Is your daughter on a two rate meter. If so the rates could be crossed, or she could be on the wrong tariff.

The main appliances that have heavy electric usage incorporate heating elements, so showers, immersion heaters, tumble dryers etc.

The other option is to take a reading in the morning and then one again at night and see when the electricity is being used. Try and identify what appliances are used during these periods.

As previously stated meters are very rarely faulty so I would look at this as a last option. The other obvious option that Skywalker pointed out is that many flats, especially conversions are wired up wrong, or the meter supplies more than just your daughters apartment.

It's highly unlikely to be a faulty meter, although you could query it with the supplier and they might test it for you - sometimes they charge for this 'service' so be careful.

An electrician telling you that an electrical fault is a plumbers job - hmm, I have a problem with that! An immersion heater is very similar to the element you find in a kettle; essentially it turns the water tank into a giant kettle. Make sure that there is a temperature regulator fitted (thermostat), and also a timer so that it's not running when you don't need it. Like a kettle, the immersion heater is one of the biggest consumers of electricity in the average home.

Don't forget that when a TV is in standby, it is also consuming electricity, as is any unit (such as computer, dvd player) that has a standby mode, and over a 12 month period that has a big impact on your bills.

Thank you for your help. When I went into the meter room the other day there was nothing on in Gemma's flat and the light wasn't flashing, so I presume it is o.k. Someone is coming to mend the immersion heater. It is switched off though. I asked an electrician to look at it when we found it wasn't working and they said it was a plumber's job, so that is who we have coming to fix it and I am hoping they will fit a timer onto it as well so it doesn't get forgotten and left on. I have read also that it could be a faulty meter, although it was a new one because she changed companies. Thanks again for your reply.

The first thing to do is turn everything off, and then see if the meter is still spinning. If it is, then somebody else in the house may be using the same supply, possibly due to mistakes in the conversion by the electrician.

It is also possible that the immersion heater, although 'broken' could be consuming electricity. It might be worth getting a qualified electrician in to look at the whole electrical system to see if there is something wrong, and to check for 'leaks'.

My daughter moved into her one bedroom flat in January 2012 and had a new meter fitted by Southern Electric before she moved in. She had new economy radiators fitted (4 in all) which are meant to be as economical as a wet radiator system, has had no immersion heater on as it is broken, has only cooked about 50% of the time she has been there, if not less as she has been having meals at my house, has an AA rated washing machine and I wash and dry her towels for her. She has an electric shower and the fan that comes on in the bathroom automatically, but she often switches this off if it goes on for any length of time. She has a t.v. and hi fi system and I her radiators are individually controlled and the most they have been on is 19 degrees, when she is in. Most of the time she has them on less than this and turns them all down when she is out. She has had a bill for £619.03 for the period 26th January to 26th April and has supposedly used 5041 units. The meter has been read so it is the correct reading, but it seems incredibly excessive for a one bedroom flat. Even in our detached house, using a tumble dryer and numerous appliances, our combined gas and electricity bills do not come to that! She did leave the bathroom heater on one day as it makes the same noise as the fan, but has not used it since for fear of forgetting it, but I read the meter after this event and it would not account for the large usage. The meters are all in a room in the entrance of the property (an old converted hospital building) and a neighbour did say that it has been known for meters to be tapped into, but I would have thought it would be obvious to see such interference. The reading is correct, but how could she have used this amount when being so careful. What could possibly be wrong?