HI,

Me and my girlfriend moved into a 1 bedroom flat about 3 months ago, and when we did i had to move my electricity supplier, as my previous supplier didn't cover the new area i'd moved to. To give you a bit of background, we've got a pretty small 1 bed flat, and the only things we leave on permanently are the fridge and the freezer, and make sure everything is switched off at the plug every night. We are on economy 7 but we only switched the storage heaters on about a week ago.

When i set my account up with the new supplier, they asked me for a meter reading, but i was unable to get one because the meter is in a cupboard outside my flat that i don't have a key for, and told them this. They set up a direct debit for £64 a month which I was happy to pay, as it was about as much as i expected (given that i used to pay around £15 a month more for a much larger 2 bed property previously). This morning I received the first quarterly statement through and was informed that i owe in the region of £850 for the last 3 months! Upon closer inspection the bill says that the start point is estimated, and the finish point is actual, which means that they have managed to get into the cupboard outside my flat and have taken a final reading, but i'm unsure as to how they've managed to estimate a bill so high.

I called the lettings agent this morning to ask if they had the initial meter reading and was told that they hadn't taken one as they too could not get access to the cupboard, as the landlords had not given them a key, and told me they had informed my landlords of this and said they needed to take a reading, but as far as i can see it hasn't been done. I haven't had a chance to speak to the electricity company or my landlords as I am at work, but i just wanted some advice on where i stand regarding this, because if they have failed to take a reading does it mean I'm liable for this ridiculous bill?

The whole point we moved to a smaller property was to save money so obviously this has me really worried!

Thanks in advance for your help/suggestions

Hi Kid_wispa,

If the meter readers can get access to the meter then there should be no real reason why you and to a far larger extent the letting agent could not get access. Meter readers all carry a meter box key, its a universal key that you can collect free from an energy supplier or from most hardware stores. I'm very surprised your letting agency do not have one. This is unless by some stroke of luck the meter reader happened to meet your landlord on site on one of the attempts.

As there has been a recent reading I would contact your supplier and explain the situation, see if you can agree to obtain a second reading 1 week or two apart from the recent one that was taken and have the start reading re-estimated using the two readings. This should give you a more accurate statement.

You also have to understand that the reading of the meter is a joint responsibility, even though I note you attempted to obtain a reading to start your account with, the blame so to speak falls on the shoulders of yourself, and to lesser extents your supplier, letting angent and/or landlord.

kid_wispa:

Estimated readings should be either based on previous consumption (for the property) or typical consumption for the type of property.

On the face of it the size of the bill seems rather high for the type of property you describe at this time of the year.

At this stage you should phone your supplier and ask for an estimated start reading which results in more typical consumption. Report back if you need more help following that contact.

Also can you describe the type of lock on the meter cupboard.

Hi Mynewt,

Thanks for your response. I probably didn't explain about the meter cupboard effectively before - it's not the meter I can't get into, it's the cupboard that the meter is stored in - I found out this afternoon that only the management company for the building i live in have the key for it, so it seems that the electric company must have got access to take the reading through them...

In hindsight I should've chased the landlords for an initial meter reading when we moved in, but as the direct debit was set up and i was paying my monthly instalments on time, I hadn't thought about it until the bill came through the door - I will of course make sure I'm much more vigilent about such matters in the future. I'll contact the electricity company when i get in and will see if they can take another reading...

Thanks again

:)

I agree - that is a ridiculous amount to be billed for in 3 months

You need to get a key and also get the meter checked (could be faulty) - and then ask neighbours what they pay - this will give you a Leg to Stand on

I think that either

1. You are being billed for the previous tenants use

2. Your meter is faulty

3. Your meter is connected to the rest of the building and you are paying for their heating/lighting etc

Can you get a key, switch off all your equipment - see if the meter is still turning

Then, run a 1kw heater for an hour - take readings before and after - do they show 1 unit used

Switch your freezer back on afterwards !!

Hi Jalexa,

Thank you for your help with this. When we moved in, our landlords told us that they never paid any more than £50-60 a month for the flat, so I can't imagine the estimated reading is based on previous consumption, so I guess it must be based on typical consumption as you said. I'll speak to them this evening and request a new estimate.

As far as the lock on the meter cupboard is concerned, i'm not entirely sure what type of lock it is - its just always been locked whenever I've gone past it. I think now i'll have to investigate a bit more to see if i can get a key for it because if i need to give meter readings i can't rely on the management company to keep unlocking it for me.

Thanks again

:)

Ahh I see , its possible givne this new infomation that perhaps the meter readers reading may not be as accurate as I have assumed - it has been known that meter readers will make a reading up - where they're unable to obtain one.

Definately get in contact with your letting agent/landlord/managing agent and ensure that you can get regualr access to your meters. Take a reading and contact your provider to explain the situation, in addition agree to a taime frame where you cna call back and arrange for a second reading so your opening reading can be more accuratly estimated.

Moving forward never assume that everything will be fine jsut ebcause your paying by direct debit. I don't know why people assume this, but you are not alone - your payment method does not in any way affect the accuracy of your billing, so as you have said keep up your vigilance.

In addition once the re-estimation has been completed your current provider should make arrangmeents for the previous suppliers readings to be updated - this may delay the correction of your bill until the two suppliers have agreed to the adjustment - in the meantime so long as the dispute has been raised you will not be required to make additional payments towards the balance. Once the dispute has been resolved you should recieve a revised statement. Once you have reiceved (cna take up to 30 working days to resolve but chase after 10), contact your provider to review your direct debit payments.

If its at all possible please please ensure that you will be able to have regular on-going access to your meter and check every bill for accuracy.

Twee:

You need to get a key and also get the meter checked (could be faulty)

Completely pointless at this stage and not worth increasing your costs. (you will be charged for the checking of the meter and will only be reimbursed IF the meter is proved to be faulty)

Twee:1. You are being billed for the previous tenants use.

Impossible, OP already advised he contacted the supplier to change providers so the new provider is well aware of the dates he is responsible.

Twee:2. Your meter is faulty.

Impossible to tell at this stage, we have a single meter reading and an estimation - not enough infomation to suspect anything at this stage other than an incorrect opening meter read. Let's not jump to conclusions here.

Twee:3. Your meter is connected to the rest of the building and you are paying for their heating/lighting etc

Possible, but highly unlikely, even more so than the faulty meter, and as before not enough infomation to come to this conclusion.

Twee:Can you get a key, switch off all your equipment - see if the meter is still turning

Then, run a 1kw heater for an hour - take readings before and after - do they show 1 unit used

Switch your freezer back on afterwards !!

Great advise if we had enough infoamtion to suspect a faulty meter, bear this in mind for later. At this stage not worth wasting your time. (except for the obtaining a key part.)

kid_wispa: I'll go and speak to my neighbours this evening, and see if i can get a key from the management company

One suggestion I would make is when you do get into the meter cupboard try to take a photograph of your meter including meter serial number for your records. Meter reader confusion between meters in blocks is not uncommon. Check that the serial number on the bill is the same as the serial number you believe is your meter.

Twee:

You need to get a key and also get the meter checked (could be faulty)

Completely pointless at this stage and not worth increasing your costs. (you will be charged for the checking of the meter and will only be reimbursed IF the meter is proved to be faulty)

A key should be provided anyway and if not - the supplier will obtain access in order to carry out any tests.....

Twee:1. You are being billed for the previous tenants use.

Impossible, OP already advised he contacted the supplier to change providers so the new provider is well aware of the dates he is responsible.

No not impossible - OP did inform the supplier but did they implement the details - ie) Did they just use "random" readings ?

Twee:2. Your meter is faulty.

Impossible to tell at this stage, we have a single meter reading and an estimation - not enough infomation to suspect anything at this stage other than an incorrect opening meter read. Let's not jump to conclusions here.

NOT UNKNOWN - simple to check and nobody is "jumping to conclusions" - hence these 3 suggestions !!

Twee:3. Your meter is connected to the rest of the building and you are paying for their heating/lighting etc

Possible, but highly unlikely, even more so than the faulty meter, and as before not enough infomation to come to this conclusion.

Not unknown for a previous tenant to "MODIFY THE WIRING" - unlikely - but worth checking - for your own peace of mind if nothing else....

Twee:Can you get a key, switch off all your equipment - see if the meter is still turning

Then, run a 1kw heater for an hour - take readings before and after - do they show 1 unit used

Switch your freezer back on afterwards !!

Great advise if we had enough infoamtion to suspect a faulty meter, bear this in mind for later. At this stage not worth wasting your time. (except for the obtaining a key part.)

This test - is so simple to carry out and will prove a faulty meter - so I suggest that OP carries this out anyway.

Twee,

Your taking this way too personally, and have jumped to numerous conclusions (hence your ability to make suggestions) throughout. I'm assuming that you do not have any professional knowledge of the energy industry, only what you have experienced as a consumer, and may have read in forumns such as this.

A lot of your "suggestions" and basis for them are excactly the fears I deal with on a daily basis from consumer's with similarily high bills, and I assure you the instances of these actually occuring come to no more than a small fraction of one per cent.

I admit they are possibilities, but so remote that its better to work on the more likely suspects and rule them out one by one. We'll acheive the correct result far quicker that way.

Using a rather loose analogy - Its similar to treating a footballer who fell on the pitch and broke his leg, rahter than treating the fracture you're sending him for MRI's and other brain scan's in case it was a stroke that caused him to tumble. Defiantely possible, just remote and really not the first thing you should be doing considering his leg is awkwardly bent in places it shouldn't be.

Hi,

Thanks again for all your responses. The first thing I did when I got in was call my landlord, who informed me that they had asked the electric company to come out and take a final reading for them when they moved out, which apparently would be our initial reading (as they moved out just before we moved in) . Historically this is the way their meter readings had always been taken (as they themselves don't have access to the cupboard either). I then knocked on my neighbours door and explained the situation I was in and asked them how much they were paying for their electricity. They told me that roughly their bills were around £70 a month, which was around where I thought mine should be.

With all this information to hand, I contacted my electricity provider and explained in detail all of the points we'd discussed on here. The person I spoke to was very understanding, and he explained to me that although he was unsure of how his company had arrived at their estimation, he did agree that it did seem very high. He suggested that I call back with a current meter reading either today or the following day, thus giving them 2 actual readings, from which they would work out a daily average consumption and would then multiply that by the number of days to be billed to give me a more accurate bill, which I'm sure will come in a lot less than the initial estimation. :)

After this call I contacted my landlord again, and have asked them to arrange for either;

a)the management company to give me a key to the cupboard, or

b)the management company to leave the cupboard open for the next couple of days so i can take a reading.

Thanks again for all your comments and advice - I think I've managed to reach a satisfactory resolution now (as long as the reading i take in the next day or so isn't ridiculously higher than the last reading!) however if the bill still comes in much higher than anticipated I'll be sure to follow some of the other suggestions in order to correctly identify the problem.

On a completely separate, purely anecdotal note, towards the end of my call I was told that my account had actually been closed earlier that month, and that I was now with another provider! Having not agreed to this at any point in writing or by phone, I was baffled as to how this had happened, so I contacted my new 'provider'. When i spoke to them (after nearly 20 minutes of listening to the increasingly annoying sounds of Jack Johnson) the lady i spoke to also had no idea what had happened, and immediately closed the account, and told me i would need to contact my previous supplier to ensure they knew what had happened!!!!

Thanks again

Craig

kid_wispa:

This is just speculation but given the number and type of issues all occurring together and the difficulty in accessing the meter cupboard I suspect there has been confusion about which meter is registered to which apartment. You need to get access, check the meter serial number and current reading.

Meanwhile research MPAN on Google. The Wikipedia link is helpful.

Spot on Jalexa,

Its all seems rather confusing, I find it hard to beleive a resonsable landlord would not have access to something as important as the metering area for his property, aside from billing there are also safety considerations.

Kid_wispa, the "new supplier" has pretty much passed the buck, what will happen now is that you will be charged for X amount of time with the new provider. As it is there mistake and they have taken over the wrong site, you cna request that they use something called an Erroneous Transfer. This will return you to your correct provider, from the day that you left, meaning you will owe this other provider nothing - you will continue to pay your original vender for the entire period.