Poweregen meter reading?

[forestfire]

Hi, i have just recieved my online invoice for my joint gas and electricity account with powergen, this is my second bill. It as come in at what i think stagering of £522. My first quarterly bill was only £234 and seemed right. I've just checked everything and they are going off actual meter readings but this second bill the readings seem to be soaring for some reason but for no aparant reason as i use exactly the same as i did before. Before i ring them i would like a little advice on this, here are my meter readings and youll see that the electric as doubled in 3 months and the gas trebled, how is this possible it works out as having to pay £170 a month which is ridiculus. Anyway here are the meter readings:

Electricity: 11 Sep 62405
25 Oct 62739
28 Nov 63091
02 Mar 64279

Gas: 11 Sep 11294
25 Oct 11440
28 Nov 11752
02 Mar 12945

I moved into this home on the 11th of september and immedietly rang with the correct meter readings and all seems fine for the first 3 months but then bang, this. Is there something wrong with the meter?

[ladybird17]

There have been a lot of threads about powergen. If you use the "search" facility in the blue tool bar above, and type in powergen, you will be able to read up on other threads about what people have done.







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[forestfire]

I havnt really found anything that sort of connects with mine, could something have gone wrong with my meters, i dont use a lot of electricity or gas in the day as im at work and the wife and kids are at either school or my wifes mums house and at night there is only lights, tv and PC and sometimes washer machine that are really used on electric and central heating and cooker for gas, this as been the same constantly since we moved here so why as the meter readings gone up so drastically, ive just checked the readings and it appears that the electric reading is going up around 12 units a day and the gas 18 units.

[ladybird17]

you can get them to check your meter. I would speak to them, I had this problem with British Gas a few years back, and they were surprisingly helpful!

[Battleaxe]

I know this is not the place, but what the heck. Back home, some clever people were actually winding their meters back, this is pre digital days, my neighbour was one of them and he boasted that he never got a bill from SEQEB for his power. The meters back ohome are outside the house n a weather proof box, generally at the side of the house, so the meter reader would come along, read the meters and the bill would be generated. My neighboutr got away with this for about five years. he also had a heated swimming pool, it wasn't until something went wrong and SEQEB cam eou to tcheck the meter. My neighbour did two years in the pokey for stealing electricity and no he did not have to pay for the stolen power, because they couldn't reconcile the original readings, as the house was new when he moved in, so his meter was set at zero and at zero it remained for a few years.

No I am not suggesting you wind your meter back if that was possible, but I would definitely get Powergen out to check them, especially as you are not at home during the day and the consumption has jumped. Nothing surprises me anymore and I am wondering if there is power flucation causig this to happen, but that would have to happen on a regular basis.

I know our power and gas consumption has gone up this quarter, as I was running my dryer more than usual and we had guests over the break, which accounted for the higher than usual readings.

[forestfire]

I wouldnt think theres anything going on untoward as my house is secure and i would know if anything was happening as its only a small house, and my neighbours are elderly. I'm going to get powergen to send someone out to check the meters because something is definatley not right, i just dont see what could have triggered this.

[MollieUK]

I have both gas and electric with powergen and having the same problems. I am in dispute with them as I received two extortionate bills for 386 and 722!! One was in May? and the other Sept. I am at work all day, son at school, boiler is turned on manually by me in the evenings if I need it but only for a few hours, then off again.

My other bills range from 80 ish to 140 ish in winter. I have been here 2 years so they can see that it is wrong, they have taken off 135 but I still refuse to pay these particular bills. I have told them I will go to court willingly but they don't want that, they want to put meters in which I am trying to refuse but the law is against you with this as they can get a warrant to put one in anyway.

If anyone has any advice I would be grateful to hear how I can get them in a court room to justify this. I have the meters readings etc but am at a loss at the moment.



p.s. the boiler is only 2 years old too!

[Battleaxe]

Oh boy, I am going to get pilloried for this but never mind.

A simple rule of thumb. It takes more energy to heat from cold, so if you kept your heating on all the time, and use the timer to turn it on and off, you will be using less energy in the long run. I used to see my sister in law turning her immersion heater on and off to heat her bath water and I quried this. To save power she replied. I pointed ut that her heater is filled with cold water so she would drawing more energy to heat it, instead of keeping at a thermostatically controlled heat. She tried it my way and her energy bills for her hot water and her central dropped considerably. It takes longer to heat a cold house than a warm house.

Turn everything else off instead of having it on standby, but honestly it does not make that much difference despite what the ads say. OK the Greenies will argue this point about carbon footprints and gloable but then I have my own opinion on this also. (England was in a tropical sea millions of years ago, just check out the coral reef in the Shropshire hills).

My electricity for the last quater £132.00, gas bill £121.00 and we have everything turned on, I run a clothes dryer for the towels and heavy clothing in winter, I have a dishwasher run fridge.freezer and a freezer. We have a central heating at all times, but it is on a timer and thermostaically controlled through the day, as I want hot water immediately when I turn the tap on, yes we do have a combi boiler installed. We also have a very large water bed, our house is fully insulated. We also had a visitors for three weeks of this quarters, so extra hot meals, baths and washing and drying clothes every day.

Get your meters checked to make sure that there is not a fault.

Before rocks get thrown at me, just think about this logically.

[MollieUK]

Don't worry, I won't throw a brick at you!

Yes I agree with what you are saying but why are only two bills sky high in a whole year when the consumption has been more or less the same especially the May one?? I have one gas fire and central heating, no gas for cooking.

I haven't changed anything or used anymore and looking at the rest of the bills I would have to live in a hotel to consume that much.

[Battleaxe]

Mollie, thank goodness I don't have to duck. It does seem strange, so I would get the meters checked.

Make Powergen earn you money.

[george1939]

Originally Posted by forestfire

I havnt really found anything that sort of connects with mine, could something have gone wrong with my meters, i dont use a lot of electricity or gas in the day as im at work and the wife and kids are at either school or my wifes mums house and at night there is only lights, tv and PC and sometimes washer machine that are really used on electric and central heating and cooker for gas, this as been the same constantly since we moved here so why as the meter readings gone up so drastically, ive just checked the readings and it appears that the electric reading is going up around 12 units a day and the gas 18 units.

At this time of year Nov Dec Jan Febru Mar April 12 units which is 12 kilo watts seems reasonable for electricity but remember 18 units daily for your gas is high usual unit for these months is 9.5 and you are using 18 units which must be multiplied by 10.9 giving 196.2 kilo watts daily of gas you are using which at a rate of 2.26 pence is still £4.43 daily x 7 weekly=£31.03 weekly whereas your electricity costs 12 units at 9.17pence =£1.10 daily or times 7 for weekly which is £7.70 These rates of 2.26 pence gas and 9.17 pence electricity are very competitive and not Powergen,s The total gas and electricity for one week for your meter readings is £31.03+£7.70 working out at £38.73 weekly and your unit rates will be higher so you are using well over £40 per week gas and electricity...