Used more electricity this month than last 3!

[ClaraLane]

I'm just after a bit of advice because my latest electricity bill has completely stumped me. We've just switched from EON to Flow and I've received our final bill from EON. Between 15th October 2015 and 2nd January 2016 we used 263 kilowatt hours during the day (0700 - 0000) and 418 kilowatt hours at night (0001 - 0659). However the final bills says that from 2nd January to 24th January we used 218 kilowatt hours during the day and 662 kilowatt hours at night! I can't believe we've used more electricity in 3 weeks than we have in 3 months but I know the meter readings are correct because I gave them.

We have two storage heaters in the house, one which is on all night from midnight - 7am and the other is on for about 1.5-2 hours at night. Other than that we use the washing machine at night a maximum of 3 times a week and we fill up the hot water tank and heat that maybe 2 or 3 times a week. Can anyone help me make sense of this please?

Have you kids or teens that could be running,things (read growing lamps) in their rooms. Or could neighbors be using your supply? Or your meters faulty.
Turn everything off and see if your meter keeps running - then you know something is up.

If not I'd check your meter readings yourself and do the sums -,maybe its an error or they based the first bill on an estimate.

Nope, it's only DP and I - unless the cats have been turning on all the lights and playing on the PS4!

The only thing I can think of is that the first number on the Oct-Jan bill was estimated and the second number was one I gave them whereas both numbers on the newest bill were given by me. If they've been estimating our usage for the old bills and then I gave them an actual reading would that account for a stupidly low bill (Oct-Jan) before getting a more realistic one for the closing statement? I'm genuinely stumped.

Estimated bills are normally the problem but do check your meter isn't running when you have nothing turned on.
If your in flats neighbors using your meter is a possibility also more.likely your readings have been moved up with someone else's.

More likely than if you are in a house that is.

Have you checked your previous meter readings with EON to make sure they are all correct?

Even when you get an estimated bill that is pretty accurate with the meter reading it is always a good idea to provide an actual reading so that the computer has more firm information to go on.

As someone who used to work for npower, (sorry ) it is either an estimated reading followed by an actual reading, a faulty meter (relatively rare) or a faulty appliance pulling more energy than it should.

I would read the meter at the same time each day for the next week to see what readings you get and see if you get that same increase on the night time.

was the meter read or estimated on the 2nd Jan? and I'm guessing it was read on 24th Jan? you may have been under paying for a while and when you had your final bill the meter was read and the discrepancy has been found.

You can get your meter checked but there are really reliable and there isn't much point. Electricity companies will charge to put a check meter in but you can goto Ofgem who will do a calibration check for free.

How much does those bill equates to in £ as that would probably give people who have storage heaters an idea if you were underpaying for the first 3 months?

that depends on what the OP pays in unit rates (day and night) and standing charges.

given the wattage of the storage heater it is simple to work out how many units it uses. (kw x hours on = kwh = units)

struggling for an answer for the OP though, very odd!

Well yes it does but if they were only paying say £50 per month then that would be way too low - I would be expecting up to £150 in winter months with storage heating etc.

30 units per night is ok for two storage heaters. I worked for eon for twenty years, the number of faulty meters I came across was very low.

Sorry to disappear! The actual readings were on 2nd Jan and 24th Jan so I've got a sneaking suspicion we were being undercharged and then they've corrected it. Direct debit was £49 a month and our total bill from Oct - beginning of Jan was £70ish and our 2nd - 24th Jan bill was £65ish. Think our day rate is 13p a unit and 7p a unit at night. After looking at it again I think being undercharged has finally been sorted out and I was probably being naive about how much we were actually using.