Electricity charges are way too high...

Panline

Hello

I am a customer of Airtricity and this month they are charging us for using 2096 kWh by day between 15/jan/14 and 15/mar/14 and 3842 kWh by night on the same period.

I cannot believe I have used so much electricity and I believe there must be a mistake. However I can't check my electricity meter myself, my landlord says it is on the attic and I cannot access it. But it is just not possible to use so much electricity in 2 months, we live in a 40 square meter and we don't do anything fancy. We're just a couple.

Just as a comparison, last year for the period 7/feb/13-10/apr/13 we used 549 kWh by day and 728 kWh by night.

What can I do?

Penny Tration

Turn off the immersion

Voodoomelon

Have you tried turning your house off and on again?

shopaholic01

How does the meter reader access the attic? Are are your bills estimates?

Try running it off the gas - much cheaper.

The Backwards Man

Has the meter been read by the ESB?

Have you contacted Airtricity about your concerns re the meter?

http://www.airtricity.com/knowledge-base/kb-meter-read/what-do-i-do-if-i-think-my-electricity-meter-is-faulty/?section=ROICOMM

sillyoulfool

Demand a recount!:D

kneemos

Your being had.

Banjo String

Panline wrote: »

Hello

I am a customer of Airtricity and this month they are charging us for using 2096 kWh by day between 15/jan/14 and 15/mar/14 and 3842 kWh by night on the same period.

I cannot believe I have used so much electricity and I believe there must be a mistake. However I can't check my electricity meter myself, my landlord says it is on the attic and I cannot access it. But it is just not possible to use so much electricity in 2 months, we live in a 40 square meter and we don't do anything fancy. We're just a couple.

Just as a comparison, last year for the period 7/feb/13-10/apr/13 we used 549 kWh by day and 728 kWh by night.

What can I do?

My Airtricity bill was over 40% more expensive this month than last year's also.

That's despite the fact my wife was on maternity leave this time last year, so heating would have been on more then than what it is this year. :mad:

fleet_admiral

Burn the house down. that will reset the meter to zero

urabell

Panline wrote: »

Hello

I am a customer of Airtricity and this month they are charging us for using 2096 kWh by day between 15/jan/14 and 15/mar/14 and 3842 kWh by night on the same period.

I cannot believe I have used so much electricity and I believe there must be a mistake. However I can't check my electricity meter myself, my landlord says it is on the attic and I cannot access it. But it is just not possible to use so much electricity in 2 months, we live in a 40 square meter and we don't do anything fancy. We're just a couple.

Just as a comparison, last year for the period 7/feb/13-10/apr/13 we used 549 kWh by day and 728 kWh by night.

What can I do?

Ridiculous numbers? Have you checked the basement for a large hadron collider?

Panline

Hi, my immersion is automated by night, we did not have problems the other months and thanksfully we do not have to remember to turn it off, which is nice. I have no access to gas.

The bill is an estimate indeed but there is also an actual reading from mid February which is too high anyway, so the estimate isn't the issue here I'm afraid... It has been read by an electrician.

I do not mean to sound mean but it is very difficult to trust that an electrician is just going to read our meters and not make a mistake. I have never seen my meter and I can't access it. What if it is not connected to my flat? What if a shady neighbor has plugged his on mine? How would I even know?

Sorry but I'm freaking out my bill is now 800 euros for just 2 months and it just doesn't seem possible that we have used that much electricity. I feel powerless because Airtricity will most likely just say that this is what our meter reads and there is nothing we can do about it. But how is it even possible to have a bill that high?

the groutch

I've heard that if you run the gas off the electricity, and the electricity off the gas, you can save £200 a year.

shopaholic01

Panline wrote: »

Hi, my immersion is automated by night, we did not have problems the other months and thanksfully we do not have to remember to turn it off, which is nice. I have no access to gas.

The bill is an estimate indeed but there is also an actual reading from mid February which is too high anyway, so the estimate isn't the issue here I'm afraid... It has been read by an electrician.

I do not mean to sound mean but it is very difficult to trust that an electrician is just going to read our meters and not make a mistake. I have never seen my meter and I can't access it. What if it is not connected to my flat? What if a shady neighbor has plugged his on mine? How would I even know?

Sorry but I'm freaking out my bill is now 800 euros for just 2 months and it just doesn't seem possible that we have used that much electricity. I feel powerless because Airtricity will most likely just say that this is what our meter reads and there is nothing we can do about it. But how is it even possible to have a bill that high?

Why is an electrician reading your meter?

Panline

Also I have checked my previous bills and my rate hasn't increased. It is really the usage billed that is the issue. I cannot trust the figures provided, they seem way, way too high to be believable

Merrion

That's approx. 4kw per hour every hour. Call the Gardaí - someone is running a cannabis growing operation off your electricity meter.

Panline

shopaholic01 wrote: »

Why is an electrician reading your meter?

They come about once every 2 months to check our meters. We have the opportunity to give them the reading ourselves, but we can't because we can't access the meter. I think they do check the meter themselves on a regular basis anyway to make sure that their customers are giving them the correct figures.

Doom

Make sure your still on the sign up discount, normally 12 months, I'm with Electric Ireland, I noticed by bill had creeped up lately, rang them, my sign up discount was over (9% off gas, 6% off elect)
I asked what discounts were available to me, got 12% off gas and another 12% off elect for next 12 months...... sweet

Kristopherus

Panline wrote: »

Hi, my immersion is automated by night, we did not have problems the other months and thanksfully we do not have to remember to turn it off, which is nice. I have no access to gas.

The bill is an estimate indeed but there is also an actual reading from mid February which is too high anyway, so the estimate isn't the issue here I'm afraid... It has been read by an electrician.

I do not mean to sound mean but it is very difficult to trust that an electrician is just going to read our meters and not make a mistake. I have never seen my meter and I can't access it. What if it is not connected to my flat? What if a shady neighbor has plugged his on mine? How would I even know?

Sorry but I'm freaking out my bill is now 800 euros for just 2 months and it just doesn't seem possible that we have used that much electricity. I feel powerless because Airtricity will most likely just say that this is what our meter reads and there is nothing we can do about it. But how is it even possible to have a bill that high?

You need to get your LL to allow you to read the meter. He should also be able to tell you if there is one or two or three neighbours hooked up to the same meter.

Menas

Better off posting this in consumer issues forum OP.

AH answer is to hook your leccie up to your neighbours connection.

Lurching

If the meter was read half way through the period, it sounds as if the meter was read incorrectly, then the rest of the period was estimated based on this.

Can you request Airtricity to do another meter reading?

shopaholic01

Kristopherus wrote: »

You need to get your LL to allow you to read the meter. He should also be able to tell you if there is one or two or three neighbours hooked up to the same meter.

I would have thought that tenants would be legally required to have access. I've never heard of a meter in an inaccessable attic.

Bog Standard User

urabell wrote: »

Ridiculous numbers? Have you checked the basement for a large hadron collider?

i bet his landlord has a dope farm running off his meter in the attic hence why op is not allowed up there

kneemos

Panline wrote: »

They come about once every 2 months to check our meters. We have the opportunity to give them the reading ourselves, but we can't because we can't access the meter. I think they do check the meter themselves on a regular basis anyway to make sure that their customers are giving them the correct figures.

Where do they go when they check the meter?

Panline

kneemos wrote: »

Where do they go when they check the meter?

The basement (not the attic, my mistake) and it is supposedly not accessible.

Merrion

Also - contact Airticity help centre

FTA69

Your son is growing cannabis.

Sarn

It's worth finding out if there is a fault with the meter. Advise the landlord of your concern, arrange access to it, turn off all the power in your home and see if the meter still ticks over.

Tar.Aldarion

Panline wrote: »

Hello

I am a customer of Airtricity and this month they are charging us for using 2096 kWh by day between 15/jan/14 and 15/mar/14 and 3842 kWh by night on the same period.

I cannot believe I have used so much electricity and I believe there must be a mistake. However I can't check my electricity meter myself, my landlord says it is on the attic and I cannot access it. But it is just not possible to use so much electricity in 2 months, we live in a 40 square meter and we don't do anything fancy. We're just a couple.

Just as a comparison, last year for the period 7/feb/13-10/apr/13 we used 549 kWh by day and 728 kWh by night.

What can I do?

But the esb can?

fleet_admiral

If i was renting and paying a bill but had no access to the meter i would withhold payment til i could get access.

kneemos

Sarn wrote: »

It's worth finding out if there is a fault with the meter. Advise the landlord of your concern, arrange access to it, turn off all the power in your home and see if the meter still ticks over.

Landlord says it can't be accessed.

Panline

Thanks all for your advise - and it is very unlikely that there is any kind of cannabis plantation anywhere in my flat, it is a small one bedroom flat and I live with my partner, we have no kids (thankfully).

I hope to have access to the meter but I've tried previously and the answer was that it is not possible.


I have also checked the meter reading for the period 7/feb/13 to 7/feb/14 and in total they say we have used 11077 kWh. Do you think it's too high?

Heroditas

OP, were all your previous bills estimated?
It's possible the bills have been estimated for a while and this current bill is a catch-up.

catallus

I know it's a pain Op, but what can we expect when our national infrastructure was sold piecemeal to the Capitalists by government cronies?! They sold off the property of the people to profit-obsessed unscrupulous scoundrels who are free to milk every last penny from us or we freeze to death in the dark.

Femme_Fatale

Or... bills were over-estimated due to the meter being inaccessible to the meter-reader. But hey, any opportunity to go on about "the capitalists".
And then in the next thread, giving out about "the atheists".

catallus

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

Or... bills were over-estimated due to the meter being inaccessible to the meter-reader. But hey, any opportunity to go on about "the capitalists".
And then in the next thread, giving out about "the atheists".

Who, me? Why so? Nope, I'm on a permanent naughty seat for doing that. I've been chastised and chastened, thank you very much

Anyways, it is the capitalists, this time.

kneemos

Have you got electric heating,leaving that on could really cost s lot.

Sarn

Panline wrote: »

The bill is an estimate indeed but there is also an actual reading from mid February which is too high anyway, so the estimate isn't the issue here I'm afraid... It has been read by an electrician.

I do not mean to sound mean but it is very difficult to trust that an electrician is just going to read our meters and not make a mistake. I have never seen my meter and I can't access it.

In this case the electrician is one of the meter readers from the ESB. That's what they do, although it is possible that a mistake could have been made. I know that in a lot of apartment complexes tenants don't have access to the meters.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Firstly, are you seriously saying the meter is in the attic? Absolute nonsense. It has to be accessible for meter readings. Secondly, if the account is in your name then you have a right to access the meter to check readings. Thirdly, is this bill an estimated reading or were all the previous readings estimates and this is an actual reading at last? Have you storage heating? If not, what the hell are you doing with day and night rate electricity?
I find the whole saga quite implausible, to be honest.

GenieOz

Airtricity love doing this.
Ring them up, say you didn't use that much and will not be paying that bill, they'll ask for your own reading and give you a bill based on that.

Femme_Fatale

GenieOz wrote: »

Airtricity love doing this.

Airtricity can't issue them with an accurate bill if the meter-reader can't access the meter.

GenieOz

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

Airtricity can't issue them with an accurate bill if the meter-reader can't access the meter.

Sorry, didn't read the thread through.
Just have had this done to me several times and other friends and family have had the issue.

Degag

Panline wrote: »

They come about once every 2 months to check our meters. We have the opportunity to give them the reading ourselves, but we can't because we can't access the meter. I think they do check the meter themselves on a regular basis anyway to make sure that their customers are giving them the correct figures.

OP, there must be access to the meter if the ESB Networks are getting in there to take a meter read?

kneemos

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

Airtricity can't issue them with an accurate bill if the meter-reader can't access the meter.

He said they read the meters.

catallus

Panline wrote: »

Thanks

I have also checked the meter reading for the period 7/feb/13 to 7/feb/14 and in total they say we have used 11077 kWh. Do you think it's too high?

Way too high. I only use a third of that, and I have washing machines going a lot, along with tv's and dishwashers. You need to get it sorted, you have a right to see your meter.

seamus

Merrion wrote: »

That's approx. 4kw per hour every hour. Call the Gardaí - someone is running a cannabis growing operation off your electricity meter.

You'd be surprised at the shenanigans some people pull; bypassing their meter and running their apartment off their neighbours (though if they're cute enough a small amount will go through their meter to avoid raising suspicions).
Junkies are also very adept at squatting - when they get cut off, they find ways to get electricity, including punching holes in walls to access their neighbours' wiring, or taking a line off the hallway lighting outside their door.

So it wouldn't be beyond possibility that the OP is getting shafted by someone.

Though ESB networks anecdotally do tip off the Gardai when they notice an excessive draw coming from one or more buildings. This is why generators are the favoured choice of big growhouses, fuelled with diesel from the north, so it's practically untraceable.

Sarn wrote: »

In this case the electrician is one of the meter readers from the ESB. That's what they do, although it is possible that a mistake could have been made. I know that in a lot of apartment complexes tenants don't have access to the meters.

I'm skeptical though that the ESB/utility would have access to meters in the attic of a block while landlords do not.

My first port of call would be to knock around on neighbour's doors and find someone (preferably an owner/occupier) to ask if they know how to get access to their meter; play dumb.

Lenin Skynard

It should be "Electricity charges are too damn high"

Femme_Fatale

Sarn wrote: »

In this case the electrician is one of the meter readers from the ESB. That's what they do, although it is possible that a mistake could have been made. I know that in a lot of apartment complexes tenants don't have access to the meters.

Aren't meter-readers just anyone? I thought it didn't require being an electrician.
Obviously stand to be corrected though.

Yeh I don't have access to the meter because the management company are afraid of meter tampering, so I have to send them a request to take a reading and send it on to me. They always do it very quickly though.

Sarn

seamus wrote: »

I'm skeptical though that the ESB/utility would have access to meters in the attic of a block while landlords do not.

My first port of call would be to knock around on neighbour's doors and find someone (preferably an owner/occupier) to ask if they know how to get access to their meter; play dumb.

In this case it is located in the basement. Some places limit access to the meters (for whatever reason), while still fully accessible to ESB. I know I don't have access. In my case the management company will take a picture of the meter and send it to me on my request.

Femme_Fatale

The meter-reader could make a mistake OP of course - but how on earth can they enter the basement of a private residence, yet you can't access the meter...?

Unless it's a communal basement for a block of flats?

Femme_Fatale

Banjo String wrote: »

My Airtricity bill was over 40% more expensive this month than last year's also.

That's despite the fact my wife was on maternity leave this time last year, so heating would have been on more then than what it is this year. :mad:

If the bills aren't over-estimates, all they have to go on is what it says on the meter, which is consumption, not extra units added on by them.
Maybe get the wiring checked? E.g. as far as I know, a fridge consumes a huge amount of energy, especially one that's not sealing properly due to needing defrosting.
Get one of them energy monitors maybe?

Degag

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

Aren't meter-readers just anyone? I thought it didn't require being an electrician.
Obviously stand to be corrected though.

Yeh I don't have access to the meter because the management company are afraid of meter tampering, so I have to send them a request to take a reading and send it on to me. They always do it very quickly though.

The meter readers are employed by ESB Networks who take the meter reads regardless of what company you are with