sudden Huge esb bills??

jayoo

Just wondering if anyone else has been hit by a massive esb bill of late.
my best friend has gotten a months bill for just over 200euro, her normal bi-monthly bill was usually 100euro.

the same has happened at home, my parents last bill is close to double their average bills.

Fighting Irish

ibsmartreply

Fnergg

This is an extract from something I wrote on another forum - I think it might be helpful:


There are various reasons whey people receive unexpectedly high bills. The most common reason is a series of under-estimated meter readings followed by an actual reading. The result can be an accumulated usage spanning several months - years in some cases - and thus a large bill.
Each bill is clearly marked "estimated" if an actual reading has not been obtained.

There can simply be increased usage due to new appliances and family circumstances (e.g. an addition to the family, teenagers taking showers every half hour, etc). Many people will have bought large screen TVs in the recent past without realising that they cost *significantly* more to run than the old style cathode ray sets. The average household is now using much more electricity than 10 years ago.

There can be faulty appliances. A fairly common occurrence in rural areas is a broken water pump for example. There can be wasteful use of electricity: some people use plug-in electric heaters for hours on end, for instance, when they should only be used very sparingly. Or, they leave the hot-water tank on constantly thus wasting electricity, etc, etc. A visit to the ESB website would quickly show how to use electricity to best effect.

Sometimes, too, ESB bills can cover more than the normal 60 day period. If the meter reading schedule is impacted by bad weather for example the bill might cover 70+ days and in winter that can have a significant impact on the size of the bill. Look at your bill: it spells out the number of days usage billed.

Remember also that this has been the coldest winter in years and most people will have used more electricity. Factor in as well that prices increased by 17% from the 1st August last.

Regards,

Fnergg

Cicero

jayoo wrote: »

Just wondering if anyone else has been hit by a massive esb bill of late.
my best friend has gotten a months bill for just over 200euro, her normal bi-monthly bill was usually 100euro.

the same has happened at home, my parents last bill is close to double their average bills.

Short answer- yes.
100 EUR + between 20-40% increase in overall electricty charges last summer(notice, it was during the hot season when would have least impact) due to general increases in charges and increased VAT rate, coupled with extra cold winter, coupled with possible new additional electric devices like PCs, lights, clothes dryer/ plasma tv etc etc etc = big time increase in electric prices- yea, big surprise OP last month but when you crunch the numbers it does add up..its time to unplug, switch off etc i think:)

Dannyboy83

FYI, a number have friends have told me about a scheme where you can buy electricity from An Bord Gais.

Some bizzare loophole where ESB cannot sell below the cost determined by the regulator because they're semi state.

But Bord Gais, being private, can buy the electricity from them and sell it to you 10% cheaper.

Typically Irish.

I'd stick with ESB over Bord Gais any day personally tho and I'll pay the extra 10% until we elect a new government who have those ....thinking machines thingeys.....what are they.............oh yea, brains.

Cabaal

Dannyboy83 wrote: »

I'd stick with ESB over Bord Gais any day personally tho and I'll pay the extra 10%...<snip>.

Enjoy paying more then you have to then :pac::pac:

mrfreddred

Yep, my last 2 bils were over 250 euro where the previous were about 160. I thought it was just a seasonal thing but now I am begining to wonder....Will be checking out the Bord Gais offer tomorrow.

Davy

Dannyboy83 wrote: »

Some bizzare loophole where ESB cannot sell below the cost determined by the regulator because they're semi state.

But Bord Gais, being private, can buy the electricity from them and sell it to you 10% cheaper.

ESB aren't semi-state they are their own commercial enterprise. And yes their price is set by the CER. Bord gais are making a loss at the moment offering these rates to try switch customers.

Dannyboy83

Davy wrote: »

ESB aren't semi-state

Are you sure you're not confused between ESB and Bord Gais mate?

Bord Gais are private.
ESB are semi-state.

Dannyboy83

Cabaal wrote: »

Enjoy paying more then you have to then :pac::pac:

I will mate (to be honest, I don't have any alternative since I have no gas line here, but lets not make a big deal of that minor point, eh?;))

kwalshe

Our average ESB bill was €250 but last one was €530..... Do I win?
Anyhew looked onto it and it seems like the estimate problem seems to be the cause of it, also dryer thermostat was broken for a while leading to longer drying times so I have to agree with previous posters on reasons why.... Anyway the €530 bill has screwed us up.....

joes girls

my last bill was 391 euro never have i had a bill this high how can they send out estimated bills way over what you would normally pay:mad::(:mad:

jenbecca

yea mine too was about 70 or 80 euro more this time around and its an estimate normally when its this I end up paying more the next time too. They are way over priced. Dont know if we can get board gas but going to look into it or the airtricity thing

Diamond Joan

I got one double what it usualy is, but it was estimated. A few others i know got the same. Just submit my own reading. Isn't there something about esb prices coming down? Maybe they're just covering themselves with high estimates before the rates come down.

darc

I explained this in another thread a while back. Its fairly boring answer.

Basically most heavy use items use cold, water - kettle, washing machine, diswasher, imersion etc.

Due to the coldest 3 month period on record, the ground water temperatures are exceptionally low at approx. 4 degrees when normally they would be at 12 - 14 degrees. Normal water temp for washing is approx 40 degrees so to get to this it takes a lot more electricity.

Similarly, the environment is colder, so more heat is needed to keep the house warm if you use eletric heating. Its been very dull, so additional lighting is used. - It all adds up to higher bills, but with 10% reduction + 10 - 14% additional reduction from Bord gais & airtricity the savings are sitting out there waiting to be claimed. - Switching to bord gais is stupidly easy.

If your bills are extroadinarily high then you may want to get a survey done on useage.

darc

jenbecca wrote: »

yea mine too was about 70 or 80 euro more this time around and its an estimate normally when its this I end up paying more the next time too. They are way over priced. Dont know if we can get board gas but going to look into it or the airtricity thing

if you have electricity, you can switch your electricty account to bord gais - once you have a copy of a bill & your bank details with you, it will take approx. 2 minutes via their website. - No further phone calls / info / letter writing or anything is needed. - It really is ridiculously simple.

I switched 2 weeks ago & ESB closing statement arrived last wednesday.

www.thebigswitch.ie

ray mears

i recently purchased a 50" plasma LG tv and noticed an increase in the cost of the leckie from an average 140 per month to 180.i have researched extensively the cost per wattage since this latest bill and found that the tv is at the expensive end of the market in terns of cost - nearly 340 turned on compared to an 240 for your same sze LCD tv.
i agree that the esb bill is an average and every now an then they get their lazy asses out for an accurate reading but it should be noted that all these things, such as change of tv, matter.the esb are expensive, and with airtricity and bordgais undercutting by at least 13% on their prices, my advice would be switch.

Max Power1

Dannyboy83 wrote: »

Are you sure you're not confused between ESB and Bord Gais mate?

Bord Gais are private.
ESB are semi-state.

Bord Gais are also semi state.

soc

Dannyboy83 wrote: »

I will mate (to be honest, I don't have any alternative since I have no gas line here, but lets not make a big deal of that minor point, eh?;))

You don't need to be hooked up to gas to avail of Bord Gais (or Airtricity's) cheaper electricity

WithCheesePlease

My last bill was 310 euro. I was amazed. There's 2 of us in a small 2 bed apartment and we're only there the odd evening and weekend. No idea why it's so high. Nuts though.

fruity

my bill jumped from 140 to 420!!! :eek: apparently my meter reading had not been taken since last august so the last 3 bills were estimates. only 2 out of your 6 yealy bills should be estimated. i rang and gave out so they are lettin me pay it off over a few months. i would advise everyone thats still using ESB to sign up to they're online billing, that way you can check back over all the bills you've received to see if they were true readings or estimates. can't understand why esb are allowed to estimate what i'm using. no other service provider does this. :mad:

eden_my_ass

darc wrote: »

if you have electricity, you can switch your electricty account to bord gais - once you have a copy of a bill & your bank details with you, it will take approx. 2 minutes via their website. - No further phone calls / info / letter writing or anything is needed. - It really is ridiculously simple.

I switched 2 weeks ago & ESB closing statement arrived last wednesday.

www.thebigswitch.ie

Are you sure there was no validation call made after you signed up online, cause apparently I'm waiting on one, over two weeks now. Also did you submit a current meter reading at the time of signing up?

Dannyboy83

Dannyboy83 wrote: »

I will mate (to be honest, I don't have any alternative since I have no gas line here, but lets not make a big deal of that minor point, eh?;))

Alun

fruity wrote: »

i would advise everyone thats still using ESB to sign up to they're online billing, that way you can check back over all the bills you've received to see if they were true readings or estimates.

Alternatively you could just look at your paper bills and look for the big capital letter E next to the readings.

Also, Bord Gais and Airtricity will also continue to use estimated readings, since the meters will continue to be read by ESSB meter readers.

can't understand why esb are allowed to estimate what i'm using. no other service provider does this. :mad:

FAIL. Bord Gais do, as does every other electricity and gas supplier in every other country I've lived in (4 in total so far).

darc

eden_my_ass wrote: »

Are you sure there was no validation call made after you signed up online, cause apparently I'm waiting on one, over two weeks now. Also did you submit a current meter reading at the time of signing up?

No call - I signed up within 30 minutes of the site going live. No meter reading was supplied, someone must have come out to do it.

I believe they have had over 50,000 new customers in th past 2 weeks, so I'd say there may be delays.

darc

gearoid_healy wrote: »

My last bill was 310 euro. I was amazed. There's 2 of us in a small 2 bed apartment and we're only there the odd evening and weekend. No idea why it's so high. Nuts though.

That's very high - you need to check your appliances.

Mine is about €250 every 2 months but its for a 4 bed detached, weekly use is approx. 3 times dishwasher, 3 times washing machine, 3 times tumble dry, daily power showers, 2 x fridges(herself is a vegan! - meat MUST be in separate fridge:rolleyes:), daily oven + usual lights (all low wattage), kettle, toaster, TV, computer etc.

Heat is from oil. Jan 12th / Feb 27th bill was €212. Nov to Jan 12th was €262

sml68

My esb and gas were both over 200, usually they have been around 140, seems to be gettin out of hand!!

Alun

darc wrote: »

Mine is about €250 every 2 months but its for a 4 bed detached, weekly use is approx. 3 times dishwasher, 3 times washing machine, 3 times tumble dry, daily power showers, 2 x fridges(herself is a vegan! - meat MUST be in separate fridge:rolleyes:), daily oven + usual lights (all low wattage), kettle, toaster, TV, computer etc.

That seems high ... ours (just me and the missus in a 4 bed bungalow) averages about €150 per 2 month period. Heating and HW is gas, everything else is electric.

wazzoraybelle

I'm amazed people get so worked up over estimated bills, it states quite clearly on the bill that you can take your own reading and submit that, it only takes a few minutes. It's in the ESB's interest to estimate your bill as accurately as possible and those estimates are based on previous usage.

Fnergg

Dannyboy83 wrote: »

Are you sure you're not confused between ESB and Bord Gais mate?

Bord Gais are private.
ESB are semi-state.

Both are semi-state.

Bord Gais are regulated in the gas market but not in electricity.

ESB are regulated in the electricity market - they are not interested in providing a gas service.

Regards,

Fnergg

Fnergg

fruity wrote: »

my bill jumped from 140 to 420!!! :eek: apparently my meter reading had not been taken since last august so the last 3 bills were estimates. only 2 out of your 6 yealy bills should be estimated. i rang and gave out so they are lettin me pay it off over a few months. i would advise everyone thats still using ESB to sign up to they're online billing, that way you can check back over all the bills you've received to see if they were true readings or estimates. can't understand why esb are allowed to estimate what i'm using. no other service provider does this. :mad:

Well, Bord Gais and Airtricity also provide estimated bills. When you get a bill - be it from ESB or whomever - you should examine it and if it is estimated check the actual reading on the meter. If there is a significant difference (100+ units above or below) phone your billing company with your reading and they will send you an amended bill. That way you will avoid the inevitable accumulated usage bill that will otherwise issue.

Regards,

Fnergg

helios12

almost 600 for a 3 bed apt ..not happy

WithCheesePlease

Most people in apartments seem to be paying more. I reckon it must be down to the storage heaters. I've turned mine off to see what kind of a difference it makes.

Failing that it takes the guts of 3-4 hours to do a wash in the washing machine in my place. Reckon there must be something up there too...

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Considering current bills cover the Jan/Feb or Dec/Jan periods, there can be no doubt that high bills will arise where anybody has storage heaters. They are a disaster! We had a particularly cold snap and I don't think people with electric heater realised how much they used.

My bills were usually round €130 - €150, the last two I've got (one is a final bill, now with Bord Gais ) were both over €200 :eek:

Our one is over €600, my friend rang them up and they say it's no mistake, those are the new rates but no fecking way am I convinced!!

from a max of 160 at xmas to this!!??

wtf!!

marbar

i got a strange one for Jan
it was only 33 quid, but i wasn't living there at the time...

Fratton Fred

The average wage of an ESB employee at Poolbeg is €110,000 per year.

they have to pay their stupidly high wages somehow.

edut, oops, make that €122k in 2006. add in a few extortionate pay rises to bring it up to date and it is probably nearer €140k

http://www.progressivedemocrats.ie/press_room/2150/

stovelid

I take issue with the word lately as it infers that the ridiculousness is a recent development.

javaboy

Moved from After Hours.

nedoo

Was talking about this at the weekend with my folks in Sligo, all their friends got huge bills €600 + for the Christmas period and just after. No mistakes, put down to lights, christmas decorations, cold spell with more people at home etc. Mine was about €60 over the norm for Dublin, but then again, I have Gas heating and cooking.

AnonoBoy

Switch to Bord Gais.

No Christmas lights here, fecking none of that ****, I'm completely furious at what is clearly robbery!!

our record bill was 791euro in college.. never paid. how the hell could 3 lads rack up that like.

WithCheesePlease

Same topic brought up here...

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055507147

MysticalSoul

Jay D wrote: »

Our one is over €600, my friend rang them up and they say it's no mistake, those are the new rates but no fecking way am I convinced!!

from a max of 160 at xmas to this!!??

wtf!!

Were any of those two bills estimated by any chance? It was extremely cold in early Feb with all the snow etc.

Cabaal

mentioned numerous times before, please use the search option

buckieburd

Our last one was 420! Only two of us in the house, we were really careful since then and the last one was 270. Robbing feckers, i thought the bills were supposed to be going down not up!

mel123

i got a massive bill, nearly 500 quid. turned out that for the past year they never read the meter. i emailed them, admitting that i should of checked but i didnt because i trusted they were providing me with a service which included reading my meter 4 times per year (or whatever it is). anyway they couldnt have been nicer, ringing me back, then getting someone else to ring me back, and i got offered 20% discount, and told the bill woudl be split over the next 12 months so i wouldnt have to pay it in full.
maybe their customer service is getting better because of bord gais
in this instance it was defo worth complaining

oddone

As far as I'm aware I didnt receive my last bill in the post, I forgot about the ESB and received a reminder stating I owed them 530e in total (2 bills worth),
this seemed very high even though its for four months

I am just wondering does everyone pay them on time, seeing as I hadn't paid for two months without a problem, is there any advantage in paying your bill when expected to? Or are you likely to be cut off if you are persistently late?

Fnergg

This is some advice I provided in relation to high electricity usage on another forum some time ago. It may be useful to some of the posters here:


My advice is (a) make sure your immersion hot water tank with a lagging jacket if it doesn't already have a heat retaining covering (all new ones do) and (b) switch it on for no more than a half hour before you require hot water and make sure it's switched off afterwards. A timer is ideal for this. .

The type of TV you have could make a big difference. For example, a traditional 21" CRT screen TV running for 40 hours a week will cost about €4 per two-months. A 42" plasma on the other hand will cost €23 for the same period.

If you have any plug-in heaters my advice is to throw them out or else use them only to heat up a room for 30 mins or so and then switch them off. They are very heavy users of electricity.

Other than that, the only other appliances I would keep a close eye are the washing machine (use only for a full load), the tumbler dryer (ditto), and make sure all appliances with standby mode are fully switched off at the mains after use.

You mention your last bill was based on an actual reading. Are you certain about the previous one? If that was estimated then the units you actually used during the previous billing period but which were not charged for because of the under-estimate are now being charged on your present bill.

Look at the number of days you have been billed. Some winter bills cover more than the usual 60 odd days and could be 70 days or more. That can make a huge difference at this time of year.

If you are still mystified try switching off all appliances and look at the meter. The revolving dial should come to a stop after a couple of minutes. If it doesn't it means there is still something causing it to revolve and if you can't isolate it call in an electrician and have him check your installation. You might have a wiring fault.

If it does stop as expected then take a meter reading every day around the same time for a week or so. That will give you your daily usage and knowing which appliances are in use you should be able to pinpoint the heavy users and hopefully be able to make economies.

Remember also that electricity prices increased by 17.5% from 1st Aug last and the impact is only now being felt when customers are getting their high usage winter bills.

Regards,

Fnergg