Ridiculously enormous bill

DeeDeeC

We moved into our apartment last June and have received 3 to 4 bills since averaging at €170. We just recived a bill for Dec to the 22nd Feb for €932!!!!!!!
A few days after the bill was issued the landlord rang saying she had received a number of queries from apartments in the building regarding high bills like our own and that she would be querying it with the ESB.
Someone from the ESB came out(we didn't meet him, the maintenance man did) and inserted another meter to compare with the actual one with after a week.
We just received a letter form the landlord stating that the meters read the same and so the bill must be correct and that maybe we had not previously reveived an actaul reading(even though we have). Now the bill cannot be correct for a few reasons:
- the entire building had higher bills for the period(including a man living on his own who received a bill for over €1000!!) so something obviously happened.
- we both work form 9 - 5 daily so we wouldn't be home during the day and go home most weekends.

Also,there was a power cut in December or January and the lifts were out of order for a few days. When these were fixed again would there have been a power surge??( This was mentioned by the landlord initially as a possible explanation)

Can someone please help or advise on this? Something have obviously happened here and we cannot afford to pay nearly €1000!!!!!!

Electric Ireland: David

Hi DeeDeeC,

DeeDeeC wrote:

We moved into our apartment last June and have received 3 to 4 bills since averaging at €170. We just recived a bill for Dec to the 22nd Feb for €932!!!!!!!...

Although this is a substantial increase, bills do tend to be significantly higher in winter than at other times of the year.

DeeDeeC wrote:

We just received a letter form the landlord stating that the meters read the same and so the bill must be correct and that maybe we had not previously reveived an actaul reading(even though we have).

There were definitely no previous estimates prior to this bill issuing (it would be clearly marked on your bill)?

Also, is there night storage heating installed in the apartments? This is often a cause of spiked consumption in colder periods, and if the heaters were at the same default settings in the various apartments, this may explain how all tenants were subjected to similar increases (I have come across cases like this before).

DeeDeeC wrote:

there was a power cut in December or January and the lifts were out of order for a few days. When these were fixed again would there have been a power surge??

The ESB Networks' main fuse would generally protect against any surges, and if a technician has already been out to inspect the meters, evidence of any damage/interference would have been apparent. Far more likely is the possibility of faulty internal wiring being responsible for the increases, in which case a registered electrical contractor would need to investigate it.

DeeDeeC wrote:

Something have obviously happened here and we cannot afford to pay nearly €1000!!!!!!

I realise this bill must have come as a shock. Please feel free to send myself and Electric Ireland: Una a group PM with your account details if you would like us to look into this further.

Thanks,

David.

DeeDeeC

Hi,

I do understand that the bills may be higher in the Winter but a €700 increase is quiet high.
We have had actual readings in the past of 3720, and 4574 (October until 16th December)and now it has jumped to 10299 units???This is double what it was previously!
We do not have storage heaters, we have radiators which work on a timer basis.
I know there must be another reason for this massive increase which just makes no sense.

Thanks,
DeeDeeC

Electric Ireland: David

Hi DeeDeeC,

I agree that such a jump in consumption is unusual and warrants further investigation. However, a fault with the meter itself would have been ruled out when the results of the testing were confirmed.

We could only therefore advise that an independent electrical contractor checks the internal wiring of the apartment block for any anomalies. For further technical information on power surges and their potential impact, I would advise you contact ESB Networks.

What we can do for you is help you deal with these payments, as something (as yet unconfirmed) has registered that usage. From our perspective the customer is liable for this bill, as it has been confirmed that the meter is not malfunctioning (which is as much as we are in a position to investigate). We can arrange a payment plan as we understand that such an amount would be very difficult to clear all at once.

Hope this helps.

Thanks,

David.

mmmn..chicken

have no idea of right answer .but take previous bills and current one to citizens advice b4 you make any payment also might be worth your while to take a reading of your meter today and again tomorrow(maybe with heaters on) to see what the difference is ours only jumped from 150 to 300 over winter period also in a two bedroom apartment

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mmmn..chicken wrote: »

have no idea of right answer .but take previous bills and current one to citizens advice b4 you make any payment also might be worth your while to take a reading of your meter today and again tomorrow(maybe with heaters on) to see what the difference is ours only jumped from 150 to 300 over winter period also in a two bedroom apartment

Going to Citizens Advice at this stage will achieve nothing!.
Is the meter reading correct? Double check it. If it is and the meter has had a check meter attached - as was done - then the problem lies in the premises. It must be checked by an electrical contractor (include the heating if it's no longer in use and checking the timing of the heaters taking input as well).
Check the daily usage to see is it now in line with the old bills or the new account. (Allowing for heating of course)