flat, and if so, what they pay (monthly or quarterly) for electricity?

Thank you very much for any advice you may be able to offer!

Think you need to go back & check a few bills…
Could it have been a catch up after a few incorrect estimates?
Any chance she’s got a heater/elec radiator on constantly? Have they changed her tariff and she’s not realised? is she on a smart meter?

Also ask the neighbours what their bills are like

My mum lived in a retirement flat that sounds similar, it was White Meter heating. Her bill was around £150 a month for a 1 bedroom flat.

Bloody ridiculous when you think about it - there were only 3 radiators - because the rest of her usage was really low since she used the washing machine and tumble dryer in the laundry room downstairs.

My experience of these flats is they are uncomfortably expensive to run because of bad and flimsy design, being run on night storage heaters and lack of updating, but not usually that bad. I would get into the bills sooner rather than later (and do you have PoA?)

I'm in an small HA retirement flat. One bedroom, all electric economy 7 storage heaters. My bills are around £100 during the colder months and £60 over summer.

£2000 for three months is a huge bill. Are there debts on this? I would go through the bills to check

If it's for the winter period just gone, it could be true unfortunately. MIL lives in a tiny retirement flat in a purpose built block and she mentioned one winter a couple of years ago that their electricity bill for one month was £800, possibly at the time when prices had spiked the first winter after the start of the war in Ukraine. But needs must as they're elderly, unwell and not very mobile. They don't overheat the place either and always have layers on, use blankets when watching TV etc.

It is what it is and you just have to make sure she's on the best tariff, including seeing if she's entitled to any help, and also that bills are accurate, so up to date meter readings or working smart meter. But also check that she's not leaving an immersion heater on, if there's storage heaters that they're being used properly, close doors to any unused rooms (but watch out for damp) and if there's anything else that can be done, eg would a plug in oil radiator be cheaper to run? If she's paying quarterly, the bills for the rest of the year shouldn't be anywhere near as high.

Another thing to check, is whether she has a normal domestic tariff or is it a 'business' tariff for the complex, because these aren't protected by the price cap, so unit rates can be a lot more expensive. If this is the case, it might be worth seeing if the 'residents association' is doing all they can to get the best price.

Has she left the water heater, the immersion heater, on full 24/7 ?

Has she got a smart meter ? Or are meter readings being submitted ?
It sounds as if there could previously have been an underr estimation which means that there is now an additional payment required...

Thank you all, that's really helpful - I've got lots of things to check here! Hope she'll play ball with letting me look at the bills!

Thank you very much :-)

My flat is all electric. I pay £90 a month on direct debit (so lower usage in summer, higher in winter all averaged out over the year).

I have economy 7, but it only heats hot water as I don't have storage heaters.

I echo what is being said re: previous underestimates. Also check her tariff.

My Mum lives in a 2 bed flat (not retirement). All electric, no gas. She has small heaters in each room. She pays £60 a month.

The bills might be brought forward figures. Its all very well people claiming they are paying next to nothing per month. Your Mum could indeed have a immersion going all the time or having heating on day and night.

My late Mum's house was like Barbados. She had money and preferred it like that. But it will cost. I also suspect your Mum hasnt given a reading for months or has a smart meter that has stopped working.

Do you have Power of Attorney. You can then approach the utility company directly and they will speak to you.