Energy charges.

All good advice Hilda, hope you get it sorted, I did hear that ScottishPower had a bad rep with customer relations.Just thinking of changing our own supplier now as British Gas charging more than many others.It pays to shop around and change almost every year.

At last we have talked to someone who actually listened. He compared our charges to that of a small shop.
We have to read our metres, both gas and electricity, at the same time each day for seven days, and then ring him with the readings. He will then let us know what happens next. Watch this space!

We live in a 3 bedroomed house and have always been pretty profligate with electricity and gas. When our son lived at home it was even worse. But I think the most we have ever paid is £77 a month which is only about £230 a month. Since we've had solar panels that has gone down to £45 a month, although we are still paying for the panels at the moment. The gas has always been rather less than the electric. £800 seems ludicrous hildajenniJ as you say you could light the whole street for that!

Fuel bills vary enormously depending on the size of your property and the amount of insulation and how well you energy housekeep.

We had a smart meter fitted recently, didn't ask for it, just told we were getting one and part of the fitter's job is to a verbal discussion about insulation and energy saving measures. He was amazed to discover we used the function on our room thermostat to turn down the heating when we are away and have it come back on automatically the morning of our arrival home so that we return to a warm house. Most modern thermostats have this facility but few people use it.

Blimey John19488 you must spend a lot of time in the dark! I am in the temperate East Anglian region and we spend around 120-150 per month.

am with Coop engery but it cost me £80 a mouth for gas and elect am in the south west

Good idea kitty, but neighbour next door has solar panels!! DH is currently taking meter readings to submit to S.P. Ideally I would like someone from the company to come and check everything. We have asked them twice before without success. As you may well have gleaned, this is a dispute we have had with them for quite some time. DH was on the phone to them yesterday for absolutely ages, but came away with very little for all his time! I cannot understand why they have been estimating it for so long. The meter is INA box on the wall outside.

And when you do get an energy bill can you understand it? I like to think I am quite astute but just cannot get my head around how they calculate energy bills.

When my mum's bill was huge (and bailiffs were threatened!), I compared her two bedroom flat with our bigger house and listed all the appliances that we each had! I sent all the info off in a letter and mum's bill was reduced accordingly. Can you ask someone (a neighbour, maybe) in similar property and with similar usage if you can use their bill as 'evidence'?

With our own accounts, DH now submits monthly readings online after a few 'misunderstandings'!

The meter can be malfunctioning even if it stops when all the power is off. It could be running too fast when on.

Even when the meter reader has been round, I still receive and estimated bill. I have complained mentioned it, but still have had no reply.

It sounds as though you could have expected it to go DOWN not up after once your son wasn't there.

Is the meter reading they quote on the bill an accurate one? It is always possible that someone read a 3 as an 8 or some other mistake. You can check that yourself easily enough.

Are you signed up to see your bills online? There will be a record of usage and bills, and you can see exactly what you have been paying. You can also read the meter yourself in future and enter it online, and not get an estimate.

You mentioned about estimated readings - what is the latest bill you have with an electric reading that was not an estimate ? This would give you a position from which you could see actual consumption, as recorded, over the period from then to now

hildajenniJ How worrying for you. I think Flickety's suggestion to contact Age UK is a good one. I'm not sure that the energy people can just drop a huge bill like that on you and give you hardly any time to pay.

I don't know if I'm right but I think those pre-pay card meters have been criticised for being more expensive - perhaps some other Gransnetters know.

I do hope that you can get some help to sort this out.

It is too early to get the ombudsman involved- you will have to explore local avenues first. You are doing the correct thing by doing your own checks. Do not refuse to pay them money- I do not mean the whole amount but you could eg offer a fiver a week and that shows willing because you do not want the debt collectors calling. I do not want to frighten you but these companies become a bit trigger happy and move quickly. Good luck.

I will turn everything off when I come home from work in the morning, before I go to CAB. If the meter is still turning I will email Scottish Power and ask for my meter to be checked. Thanks for all the advice. Iwas beginning to lose the plot!!!

Hope it gets sorted quicklyhilda

Once at the school where I worked we got a quarterly bill for £24,000! That took a while to sort out! We replied and sent a payment and copy of the bill that matched the corresponding quarter for the previous year.

My DD2s house, following a power cut, is currently linked up to the street lamp. Hope she does not have to pay for all the town's street lights!

I had a similar problem, but for over £1000. I have little doubt that I had used the electricity, but they had reduced the Direct Debit and it wasn't enough to cover the bill. They did say I could pay back monthly by increasing the Direct Debit payment so I did. They have just done the same thing again and I have a feeling that it is a good way of stopping me changing to another supplier (Cynical?)

Check your meter by switching everything off and see if it is still turning. If it is, ask your supplier to come and check the meter.

I would like to cut my bills, but with a DBH and teenage twin GDs living with me, it would seem impossible. So much washing, drying, an inability to turn lights off or any other gadget, I am at a bit of a loss.

Good luck Hilda

A tv and computer don't use that much electricity, even if on all day - perhaps £50 a year at most. Something isn't right - I hope you get it sorted, Hilda!

Go and see CAB, but also try Age UK. I think this is a common problem for them. Ask to have your meter tested. We had a problem many years ago and that was the cause.

You do not go to the Ombudsman until you have come to the end of any negotiations with your energy supplier. Here is a link to CAB information sheet on this matter www.citizensadvice.org.uk/wales/consumer/energy-supply/complaining-about-energy-companies/complaining-to-the-energy-ombudsman/

If its only an estimate it must be wrong considering your son has left. Do you put readings online yourself? We're with the same supplier as you and they regularly overestimate ++. I directly email their complaints dept, get complaint number etc. Just phoning only seems to lead to placatory responses from nice ladies who don't then actually do anything! Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Sorry, had a phone call, seem to have duplicated most of what I said before!

£800 is for the quarter!!! They have been estimating the electricity since last August. They say we have been underestimated since then and now owe almost £2000. Quite frankly I don't know how this is possible. When my son lived at home he had his TV and computer on all day and I put the large bill down to that. He moved out last summer, so that can't be the reason. The CAB are in town tomorrow so I may go and speak to them about it. Also do you think it is worth going to the Ombudsman?

It's mostly electricity! The gas hasn't changed. We have always had a bigger bill for electricity. I always put it down to having my son at home. He lived in his room and had his TV and computer on all day. He moved out to live in at his work last summer. The bill has apparently been estimated since last August. The CAB is in town tomorrow so I may go and have a chat with them. I honestly feel as if I'm paying to light the street. My neighbour had solar panels fitted to her bungalow last year, as she couldn't afford the electricity either. The next step I suppose, will be to have a card meter for our electricity, and pay off the arrears that way, but that will take months if not years.

Is the £800 for the year? Do you pay monthly? If you have been using more than they estimated your monthly payment to be they should have informed you so that you could have increased the monthly payment.
They can't just dump this on you.
Re the payment card method. Please don't do this. It costs a fortune.