Hi,

When I moved into my home around 7 years ago, I contacted Yorkshire Electricity who sent me a bill for outstanding electricity for my old property, which I paid. They sent the bill to my current address. I let them know that I wished to continue with the supply to the current address. Despite contacting them on numerous occasions, I have never received an electricity bill from them (or anyone else for that matter) during this 7 year period. I contacted MPAS at CE Electric UK to try and ascertain who my supplier is but they could not find any records for my address even after I gave them the serial number of the meter.They mentioned I would need to register a new supply and would receive a call notifying me of the generated new supply number.

Where do I stand from a legal perpective and am I liable for the electricity I've used over this period. I am about to move house and want to leave everything in good order for the new occupiers.

Any help with this would be appreciated.

Hi -- Scott the resident MS expert, posted something recently as to what he referred to as a, "ghost customer" which seems like what you have become. I enclose a couple of replies from other sites where people have got the same issue. So it may seem the most they can recover will be the two most recent years presently, dropping to one year next July ?

 

1) As per the energy ombudsmen suppliers can only back bill for 2 years at present and 1 year from next july - All major suppliers have agreed to this.

2) The Billing Code that all suppliers are signed on to stops them from charging for usage over 2 years old if they haven't billed for it within that time. On July 1st 2007 (I think), this will reduce down to 1 year.

Yorkshire Electric is part of Npower now. Do they not have any record of your property? That's a weird one on me but a few year's free leccy sounds like a result!

Hello,

We moved into our property just over a year ago, but after contacting British Gas to supply both gas and electricity found out we weren't on the system for the latter. I contacted YEDL and they confirmed I wasn't on their system, even after quoting my meter serial number. They said they would get back to me but never have done. It seems to me that the previous owners were not on the system, too, (ie the house wasn't registered with YEDL), the meter has never been read. So if I was ever to get billed, from what figure would they start from if they've never had a final reading from the previous owners?

Best thing to do is to take two meter readings a week apart and then BG will know what you use in a week and they will use that to backdate it to the date you move in. Electric use is generally more consistant than gas so should be easy enough.

Hope that helps

Hi,

I was just wondering whether you had any luck with sorting out your electricty bill ? I, too, seem to be living in a 'ghost house' and am worried about the consequences when they finally do bill me. A meter man called at the house once but he was looking for somewhere else - I asked him to read my meter seeing as we had been here for a year already. Nothing came of that nor did letters to NEDL.

I am unsure of how and who to contact in order to get this sorted. Any advice would be appreciated .... thanks.

Not free leccy, but leccy paid for by the rest of us.

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Circumstances alters cases!!

BB:Not free leccy, but leccy paid for by the rest of us.

Mmmm, not sure how you work that out. Issue still not resolved.I intend to ask British Gas to supply electricity, but when I tried them before nothing happened, then I got a bill from Scottish Power for my gas. Just switched gas to British Gas, and am awaiting confirmation that I am 'on their books' before I try them with electricity again.

Samsun:

BB:Not free leccy, but leccy paid for by the rest of us.

Mmmm, not sure how you work that out. Issue still not resolved.I intend to ask British Gas to supply electricity, but when I tried them before nothing happened, then I got a bill from Scottish Power for my gas. Just switched gas to British Gas, and am awaiting confirmation that I am 'on their books' before I try them with electricity again.

I suppose it's just possible that such losses by the suppliers reduce their profits, but I subscribe to the view that prices are set at a level that compensates for a certain level of losses.

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Circumstances alters cases!!

message me your postcode and house number and i will check ecoes for you. ecoes is the main system for all uk electricity suppliers.

BB:Not free leccy, but leccy paid for by the rest of us.

An interesting academic point which I have been trying to get my mind round.

Pre competiton days,such non billings got caught up the calculation of each companies line loss factor.This was a measurement of the difference between units purchased and units sold.Part of that,as I recall,were distribution losses,i.e. the units lost through the network system during distribution. Each company had an accepted line loss factor agreed under the regulatory price controls. Provided the companies performance was in line with these factors then I think you are right that we all paid the price for that.

Now,due to 'so called' price competiton,I suppose that any underbilling by a company goes straight to their own bottom line. To that extent,I think,and happy to be corrected,that the ghost customers are benefitting directly at the expense of their supplier,whoever that is within the system.

The good news for the customer's concerned is that as,Conmankiller states,that any backbilling is limited to two years currently and soon to be one.

As the fragmentation of the billing cycle processes has occurred with different companies reading meters,then there is less and less incentive and possibility for these issues to be picked up by a diligent meter reader.

all i can say it no one can complain about high energy prices. technicaly its theft.

veloxuk:all i can say it no one can complain about high energy prices. technicaly its theft.

I am certain you are right. The head of the Energywatch said as much at yesterday's enquiry into energy prices. He said the oligopoly of the big six were basically fleecing the british public.

With regards to the Opening Poster. I can assure you that as long as you have made every effort to obtain a bill for your usage as you seem to indicate that you can only be back billed for one year's worth of usage, the situation is different if you haven't made any effort at all. So hopefully now you can relax.

As for the points regarding "free electricity".. there's no such thing in all honesty. If your not paying for it someone else is. It all about pruchase versus sales and profit margins. Its quite asy for a supplier to work out how much energy they have bought for supply and how much of that has been supplied, all they then do is work out how much of it has being for. If there's a short fall, the prices go up and those that are paying for their energy now pay a little bit more.

Now i am in no way saying price rises are soley down to these type of efforts but they are undoubtedly a consideration.

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The answers I give you may not want to hear. The answers I give may not be easy. The answers I give will be the truth. If your prepared for this - ask away!

Re Free energy

You may find that you fall under the late billing policy to who ever is your supplier have you tried asking for the mpan for your address via mpas and no using our meter serial number all energy supliers have access to this i work for an energy supplier and all advisors have access to this information if you e-mail me your setails i will look furhter into this for you if your still stuck