Margot1:

but what is a gas conversion rate? I have nothing on my bill which states this.

Perhaps you are only looking at a summary. On the full bill under "Other important information" read "D. How to calculate your gas charge".

See if you can follow through the conversion from the subtracted meter readings to the number of kWhrs.

And also for the benefit of others, if you continue to see "problem billing" in £££s, not meter readings, you will not get to the bottom of any billing problem which may exist.

I don't think these last numbers would have gone into the meter reading, as it was only the first numbers which fitted into the little boxes. I have just read them off as I wrote them.

I most seem awfully dim to you (and I am about this) but what is a gas conversion rate? I have nothing on my bill which states this. I can't help thinking in £s - it makes more sense to me!

Thanks for your help.

Margot1:

I can see immediately one issue.

Your electric meter reading will be 85716 (.3), not 857163. The "3" is in red and is never included in a meter reading.

Similarly the gas meter would have read 16801 (.301) m^3, not 16801301. The "301" is in red and is never included in a meter reading.

Your consumption of £112/month is not, on the face of it, underpaying for a 2 bedroom terrace though the most expensive item is winter heating and you haven't mentioned that.

So taking these things together, a possible explanation is that a rogue reading may have been entered. Another possibility is one or other of the meters has been changed. There is a further possibility that the supplier is wrongly calculating the gas conversion factor. That would be clear if you posted the gas conversion calculation as it appears on your latest bill.

You need to start getting a handle on your consumption by not thinking bill £££s (eg "actual meter reading .... £203 for both energies") but in kWhrs (or units). Start by looking at the most recent bill and bills going back a year or so. Post the readings here if you still need help.

Thank you for your reply. In April last year, my bill showed that I was only £8.83 in debit. All last year I was paying £112 per month, then in January it shot up to £192, after I read the meter myself. Before that it was £223. I have not paid anything since January.

The current meter readings are electric: 857163; gas: 16801317

I went into my online bill today to get a detailed amount and it shows an actual meter reading taken on 29th March 2010 of £203 for both energies. Since I did not supply this reading, and no meter reader has appeared in months, I have no idea how they can call this an "actual" reading.

I have no objection to paying the bill, providing it is correct, but I cannot understand how it can be. During the summer I only use gas to heat the water. I only use the washing machine and dryer once a fortnight, and they are the most expensive things, I think.

If you have any suggestions as to whether this sounds feasible, I shall be glad to hear them.

Margot1:

To answer the last question first, only as a last resort, because online direct debit unit prices are lower and you still have to pay the outstanding bill. However its not impossible you will be put on pre-pay if you are having difficulty paying.

To answer the second last question, its not impossible but very unlikely that a meter is wrong, and which meter do you think might be wrong?

There is a lot which can be investigated but its important to get a grip on the billing. Its very rare for a direct debit to go up more than once a year. If that has happened, something strange is going on. BTW, unless you post what the DD was and went up to its quite difficult to help.

And for the benefit of others because its too late for you, however necessary it appears to be to have to cancel a DD, the inevitable consequence is having to pay the full outstanding balance in one go rather than in DD "instalments", so not a good strategy, especially at this time of year.

You should be getting an electric bill or statement every quarter. It will have a 5 digit reading and the date, and a code whether the reading is estimated (E), customer read (C) or actual. Never accept an estimated reading unless it is very close to the reading on your meter. The gas reading is similar except there is a difficult to understand conversion from reading to kWhrs (which very occasionally the supplier gets wrong).

For more help you need to post some of the meter reading numbers as they appear on recent bills. It is also worth asking SP what your annual gas and electric consumption was in the last year. They will tell you the number of kWHrs. At this stage it doesn't matter that you don't understand. Just post the numbers. These are the numbers you would use in a comparison website.

I had been paying my bill by monthly direct debit to Scottish power. It just kept going up and up and it got to a point in January when I simply had to cancel the DD. I went online with my meter readings (which I have to crawl around the floor to see) and it came down by a small amount, but still too much. I checked the bill at the same time and it said £590 for the quarter. I still haven't been able to pay anything off, but thought it would wait until the end of the quarter. Then I get a letter from Scottish Power telling me that I owe them £1103. Following week I get another statement, adding a further £186 for gas, and £7.76 for electricity.

I have no idea where these figures have come from, as nobody has asked for new meter readings. This is only a two bedroomed terraced house, and I seem to be paying more than I was in my five bedroomed detached bungalow with a forty year old boiler!

Do you think the meter is wrong? I have looked at other companies online, but they are asking what kwh I use. I have no real idea what that means, so I put in the meter reading and was asked if I was sure, as it seemed very high.

Do you think I would be better off prepaid? Any advice would be much appreciated.