electricity charges

[Tillyella]

I'm scratching my head over this one, can anyone make any suggestions? My normal electricty bill for a quarter is between �75 and �90 I use approx 600 units of electricy. My water and heating are both gas. My last bill showed that I had used 1355 units of electricy approx 14 units a day instead of the normal 8 incurring a bill of �214. During that quarter my routine in the home had not changed. I have checked the meter and the reading is correct. Since that time I have been checking the meter daily and have been using the normal 8 units a day. Just to test I had a binge day and used the hoover, washing machine, iron and cooker but still only used 10 units. My energy supplier is not helpful. Has anyone any ideas as to what could have happened. I'd be grateful for your suggestions. Thanks.

[KARL]

I can see why you are puzzled (and more). Without knowing a lot of detail regarding your home and equipment it is difficult to suggest anything definite, but consider whether something could have been left on for not just hours but even days. Meters are highly unlikely to entirely falsely produce this sort of record so that is not a promising avenue of investigation. I assume, of course, that nobody could have tapped into your supply in some way.

[Abbathehorse]

Hi Tillyella

Unfortunately, other than giving general advice, there is not much your supplier will be able to do. They are responsible for the electricity supply up to your meter, nothing after that. So clearly the electricity is getting to the meter ok, so their responsibility ends there.

If the meter was faulty however, they would investigate that. It doesn't sound like it is faulty to me though. you can request they come round and check it, but you will be charged for this if no fault is found.

If you had any new appliances, it is possible that they are sapping your electricity. Other than that, it is difficult to know what to suggest. Are you sure that your previous bills had been based on actual meter reads, not estimates? if they were estimated, it could have been that your previous bills were slightly too low, leading to a larger catch-up bill once an actual read has been taken.

[SeaJayPea]

I'd agree with Abbathehorse's last sentence. The chances are that you've been having estimated bills and they've been underestimated. In future, if the bill is estimated, you can submit an actual reading on line. It's a good idea to do so, it saves nasty surprises.

[Tillyella]

Thank you all for your comments. It did also occur to me that perhaps someone had tapped into my supply especially as there are several new houses being built across the road from me. (Can this be done?) Regarding estimated bills, my last two bills were estimated and I reread the meter they had overcharged me by a great deal on the first bill but quickly amended it. The second bill,however, was only slightly over so I paid the original amount as it would have come off my next bill. I was very careful to read the meter accurately. Just to confirm last years bill for the same period was only about a third of this years charges and I only used about a third of the units quoted on this years bill. It looks as though I'll never get to the bottom of it but thanks so much for you interest and answers.

[barry1010]

Yes, make sure a neighbour isn't using his house as a cannabis farm, with your electricity.