can i run a cable from your house !

Well if I was in your position I would clear off and think what a wonderful result I've had.

We have had an MPAN number since the beginning and even had telephone conversations with Npower about being connected but still nothing. Do you think if we contacted any supplier they would start billing us ?!

I wish I had read this before! i didnt realise you could have no mpan... Having just moved to a new place, and mystified that the supplier given by prevous owner knew nothing about our flat number (and a bit concerned we would get a big bill in future if i didnt sort it out) i contacted the regional supply board with the address - they say we never existed - but they will have to create an mpan as of today!!! So looks like our flat previous inhabitants got away with it for maybe 12 years but now i have just blow the cover...

i didnt give them my name (though they were keen!) but i suppose they will just post it to my address....no way of wriggling out now ?

will they just tell me to pick a supplier & what happens if i dont?

14,999 households then......

boo hoo

run and clap as you run and kick your heels in the air ...

If you are lucky enough to have no mpan (meter point advisory number) then you CANNOT be billed until one is created and only from the date that it is created and the meter read at that time. There are about 15000 households in the UK that are ghost houses (no mpan) and it is only when someone moves into the house that it comes to light. If you have no mpan pick a supplier and ask them to create one and you will then be billed from the creation date.

These houses have slipped under the net from 1997 when bad billing and bad record keeping (ie TXU) caused this problem.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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