440 unit used since 23rd feb

thegreatiam

so im in a dispute with electric ireland who have recently sent me a bill for 650 euro. 

claiming that this was the amount of electric I have used since my last estimated bill. 

Obviously this is a bit of a shock so I am doing my best to prove that we have not used these funds. 

I called EI on the 4th of march and noted my meter was around 8030 units. 
Their last reading was 23rd feb at 7792 units. I checked my meter today at 8232 units. for a total usage of 440 in around 17 days. 

I also contacted my landlady who said the house has been rewired recently and it should all be working grand, she sent her electrician to verify the appliances are working correctly and he confirmed there were no appliances draining more than they should.

I have also turned off all the trip switches and observed the meter stop turning. 

I called EI today when i noticed that we had used so much and they told me that they can send an electrician to check the meter but if the meter is not the issue we would be responsible for the costs (187 euro)

This seems like a gamble rather than a service to find out my problem. im not sure if I want to risk another 200 euro only to be told by electric ireland's meter is working fine by electric ireland technician. 

Is there anything else I can be doing here? doesn't 440 units in 2 weeks seem excessive, bearing in mind its a one bedroom flat, we cook once a day, have heaters on for an hour in the morning and and 2-3 hours at night, electric shower for 30 minutes each day. and very little else: tv not on, energy saving bulbs etc. 

EI: Una

Hi thegreatiam,

Was the previous bill (or bills) under-estimated, resulting in your latest bill making up the difference?

Do you have storage heaters? Is your meter NightSaver (day/night) or standard 24-hour? (With the NightSaver, the night unit rate is lower, but the day rate is higher).

Have you used our Appliance Calculator which enables you to input details of devices you use, to gauge their approximate consumption?

Further information such as our Energy Saving Wizard and Energy Efficient House here.

Regards,
Una

thegreatiam

Electric Ireland: Una wrote: »

Hi thegreatiam,

Was the previous bill (or bills) under-estimated, resulting in your latest bill making up the difference?

Do you have storage heaters? Is your meter NightSaver (day/night) or standard 24-hour? (With the NightSaver, the night unit rate is lower, but the day rate is higher).

Have you used our Appliance Calculator which enables you to input details of devices you use, to gauge their approximate consumption?

Further information such as our Energy Saving Wizard and Energy Efficient House here.

Regards,
Una

The previous bill was estimated. 

However, I dont believe that we have used this amount of electricity. 
440 units in 2 weeks, to me, seems extraordinarily high for a one bed flat. 

EI: Aoife O

Hi thegreatiam,

If you'd like us to look into this for you, do PM with your Electric Ireland account number, full name, address and contact number. Please also confirm if you are the account holder. We'll be happy to investigate this for you.

We can then break down the usage from your recent bills, and confirm the billing periods in question.

Kind regards,
Aoife