Electric Key Meter

[waterlocke22]

Hope this is the right section for this question, i'm having problems with my electric. I live in a one bedroom flat behind a house above a shop which is owned by the same Landlord. In the last few weeks I have been putting a minimum of at least six pounds on my key meter A DAY, coincidentally this has only just started since i have had new neighbours move in next door. My boiler/water tank ect is all in the next door property. I have asked my landlord as this seems like a ridiculous amount to be using for such a small property and he blames it on my storage heaters, which i have been unable to use apart from for an hour in the morning as it is just costing me to much, and also an outside sensory light that hasn't turned off now for about 3 months. My landlord (who isn't actually the owner of the properties just runs them for the owner) can't tell me which switch in the house turns this light off, i have tried every switch in the house with no luck. I don't want to cause problems between me and my landlord but I'm starting to get fed up. Every switch in my house is being ran off the next one which I'm sure isn't safe? Some people seem to think next door may be running their electric off the back of mine, is this possible? Does it sound like they are? What should I do now and who should I call as my landlord is not addressing any issues.

[CheekyChops]

£6 a day is a hell of a lot. I know storage heaters are supposed to be expensive but I don't think they are that expensive. One light left on permanently wouldn't cost that much either.

It does sound very fishy if it only started after the neighbours moved in. Can you let the electric run out one time (sit in the dark or go out for a bit) and see if they start complaining of a power cut ;-)

[bednobs]

I'm not d all that familiar with key Meyer'smy first thought is to turn absolutverything electric an see if the Mer ekeeps going

[bednobs]

Whoops hope you got that. Turn everything off and see if the money still goes down

[waterlocke22]

We could switch everything of but bit of a pain as that means fridge aswell so food will be ruined! The other night when we went to sleep we switched EVERYTHING bar the fridge off and woke up in the morning still having used 96p electric!!!!

[bednobs]

Do key meters have a standing charge? Are you paying any arrears? Have you spoken to your electricity provider?

[CheekyChops]

It would take a few hours before food in a fridge would be ruined as long as you kept the door shut. Just try switching everything off for an hour or so and see if the meter moves.

[paddywak]

£6 a day is certainly excessive only use £10-12 per week in a two bed-roomed bungalow.I think I'd go with cheeky's suggestion.Run it out and wait for the new neighbours to complain.

[BRIGHT SPARK]

You must switch the outside light off. Is it the halogen type about 6'' x 5''....if so it may be 500 watts...consuming 12Kwh per day and on a prepayment meter you may be paying 20p per unit...thats £2.40 per day......so with everything else will soon add up to £6
Get someone to throw a brick at it if you cant find the switch...or get it replaced with one that works properly.

[waterlocke22]

This morning after writing this i phoned my landlord and told him i wasn't happy and if he wasn't going to investigate the issue i would contact the electric provider to come out and make some checks, the light outside has been on all day and i have even had the immersion on today to do some washing up and also my lounge heater as it's freezing and miraculously i have only used just over a pound til now...

[RATTER15]

You say that you only use your storage heaters for an hour in the morning. I'm assuming the are night storage heaters that charge during the night on low rate electricity and then discharge during the day. So it is actually irrelevant how long you use them during the day, they only use electricity while charging through the night, so that may account for some of your electricity costs.

Also, you can turn your fridge or freezer off for quite a few hours with no worries of the temperature being unduly affected as long as you keep the doors closed.

I would be tempted to just turn off the electric at the incoming mains and see who shouts.

[EDDIE51]

Some providers do have a standing charge for electricity on a key meter but not all of them. Your boiler and tank being in the next house is very strange I have never heard of the situation before , I would not be surprised if your meter is supplying their power or some of it, especially in view of what you say about the switches . I am sure that it is unsafe as well!

[EDDIE51]

Are your boiler and tank fully insulated? I ask because as they are in the next door house it would suit the occupants of that house to have your boiler and tank with no insulation so the heat from them , paid for by you, heats their house.

[waterlocke22]

The heaters are just standard electric heaters (sorry my bad my boyfriend has just corrected me) they just have a vent on them you switch the switch they pump the heat out. And as for the boiler and tank i have no idea if they are insulated or not as i have never seen them. If I've ever had an issue with them my landlord has gone next door himself. But now you say that, next door have had their kitchen window (the only one i can see from my house) open nearly all day for the past few weeks which i find very strange as it's very cold and i sure as hell wouldn't pay to heat my house just to let it all out of the window. The switches I'm pretty sure aren't safe as every time i flick a switch it sparks. We had similar issues in our last private rented property and after no help from the landlady we complained to environmental health (we had very bad mould issues aswell which was affecting my partner who suffers badly from asthma) although this made the landlady rectify the issues it also meant she basically kicked us out as she wouldn't re new our tenancy. It seems as soon as you complain people want you out. I'm not a whinge bag and i hate complaining but i believe we should get what we pay for and i don't feel we are but what are you supposed to do when the landlords can get away with it. This is why they have such short tenancies so that they can get away with saying they won't re new the tenancy instead of admitting they wanted you out because you stood up for yourself. It's a catch twenty two situation

[EDDIE51]

The switch problem is definitely dangerous it needs a qualified electrician to look at it urgently. I would call one out and send the landlord the bill.
I am not sure how you deal with the boiler next door problem ,you should be able to look at it and check it , adjust the thermostat and so on any time you need to . The fact that next door leave the windows open is another hint that they are getting 'free' power from you.
Your entire housing situation needs to be looked at, I am far from sure it is even legal to have the heating equipment in another house. Also from what you now say it looks like the heaters you do have are not storage heaters just normal 'on or off' ones, they cost more as they are using full price power.
I would suggest you post another question about the switches and the' next door boiler' problem in the 'Civil ' section of the Answer Bank Law category where some of the AB users with legal training will see it. Give it a title such as 'Urgent Help needed, Dangerous electrics ' so it gets attention.

[EDDIE51]

As I say this question is not getting answers from the AB legal experts as it looks like just a question about an electric key. You need to repost the bit about the boiler and the dangerous electrics in the Law section with a new title.

[RATTER15]

Re: the switches, I think you will find that nearly all switches spark a little if you can see through the gap either side of the rocker button, if it is any more than that you will need a sparky out pretty quick.

[faith4imani]

I would contact the energy helpline to establish who your supplier is - if you don't already know - and ask for an engineer to come out and have a look at what is a valid concern...
Something is clearly not right!