Wrong meter reading 6000 units out !!

[royalscot]

I have recently changed my gas supplier from EDF to Scottish Power and when i went to put my gas reading online for the first time the site wouldnt accept my reading because it was over six thousand units under the last meter reading .......

 

LAST METER READING ....15900

NEW METER READING ..... 9700

 

I had a new meter installed about three years ago and can only submise that the problem has stemmed from there , either that or me or the wife have inadvertantly added the rolling number at the end by mistake . All previous bills have been estimated , we currently pay £85 per month for our gas supply . Does this seem excessive or is it about average ?

 

Has anyone ever been in a similiar situtation to afford me some advice ....regards rs

[dx100uk]

you say ALL reading

 

they MUST read a meter atleast ONCe in 24mts.

 

dx

[royalscot]

Hi dx , I recall the electricity meter getting read and vaguely the gas meter too . My new gas meter is now outside to enable them to read it more easily .

 

I have allowed access to the meter guys , that was because they needed access to the meter when it was in the house.....I have no recollection of the gas meter being read outside the house . Do you think i will get some kind of rebate ?

[dx100uk]

dunno but you cartainly need to get this sorted.

you'll only get a rebate if its over reading, regardless of what the numbers say as such.

 

i'd send them a msg on the site [contact us] saying you cant input your new reading.

 

see what they say.

 

dx

[royalscot]

Will do ...cheers

[dx100uk]

can i just clarify above...

if they have been taking too much money each month, then YES you can get it back as a cheque.

 

but lets find out what cards we are playing with first.

 

dx

[royalscot]

Hi dx ...I`ll Phone Scottish Power tomorrow after work .

 

they MUST read a meter atleast ONCe in

 

Is this law or is it an energy company rule ....because i`ll quote it tomorrow when i phone them ...rs

[dx100uk]

industry guidelines that must adhere too

 

but if its outside , how do you know they haven't?

or does every bill only show [E]!

 

dx

[royalscot]

Im just hoping that Scottish Power will liaise with EDF and resolve this matter ......I guess at the end of the day i just hope im not due them money . I agree , theres no way of knowing if the meters been read or not now without asking them directly ....rs

[pelham9]

The problem probably arises because of cr*p computer programming. Nobody envisioned a situation where an over-read whether by the customer or a professional reader could occur so the computer is programmed to refuse a correcting under-read except in the case of an estimate. People low in the company are also refused permission by the computor to change an overread. I would presume that somebody can do this but do not bet on it.

 

I would make a formal complaint. Work out what you should be paying and pay nothing further until you actually owe them money.

 

If you are paying by direct debit cancel the DD at your bank. Do not worry about the DD discount you may lose - for most people this discount is illusory and funding the utilities cash flow is costing more than the discount.

[royalscot]

On Watchdog 12 January 2008 we showed how a mix-up with two different types of gas meter, has led to customers being overcharged by thousands of pounds. The mix-up typically occurs when older imperial meters are changed to modern metric ones. For some reason, in a number of cases, the energy supplier has not recognised the meter changes when calculating bills. Around 1 million imperial meters are replaced with metric ones every year.

 

 

 

A step-by-step guide to checking your gas bill and meter

 

Gas bills from the energy companies aren't particularly easy to understand and each supplier prints bills in a slightly different way. Checking to see if you're being billed correctly therefore, isn't exactly straightforward.

The only foolproof way of checking if you're being billed correctly is to follow a series of steps, and do a basic calculation.

Step 1

 

Check that your gas meter's serial number, matches the meter number shown on your bill. The number will often be somewhere in the small print of your bill. If the serial numbers don't match, you could well have a problem and you should contact your supplier to check they have the right information.

Step 2

 

Check what type of meter you have.

Imperial meter

 

If it is an old imperial meter, measuring gas in cubic feet, it will probably have the words 'cubic feet', or the letters 'Ft' shown somewhere on the front.

OR

 

Metric meter

 

If it is a newer metric meter, it will probably say it measures gas in 'cubic meters', or will have the letter 'M' on the front.

Step 3

 

All energy bills are priced in kilowatt Hours (kWh), so your supplier has to do a calculation to turn the numbers on your gas meter (units) into kWh's. The only reliable way to see if they are billing you for the correct type of meter, is to do the same calculation.

This calculation differs, depending on whether you have an imperial meter or a metric meter.

Before starting the calculation, you need to find the following numbers, which differ depending on your location, but should always be printed in the small print of your bill.

The metric conversion factor (for imperial meters only)

The volume correction factor

The calorific value of the gas

Imperial calculation - if your meter measures in cubic feet.

 

To convert the readings on an imperial meter from imperial units to kWh's the company should do the following calculation;

(The number of units you've used) X (The metric conversion factor) X (The volume correction factor) X (The calorific value of the gas) divided by 3.6 = kWh's.

The number of kilowatt hours you calculate should match the number of kilowatt hours the energy company says you've used. If they don't, then you should query your bill with your energy supplier.

Metric calculation - if your meter measures in cubic meters

 

The metric calculation is similar to the imperial formula, with one important exception. Because a metric meter already measures in metric units, it doesn't need a metric conversion factor. Therefore this part of the calculation isn't required.

The correct calculation is:

(The number of units used) X (The volume correction factor) X (The calorific value) divided by 3.6 = kWh's

The number of kilowatt hours you calculate should match the number of kilowatt hours the energy company says you've used. If they don't, then you should query your bill with your energy supplier .

 

 

Hi DX , After reading the above i have just realised what has happenend ...When the utility company installed my new gas meter they gave me an old imperial meter and took away my new metric meter .

 

As you can see the imperial meter has four digits and a rolling end number

 

and the metric meter has five digits and a rolling end number and thats why theres been a confusion through no fault of my own .

 

Now if the meter had been read as you suggested within a 24 mth period this mistake would have been picked up .God knows what will happen now , i tried the conversion table above but got nowhere ....An interesting phone call awaits ....rs

[pelham9]

All your bills have been estimated since the new meter was fitted three years ago. They must read the meter at least 2 yearly. Your bill is getting less and less!

[dx100uk]

oh you are in for a windfall big time.

 

dx

[mattlamb]

Check your bills - I would put my money on the electricity supplier billing you based upon the old meter still being at your house. Hence all the estimates. Meter-readers are probably reading the meter and maybe even amending the meter details on their hand-held machine. However, the suplier's computer system is rejecting this information and generating rubbish estimates

[royalscot]

I telephone Scottish Gas today with regards to my meter .

 

Was told that Transco who run the national grid are solely responsible for any meter installations and that Transco are responsible for informing the relevant gas companies as to which meter ( be it imperial or metric ) is installed in which house . He couldnt understand why EDF never read the meter as the error would have been realised a lot earlier .

 

Scottish Gas are now in the process of issuing an action with Transco and will have an engineer out to check the meter . They will telephone me in a due course when the engineer will arrive .

He couldnt tell me if i would get a credit or a debit

[royalscot]

Update and resolution ( i think ).....Scottish Gas telephoned me today telling me that the meter i had read was infact my upstairs neighbours .....My meter is outside his front door and his meter is outside my back door yes me too ....Anyway cut to the quick ....

 

My combined Gas and Electric bills were .....since june last year ...£160 per month direct debit

My new combined Gas and Electric bill is now set at £80 per month

I asked the lady from Scottish Power to explain , she bombarded me with dates and figures and , well , totally lost me , in fact made me feel a bit lost ...The more questions i asked her the more agitated she got .... My accounts in credit to the tune of £230 ...I asked her ..Did wholesale utility costs come down 50% ?? she couldnt tell me Basically the only thing that i understood was when she said " Ive typed in the relevant meter reading and the computer says ...your new bill is £80 per month " How on earth can they cut my payments by 50% ? ....Any thoughts , regards rs

[dx100uk]

well done

 

dx

[pelham9]

I asked the lady from Scottish Power to explain , she bombarded me with dates and figures and , well , totally lost me , in fact made me feel a bit lost .

 

It is always best to get everything in writing. Do not agree to anything on the phone. At the end of the conversation ask them to put the matter in wrtiing so that you can check their figures at leisure.

[pelham9]

Was told that Transco who run the national grid are solely responsible for any meter installations and that Transco are responsible for informing the relevant gas companies as to which meter ( be it imperial or metric ) is installed

 

Transco running National Grid ??

 

Try googling for Transco. You will find that Transco is now National Grid Gas Plc.

 

 

National Grid: About Gas

 

Here is a useful map of the gas distribution areas.

 

National Grid:

[dx100uk]

well transco are the only people allowed to change/install meters anyhow.

 

dx

[royalscot]

It is always best to get everything in writing. Do not agree to anything on the phone. At the end of the conversation ask them to put the matter in wrtiing so that you can check their figures at leisure.

 

Thanks for your input Pelham ...I might just do that , i cant understand why my utilitiy bills will drop 50% and her answer was basically " because the computer says so ".

 

I wouldnt like to think that they are withholding a substantial amount of money fom me and by offering me the 50% reduction hope that i will drop the matter , or is it just me with a conspiracy theory

[civilcid]

Yes they are withholding large sums of money from you if your account is now in credit to the tune of £230. Make sure the return that to your bank account as it is your money. Also means they wont be earning interest off your money.

[pelham9]

well transco are the only people allowed to change/install meters anyhow

 

Transco no longer exist.

 

Thay have become a part of National Grid.

 

If you need to report a gas leak you ring National Grid Gas and it is National Grid Gas or their agents who will install/change meters.

 

The name changes are only slowly getting through to the websites dealing with 'what do do if you suspect a gas leak'