Crazy Money For Electricity Bill

Lucyx

Got a bimonthly bord Gais bill today for €422. Nearly died. My last bill was an estimate and only €125 which is why the latest one is big. But I can't understand why it's SO big. I live alone in an apartment & there are storage heaters but I never have them on. I just have a plug in fire in the sitting room & there's something similar on the wall in the bedroom. And God knows I'm not exactly cooking up a storm in the kitchen so it's not a big bill with the oven always on.

Does the bill seem excessive? I'm so depressed about it. Was gonna try to go down the country for week in March & I can't even do that now. Just hope bord Gais will let me spread payments over a few months. Nightmare.

Roisy7

Lucyx wrote: »

Got a bimonthly bord Gais bill today for €422. Nearly died. My last bill was an estimate and only €125 which is why the latest one is big. But I can't understand why it's SO big. I live alone in an apartment & there are storage heaters but I never have them on. I just have a plug in fire in the sitting room & there's something similar on the wall in the bedroom. And God knows I'm not exactly cooking up a storm in the kitchen so it's not a big bill with the oven always on.

Does the bill seem excessive? I'm so depressed about it. Was gonna try to go down the country for week in March & I can't even do that now. Just hope bord Gais will let me spread payments over a few months. Nightmare.

Get them to check. They could have easily made a mistake... However bills are sky high at the moment for esb so imagine bird gais is worse. They all put their prices up recently.

17larsson

There is no way you have used that much electricity. Call them and explain your situation and they will realise that it's either a mistake or someone is somehow tapping into your supply.

More than likely it is just a billing error

Lucyx

17larsson wrote: »

There is no way you have used that much electricity. Call them and explain your situation and they will realise that it's either a mistake or someone is somehow tapping into your supply.

More than likely it is just a billing error

I was seriously thinking someone must be tapping into my supply cos it's outrageous but can I do anything ? I'm just renting the apartment and landlord wouldn't want to know.

I did check the reading and its close enough to meter (including usage since bill issue). I swear to God I'm sick about it.

17larsson

Seriously don't worry, there is not a chance you used that much and when you call and tell them you are on your own and it is just an apartment, they will understand and hopefully find that there was an error with the bill. Tell them how worried you are about it as well.

If you don't get it sorted and you live in the North Dublin or Meath/Louth area, I am an electrician and you can send a pm to me and I can check your power usage and see what's causing it but I am very confident it will be sorted out for you after you call your electricity supplier

It does seem like a lot but perhaps the last one was far too small?

Bar heater type installations do take a lot of power - having them on all evening in this cold weather can add up.
The ESB have an appliance calculator https://www.electricireland.ie/ei/residential-energy-services/reduce-your-costs/web-calculator.jsp

It suggests an electric fuel effect heater running for five hours per night seven nights a week at max will cost €107 per two month bill.
Edit: to my mind €125 seems low for a winter bill which presumably includes hot water, heating, cooking, electronics and all that.

ANXIOUS

Why don't you get the last actual bill you have and try work it out from that. Same happened to me but not to the extent of yours the estimate was way off.

Diziet

Just pull out the last few bills you have had and look at the units consumed. If the last few were estimates they may have been low?

Lucyx

I just rang Bord Gais and they said it is correct as the previous bill was an estimate. I told the guy on the phone that it'll take a few months for me to pay this and he said I'll need to get it paid over the next 10 weeks.
I told him there wasn't a hope (I'd literally have to go without food) and it'll take me 3 months (which is actually only an extra 2 bloody weeks) and he said I couldn't do that blah blah

Electric heat is just a disaster so i think its probably right. The guy put me through to Credit Control in Bord Gais to talk to someone about spreading payments over the few months and I had to hang up cos I got upset

I'll just have to curtail spending thats already curtailed to the bloody max.

pastorbarrett

Yep, this happened to me before too. Months of estimate billing and then bam, meter read bill. It's a killer. Though I'm surprised about their seeming uncooperativeness regarding payment- I know Bord Gáis had a number on the back of their bills where you could ring and explain your financial circumstances and work out an agreeable payment plan. Perhaps ESB have an equivalent?

Not to be preachy, but moral of the story here is to ring in with an actual meter reading come billing time. At least then you know where you're at and it will save you from unexpected hardship later on.

julias_jewel

Lucyx wrote: »

I just rang Bord Gais and they said it is correct as the previous bill was an estimate. I told the guy on the phone that it'll take a few months for me to pay this and he said I'll need to get it paid over the next 10 weeks.
I told him there wasn't a hope (I'd literally have to go without food) and it'll take me 3 months (which is actually only an extra 2 bloody weeks) and he said I couldn't do that blah blah

Electric heat is just a disaster so i think its probably right. The guy put me through to Credit Control in Bord Gais to talk to someone about spreading payments over the few months and I had to hang up cos I got upset

I'll just have to curtail spending thats already curtailed to the bloody max.

Hey Lucy,

Try not to get upset xx

If you can ring them back and just calmly say you have no money,

Tbh we got a bill for 829 which is ludacris, we said we can only afford 15 a week as i am out of work, they were suppose to ring us back last week, still waiting on the call...

Just keep onto them, i have heard stories of bord gais making payment plans to suit customers, so just keep ring them if you can pet xx

Lucyx

julias_jewel wrote: »

Hey Lucy,

Try not to get upset xx

If you can ring them back and just calmly say you have no money,

Tbh we got a bill for 829 which is ludacris, we said we can only afford 15 a week as i am out of work, they were suppose to ring us back last week, still waiting on the call...

Just keep onto them, i have heard stories of bord gais making payment plans to suit customers, so just keep ring them if you can pet xx

Thanks for your kind words

I think its just the initial shock that has me so upset.
I swore this time last year that I would do a weekly check on the meter and see where I'm at cost wise at that point and cut back if needs be. I even have an excel file all set up for this. Meridiangroup is def correct in this respect as far as the meter reading is concerned.

Sure feck it, they'll get it over a couple of months and in the meantime I'll be wearing my duffle in the dark

Taltos

Might be better here OP.
Moved from PI - please note the Consumer charter now applies, for anyone who has followed this thread please ensure you have read it before posting.

Taltos

bk12

Lucyx wrote: »

Got a bimonthly bord Gais bill today for €422. Nearly died. My last bill was an estimate and only €125 which is why the latest one is big. But I can't understand why it's SO big. I live alone in an apartment & there are storage heaters but I never have them on. I just have a plug in fire in the sitting room & there's something similar on the wall in the bedroom. And God knows I'm not exactly cooking up a storm in the kitchen so it's not a big bill with the oven always on.

Does the bill seem excessive? I'm so depressed about it. Was gonna try to go down the country for week in March & I can't even do that now. Just hope bord Gais will let me spread payments over a few months. Nightmare.

i switched to prepay power for exactly the same reason, they installed a meter and i now pay as i go and no big bill every 2 months.

foggy_lad

OP try to pay tham a reasonable amount off the arreears each week but don't leave yourself without food, if they want to cut you off they must first try to negotiate a budget plan with you which they have so far failed to do. You know you must pay them back but they must also be reasonable about how much you can afford!

kaisersoze

Lucyx, sorry to hear that. Same happened to me few years ago.
What I've had to do is total up my ESB and Gas for the previous year and divide it by 12 and I pay same per month each month irregardless of the cost and so I never end up with a big bill again.
It works well.
I know it wont get you out of your current situation, but going forward, it might work for you.

Best of luck with it.

Guy:Incognito

17larsson wrote: »

There is no way you have used that much electricity. Call them and explain your situation and they will realise that it's either a mistake or someone is somehow tapping into your supply.

How can you know anywhere near enough to make a statement like that? How many of her bills have been estimated leading up to this one?

RUSTEDCORE

tell them to put in a prepay meter
should be free and cheaper electricity
lets you monitor how much its costing.

dudara

Moved to Accommodation & Property

dudara

17larsson

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

How can you know anywhere near enough to make a statement like that? How many of her bills have been estimated leading up to this one?

I misread the OP, for some reason I thought she said it was her first two months in the apartment.

To Lucyx: You could think of asking your landlord to put in storage heaters and then switch to the night rate but if he/she didn't want to do that you may just wrap up and remember that Summer is on it's way :cool:

D3PO

17larsson wrote: »

I misread the OP, for some reason I thought she said it was her first two months in the apartment.

To Lucyx: You could think of asking your landlord to put in storage heaters and then switch to the night rate but if he/she didn't want to do that you may just wrap up and remember that Summer is on it's way :cool:

they have storage heaters read again. second time you have misread.

OP nothign unusual in that bill especially if your lasone was estimated significantly under and the more estimated bills you have had preceeding the less unusual it is.

cookie1977

Op if you're interested (going forward) you could set up an excel file which will calculate your costs as you go through the month so you dont get any shocks. That's what I do.

Lucyx

Cookie, I do have an excel file set up with all of the charges in there so I just need to pop in the meter readings and its all calculated. I just need to use the thing !! I def will be using it from now on to avoid that shock again.

The last bill was the only estimated bill I've gotten but it was off enough (by about €150 I'd say) to make the current one a disaster.

I asked around in work today about peoples electricity bills and it seems about right. Its just daylight robbery for everyone and you have to control the usage BIG TIME !!

Serious lifestyle cut backs for the next few months.
I'll be turning tricks by April ....ouch :eek:

Mrs OBumble

TBH, it really doesn't sound like you can afford to be living alone.

Perhaps you need to examine the wider aspects of your budget, not just what you spend on stuff.

the_syco

Lucyx wrote: »

I just have a plug in fire in the sitting room & there's something similar on the wall in the bedroom.

Check what how much the heaters use, as the plug-in ones drink electricity!