Electricity charges are way too high...

Panline · 24-03-2014 09:51PM #1

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 · 24-03-2014 09:52PM

Turn off the immersion

Voodoomelon · 24-03-2014 09:52PM

Have you tried turning your house off and on again?

shopaholic01 · 24-03-2014 09:55PM

How does the meter reader access the attic?

Are are your bills estimates?

Try running it off the gas - much cheaper.

The Backwards Man · 24-03-2014 09:55PM

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 · 24-03-2014 09:56PM

Demand a recount!:D

kneemos · 24-03-2014 09:57PM

Your being had.

Banjo String · 24-03-2014 09:57PM

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 · 24-03-2014 09:58PM

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

urabell · 24-03-2014 10:01PM

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 · 24-03-2014 10:01PM

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 · 24-03-2014 10:03PM

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 · 24-03-2014 10:04PM

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 · 24-03-2014 10:04PM

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 · 24-03-2014 10:06PM

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

Panline · 24-03-2014 10:07PM

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 · 24-03-2014 10:09PM

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 · 24-03-2014 10:09PM

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 · 24-03-2014 10:10PM

Better off posting this in consumer issues forum OP.

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

Lurching · 24-03-2014 10:12PM

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 · 24-03-2014 10:12PM

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 · 24-03-2014 10:13PM

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 · 24-03-2014 10:14PM

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 · 24-03-2014 10:17PM

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 · 24-03-2014 10:18PM

Also - contact Airticity help centre

FTA69 · 24-03-2014 10:21PM

Your son is growing cannabis.

Sarn · 24-03-2014 10:21PM

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 · 24-03-2014 10:25PM

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 · 24-03-2014 10:28PM

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 · 24-03-2014 10:29PM

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 · 24-03-2014 10:29PM

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?

Electricity charges are way too high...

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