I'm concerned that my meters over charging me it's a smart meter so readings are automatically sent. Every month I've been getting charged £100 for gas and £50 or less for electric. I'm in a small one bed room flat only the heating uses the gas nothing else so how on earth is it that high 😬
Best answer by Jeffus
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Hi
From what I know it's a combi and has 1 to 5 for the temp settings for heating and water. Set to 4 if I remember right and thermostat set to 18 c
From my app usage it's saying I some how used between 1500 kWh and 1900.1 kWh a month just seems way to high for a small flat 🥴
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Hi
It's unlikely you're actually using that much gas as that's the typical usage for a large house. You might have a leak or it might be a problem with your account.
Have you checked that the figures you're seeing on the app match your meter readings? Also, are you sure your account is linked to the correct gas meter? Sometimes, where a number of flats have their meters in the same cupboard they get mixed up and people end up with the wrong meter linked to their account.
Yeah I think meters are correctly set up with there ID numbers. I did connect support and they said that the numbers look perfectly normal lol for a small flat it's way high compared to my previous supplier and there saying I have to pay 160 to get there meter checked for a mistake they mite have made 🤦
I will most likely have to be in the cold for a month to pay for it with COPD that's stupid but not much choice
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Updated on 14/07/23 by Abby_OVO
Ofgem quote some typical gas consumption figures for different households. Basically
Low (1 to 2 bed) 8000
Medium (3 to 4 bed) 12000
High (5+ bed) 17000
But in practice the usage varies dramatically based on type/age/size of home, quality of boiler and radiators/underfloor heating, how long you have the heating on etc.
And these typical values aren't actually the average consumption in the UK. The average consumption is actually higher than this and there is a wide range in actual usage.
Do you know how much gas you use in a year? Gas usage obvious varies dramatically by month. How does your annual usage compare with the annual ofgem figures? Just as an example we used 2109 kWh in December and 98 kWh in July for a larger property.
Although your usage looks high it may be in the range that OVO see for similar properties. Has your meter been changed at the same time you saw the jump in usage? Or is the jump in usage just since you swapped supplier?
I think i would start by getting the boiler serviced and the radiators balanced and checked out etc. A good service will also check for gas leaks. Ruling out a problem with your actual heating system would be a good first step i think. We had a very small leak from our gas hob once many years ago rather than our boiler so although rare gas leaks do occur. Also worth looking at the 30min gas readings from your smart meter to see if there is anything unusual and when the gas is being used.
Of course there could be an issue with the meter, but i think there are other things worth checking first.
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Yeah I think meters are correctly set up with there ID numbers. I did connect support and they said that the numbers look perfectly normal lol for a small flat it's way high compared to my previous supplier and there saying I have to pay 160 to get there meter checked for a mistake they mite have made 🤦
I will most likely have to be in the cold for a month to pay for it with COPD that's stupid but not much choice
Did you make any progress investigating your usage pattern and heating setup?
I moved into a bungalow in October 2021 and within 3 monthsI was over £900 in debit. The gas usage was enormous. In December I rang Ovo and asked to have the meters checked. An engineer arrived in February and told me that he couldn't change it as the new one would not talk to my electric meter and his job sheet only told him to change the gas meter. He went away without even getting his tool kit out and said he would report bac to Ovo
The same day I rang Ovo and told them what had happened and could they make another appointent to change both meters. Now several phone calls and a complaint or 2 later I am no nearer getting an engineer to change my meters.
What can I do to get some action?
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Hi
I’m Blastoise186, one of the forum volunteers around here. I can’t do anything official as such, but I can help out with an issue like this one to a certain degree.
Would you like me to help you with a Creep Test against your electric meter and a Burns Test against your gas meter? These are some of the easiest ways to identify possible faults for free, without making any commitments. Based on those results, I can make recommendations as to whether a full meter accuracy test is likely to produce results that are worth the test fee.
Yes please, any help would be appreciated.
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Your wish is my command. I need to let you know that doing these tests may result in a temporary interruption to your supply. So if you’re medically reliant on electricity, please don’t perform this test unless you have a backup supply that can last for least an hour and keep the equipment going during that time.
It’s also safer to do these tests during the day, so don’t worry if you can’t do them today. :)
To avoid confusion, I’ll do one test at a time and follow up with the other one afterwards. Here’s what to do with the Creep Test:
With this data, I can make a rough determination as to whether your electric meter is working properly. This isn’t an official meter accuracy test, but unlike a MAT this is completely free of charge and helps to determine whether a MAT is worth doing. Once I’ve done your electric meter, I’ll provide the steps for the gas meter.
Sorry to hear about the high usage costs you’ve noticed since moving,
Just to clarify, as you mention the engineer wasn’t able to install a new gas smart meter, are we currently receiving meter readings from the meter? It’s always worth double-checking that the readings showing on the ‘billing’ page of your online account aren’t being estimated, which might explain the unexpected charges.
If the readings aren’t estimates then you might find the advice given by some fellow OVO members in the thread above helpful.
Some of the early readings (October,November and December) do not have smart next to them on the billing page. Are these estimates. It does no say estimate.
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It sounds like you either have a billing problem (meter readings on your bill not matching your actual meter) or a faulty meter.
Do the readings on your bill roughly match your meter? Does your first bill start with the opening reading that you gave OVO when you moved in? Does the closing reading on your latest bill roughly match your current meter reading (allowing for the gas you've used since the bill was produced)? It's not hugely important at this stage what the readings between those dates are. If the first and last readings are correct then you've been billed for the amount of gas you've used (well, the amount the meter says you've used).
If they all match then your problem is likely a faulty meter.
Would someone please explain usage to me? I sent a reading in March of 3196. In April I was advised that my usage £459 for April. A reading appeared in April (prob engineer not me!) of 3803, is this high? I was away for a week. Single person, a bed flat. Only use gas for hot water. Have now taken another reading and it’s 3803. Customer service shocking.
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Hey there
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to reliably compare your usage against someone else’s, even if both people are in the same kind of property. There’s far too many factors in the equation and it would never produce results that help anyone out.
However… Something about this doesn’t sound right to me. Could you post some photos of your gas and electric meters in your next reply please? I’m tempted to see if a Creep Test and Burns Test might dig up some clues, but it helps to know what you’ve got first.
Thanks!
Hi, thanks for the response. I would like an engineer to come but this is impossible.
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Ahh ok, I think I have a possible clue here. Some of that difference might be due to the changes to the Ofgem Default Tariff Cap that occurred on the 1st April 2022, possibly even a good chunk of it in fact.
Please bear with me a for a few hours. I’ll need to think about whether to recommend a Creep Test but I’ll aim to be back here by the end of the day.
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Hi
Can you just confirm the March reading you submitted please? To me the photo could show a reading of 3796 but it’s not totally clear.
If the reading was 3796 then it would mean a much lower usage for the month of April. However, this would also mean that the previous (possibly estimated?) months’ readings were low and underestimating the actual usage over the winter with this now all showing in the April usage. If you’re on the variable tariff this would also have meant that this usage is now being recorded as being in the increased price period.
Hi the March reading was 3196 and the January was 4389? It’s quite confusing. Also if indeed I was under estimated with April making shortfall - this should be paid according to previous price cap not increased. In addition the reading showed 3196 30 March, then 3803 in April when I was on holiday for 1 week then a further 3813 23 May highlights that the clocking or clicking appears to be fast?? I’m only 1 person with no gas appliances aside from water heated from boiler.
Hi
So nice to see our community members have already offered some great advice to help with your understandably confusing meter readings.
Can you just confirm the March reading you submitted please? To me the photo could show a reading of 3796 but it’s not totally clear.
Agree with
Just to reassure you, our Support Team can retroactively adjust any previously submitted meter readings to make sure the energy used is charged on the correct rate following April’s price change. They can also confirm the source of the January meter reading you mention seeing on your account. As meters should never clock backwards (unless faulty), I’m wondering whether this higher previous reading could be an over-estimated reading. If an meter reading is ever over-estimated the charges are re-adjusted any time you submit an actual meter reading, which you’ve since done.
Whilst it’s very rare for a meter to over-clock your usage, I appreciate your concern if your usage seems higher than expected. Have you got a record of what you used during a similar period last year? As gas usage is very seasonal your monthly usage can vary depending on lots of factors. We’d recommend checking out the advice given in the thread below which runs through some checks you can carry out to help work out whether your usage is being recorded accurately.
Thanks Jess. I have been trying to get support but it has been incredibly difficult and frustrating. Regardless the charge of £459 for a month usage I fail to comprehend.
I really appreciate the concern at that high months usage cost,
As mentioned above if the reading in March was actually higher than the reading you submitted, this usage cost may not accurately reflect just one months usage but may include energy you used in the months between this reading and your last actual reading. Do you have a record of the monthly readings you submitted before this inconclusive reading?
The best way to make sure we receive regular accurate readings from your meters is to consider upgrading to a free smart meter. These are designed to send us you readings automatically (daily. monthly or half-hourly) which means every monthly summary you receive would reflect only energy used that month. You can book in a smart meter appointment via your online account or by chatting to the Support Team.
I hope this might be a helpful solution going forwards.
So, if that’s the case what I have I been paying for all these years? I’m not finding this useful. It’s increasing my anxiety. If you want to help please get somebody to telephone me. I am going to have a smart gas meter fitted however it still does not explain the hefty bill of approx £700 for 4 months. The price cap was in April and supposedly 56%.
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OVO are trying their best to help
Assuming your meter is reading correctly - which is usually the case - then you have been billed for the correct usage, it’s just when this usage occurred (and in what price period) that needs confirming. If you can summarise the previous readings from earlier in the year and whether these were submitted by yourself / meter reader or estimated then the picture should become a lot clearer.
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