Huge hike in bills

knowhow

My father is on disability, has always paid his bills on time, direct debit actually. His bills averaged 40 to 70 Euros per bill. His bills from Jan to now have been 250 euros to 280. Now I am aware that he must be using something, it must be estimated, it is none of those things. 

I am currently in Canada trying to help him but we cannot figure out why there has been such a hike. I have had someone go through the house with him, no new electrical appliances or electric hook ups. I have put in the meter reading manually on the site. Basically he is not eating to pay his electric bill.

I have wrote to Electric Ireland 5 times now ( from April 26 to today's date) and have heard nothing back. I am completely baffled as to what we can do. He lives alone and is extremely conscientious of usage. He has now unplugged the fridge, he has a gas cooker and natural fire.


Can anyone from Electric Ireland help with this situation, it is dire right now.

EI: Aoife O

Hi knowhow,

Thank you for getting in touch with us regarding this, I can appreciate that this is a difficult situation. If your father is worried about building up a debt on the account, we can certainly look into payment options and energy saving methods with him. We wouldn't advise him to unplug appliances which he needs for his own health and safety, though I understand that he is trying to cut back his usage as much as he can.

To understand your father's usage, and what has caused this increase, we will need to review his account. If you are registered on the account, then we can discuss the account with you. Alternatively, we would need his permission to have your name added to the account, or you or another relative could ring when with your father. Could you please PM with the Electric Ireland account number, the full name, address and contact number recorded on the account?

Kind regards,
Aoife

knowhow

Electric Ireland: Aoife O wrote: »

Hi knowhow,

Thank you for getting in touch with us regarding this, I can appreciate that this is a difficult situation. If your father is worried about building up a debt on the account, we can certainly look into payment options and energy saving methods with him. We wouldn't advise him to unplug appliances which he needs for his own health and safety, though I understand that he is trying to cut back his usage as much as he can.

To understand your father's usage, and what has caused this increase, we will need to review his account. If you are registered on the account, then we can discuss the account with you. Alternatively, we would need his permission to have your name added to the account, or you or another relative could ring when with your father. Could you please PM with the Electric Ireland account number, the full name, address and contact number recorded on the account?

Kind regards,
Aoife

Thanks for getting back to me. My father phoned you guys and was told that he would be charged 100 euros for someone to come out and look at his meter. I have asked him to add me to his account and I will keep on investigating this. This is not right, something is wrong. He lives in two rooms, has nothing plugged in and yet is paying exorbitant bills. I understand you can't deal with me but I have used his email 5 times to contact and still no one has bothered to reply.

He has unplugged everything in the house, he is not trying to cut back on usage he is afraid that he will get another huge bill.

Here is his bill amounts for past year or more..

E58, E52, E62, E20 (this is for 2013),  2014 - E278, E259, E220. No they are not estimated, nothing is plugged in like I said. He has contacted you and was told he would be charged E100. Makes no sense.

EI: Una

Hi knowhow,

A series of under-estimates and then a bill based on a reading which will naturally include the difference is often the explanation for a hike in a bill, but you have confirmed this is not the case.

An issue with wiring/appliances could be the culprit, but this is something that only an electrical contractor can check; it would not be safe for anyone else to do so. If the electrician is of the opinion it might be an issue with the meter, we could contact ESB Networks to arrange a meter inspection. If there is nothing wrong with the meter though, there would be a call-out charge.

Our Appliance Calculator is a good way of monitoring usage and isolating whatever appliance is consuming the most. An example of an appliance I'd suggest is the fridge - is it sealing properly? Does it need to be defrosted?

A payment plan can be set up also, of up to eight weeks in duration.  The bill is based on the figure on the meter so that is all we have to go on for billing. We can completely understand it is not always feasible for a customer to pay a bill two weeks from its issue date though - we would just need confirmation of a later date by which they could pay it.

Our email teams may not be able to respond on the same day, but they will respond ASAP.

Regards,
Una

knowhow

The only appliances plugged in are light bulbs, oh and maybe his computer when he turned it on. The fridge is a small one and even if it did need to be defrosted (which it doesn't) I can't see how this would cause a bill to jump from 40 to 270? This kind of bill isn't even for a family of 6, never mind one man living in two rooms with no heat or appliances plugged in. He tells me the meter is moving very slowly around. His house was just refurbished less than 18 months ago, new wiring etc. I know you are finding a reason and trying to be  helpful with the appliance calculator, but he doesn't have any appliances. It is just so frustrating that he is given the run around and no explanation, he is paying it off slowly, and I am helping but to say oh well we will charge you to come look at it is frustrating too. 

Your email team has failed on this one, I specifically joined this forum to try to contact someone. I have emailed through his account online from April 26, and every day since then and I have emailed directly from his gmail to the eservice email address and I am still waiting. It is his email address so its not about not being able to discuss it with me. I would like to point out that there was not a series of underestimates in billing then an actual reading, I have access to all his bills from the past couple of years and I have read each one, all of which were actual readings.

Anyway, I thought I could help him figure this out but doesn't look likely.

Reply: Because of data protection requirements, we are unable to discuss this account with you as you have confirmed it is in your father's name and there is no other name on it at the moment. Once your father gives permission to add your name to his account, we will be able to discuss account particulars with you.

Can someone reply to his email he sent ??? Can anyone contact him? He has already tried to contact you to be told that he will b e charged 100 euros. Now he is afraid in case he gets more charges. There are no return emails to his numerous ones??

So how does he go about putting me on the account???

EI: Aoife O

Hi knowhow,

If you could send a PM with the email address you used to contact us, I'll follow up with our email team about your response. I apologise if you haven't heard anything from them yet, but once we confirm your email they'll be able to check our system.

To add your name to his account, we would need permission from both your father and yourself. This can be given over the phone, via email, or via Boards PM if you'd like to do so. Once your name is added to the account, we'll be able to discuss the specifics of the usage with you.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,
Aoife

knowhow

Electric Ireland: Aoife O wrote: »

Hi knowhow,

If you could send a PM with the email address you used to contact us, I'll follow up with our email team about your response. I apologise if you haven't heard anything from them yet, but once we confirm your email they'll be able to check our system.

To add your name to his account, we would need permission from both your father and yourself. This can be given over the phone, via email, or via Boards PM if you'd like to do so. Once your name is added to the account, we'll be able to discuss the specifics of the usage with you.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,
Aoife

He can give permission through email? If so I can do that today. Like I said I am in Canada so am unable to call you. I will PM you the email address we tried to reach you guys from April 26, I checked this morning and still no reply. I have sent several emails, through gmail email and directly on the site.

Todd Toddington III

Contact the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) op and report your issues with the provider. Seems to me that they are neglecting there duties in failing to respond to persistant emails re complaints and you are being led on a wild goose chase imo

knowhow

Todd Toddington III wrote: »

Contact the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) op and report your issues with the provider. Seems to me that they are neglecting there duties in failing to respond to persistant emails re complaints and you are being led on a wild goose chase imo

Thanks Todd, I am so frustrated. Of course I just keep hearing that I am not on the account, but no one has even replied to my father's emails either. He phoned and they were not interested, just told him they would charge 100 euros to come out and look at the meter so now he doesn't want anyone to come out as he has no money.

How do I contact the Commission? I will google it I guess, thanks for the info though.

Todd Toddington III

Google or citiizens information website will have it

dharma200

That sounds frightening for him. I really hope it is resolved soon although I think hat esb and electric ireland are notoriously difficult to deal with, it is always better to get mabs, citizens advice or another third party to deal with the problem as they might be given the courtesy of a response... Please don't forget to post back when this is resolved and how it was resolved.... I know everyone's bills went up since jan 2014 but not to this extent... I also know how frightening this type of situation is for elderly people and it is almost criminal no adequate response or investigation has happened since first notified... Good luck and good for you for helping, a lot of people in ireland don't have anyone to help the in this type of situation.. The rises in energy bills are crippling and people are becomming more and more desperate. Ireland 2014... Very sad 

Skatedude

does he have electric immersion  for hot water? it could run up big bills if faulty and stuck on. 

knowhow

dharma200 wrote: »

That sounds frightening for him. I really hope it is resolved soon although I think hat esb and electric ireland are notoriously difficult to deal with, it is always better to get mabs, citizens advice or another third party to deal with the problem as they might be given the courtesy of a response... Please don't forget to post back when this is resolved and how it was resolved.... I know everyone's bills went up since jan 2014 but not to this extent... I also know how frightening this type of situation is for elderly people and it is almost criminal no adequate response or investigation has happened since first notified... Good luck and good for you for helping, a lot of people in ireland don't have anyone to help the in this type of situation.. The rises in energy bills are crippling and people are becomming more and more desperate. Ireland 2014... Very sad 

It is really frightening, he has limited income as it is and now he feels he is snowed under. He is feeling hopeless right now and I am very concerned. Hearing him talk about unplugging the fridge and going to bed early so he doesn't use anything or need heat breaks my heart. It's not right for someone who has worked hard all his life to live like this, I know there are many more like him but we are talking about his electricity bill, not a mortgage or car loan. Bureaucracy is taking over it seems and people just want their money. I have no idea how to resolve this other than send money home but it needs to be investigated, the continuing bill hike is indication of something wrong, but apparently Electric Ireland isn't interested, they want 100 euros for coming out. I will keep at it, and get to the bottom of it.

knowhow

Skatedude wrote: »

does he have electric immersion  for hot water? it could run up big bills if faulty and stuck on. 

I have considered this and got it checked, it is not on. I wish it was just obvious and we could figure this out. His house is small, he only uses two rooms and has no appliances other than a fridge, which he plugged out and still high bill. I will have to send someone out to look at everything in the house and get to the bottom of it.

Thanks though

jca

knowhow wrote: »

I have considered this and got it checked, it is not on. I wish it was just obvious and we could figure this out. His house is small, he only uses two rooms and has no appliances other than a fridge, which he plugged out and still high bill. I will have to send someone out to look at everything in the house and get to the bottom of it.

Thanks though

Please don't think I'm being smart but would he be able to start making a note of his meter readings every day? I know if it was my father he wouldn't be able.

knowhow

jca wrote: »

knowhow wrote: »

I have considered this and got it checked, it is not on. I wish it was just obvious and we could figure this out. His house is small, he only uses two rooms and has no appliances other than a fridge, which he plugged out and still high bill. I will have to send someone out to look at everything in the house and get to the bottom of it.

Thanks though

Please don't think I'm being smart but would he be able to start making a note of his meter readings every day? I know if it was my father he wouldn't be able.

I don't think you're being smart at all, I have talked to him about taking meter readings too. It was hard for me to get him to go look at it and tell me if i t was spinning fast or slow lol, if I was there myself it would be totally different. He is not one for doing this kind of stuff or calling agents and all that, he gets flustered and doesn't feel they are listening or are interested. I will have to ask someone I know to help him out, I guess I assumed that Electric Ireland, once notified of the bill hike would be as interested in fixing it, but it doesn't seem that way. He gets credit units for disability and still has 270 euro bill, how is this not a red flag? I love Ireland, always be my home but I am too used to Canada and the mentality if there is a problem we will send someone out to figure this out. I forgot.

Thanks for your help though.

Jacovs

Not a solution to the problem, but just checking. Is your dad receiving the Household benefits package? He should be entitled to it since he is on disability. Its 35e a month off his electricity bill.
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/extra_social_welfare_benefits/household_benefits_package.html

And if he hasnt applied for this before (its too late for the past winter season) but in future he could also be entitled to this Fuel Allowance. Another 20e per week for the applicable months.
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/extra_social_welfare_benefits/fuel_allowance.html

knowhow

Jacovs wrote: »

Not a solution to the problem, but just checking. Is your dad receiving the Household benefits package? He should be entitled to it since he is on disability. Its 35e a month off his electricity bill.


And if he hasnt applied for this before (its too late for the past winter season) but in future he could also be entitled to this Fuel Allowance. Another 20e per week for the applicable months.

He does already have that, but thanks for the links, handy to know. His bills were still 270 euros even with that. I have no idea what is going on and I would prefer if someone from the company just came out and tried to help him instead of me trying to think how we can do it. Honestly the man is living on the bare minimum, doesn't use the immersion (he doesn't have a bath tub, has electric shower), has a gas cooker, fireplace for heat. So frustrating.

Jacovs

knowhow wrote: »

Jacovs wrote: »

Not a solution to the problem, but just checking. Is your dad receiving the Household benefits package? He should be entitled to it since he is on disability. Its 35e a month off his electricity bill.


And if he hasnt applied for this before (its too late for the past winter season) but in future he could also be entitled to this Fuel Allowance. Another 20e per week for the applicable months.

He does already have that, but thanks for the links, handy to know. His bills were still 270 euros even with that. I have no idea what is going on and I would prefer if someone from the company just came out and tried to help him instead of me trying to think how we can do it. Honestly the man is living on the bare minimum, doesn't use the immersion (he doesn't have a bath tub, has electric shower), has a gas cooker, fireplace for heat. So frustrating.

I noticed you posted about it just as I did.

What price plan is your dad on? Might be a plan that would suit him better.
Also, keep in mind the standing charge is more when you use less than a certain amount of units per month. This wont explain the huge spike in bill amounts, but just to keep in mind.

jca

So difficult to help you from here. If you can get your friend to check his meter readings on a daily basis it would be a start. Is it possible that someone has tapped into his supply as you mention he had work done on the house.

thyme

If the meter is turning slowly with everything plugged out (not just switched off)  then there must be a problem with the wiring somewhere.

Get your friend to unplug everything to make sure and if it's still turning then it's a job for an electrician, not Electric Ireland.

.BrianJM

thyme wrote: »

If the meter is turning slowly with everything plugged out (not just switched off)  then there must be a problem with the wiring somewhere.

Get your friend to unplug everything to make sure and if it's still turning then it's a job for an electrician, not Electric Ireland.

...and if still turning flick off all the trip switches and/or remove fuses, if any and check disk again.

knowhow

Auld-Yin wrote: »

thyme wrote: »

If the meter is turning slowly with everything plugged out (not just switched off)  then there must be a problem with the wiring somewhere.

Get your friend to unplug everything to make sure and if it's still turning then it's a job for an electrician, not Electric Ireland.

...and if still turning flick off all the trip switches and/or remove fuses, if any and check disk again.

Thanks everyone for your advice and help. I will be doing all those things and if anyone knows of an electrician in Mullingar that would come take a quick look that would be brilliant!!

Electric Ireland replied to my email stating that investing in a lagging jacket for 20 euros would save 30% in his bills. I know this was a generic email they send out, it was nothing to do remotely with what we had emailed, so obviously its not a problem solving service, just information that is already on their website. Fed up.

thyme

Sent you a Pm with some names and numbers, hope they can help.

wmpdd3

OP have you seen the actual bills? 

Can you see what the bill is made out of? 

Really this is the place to start. once you are added as a person on the account, you can sign up for online billing.

The 'had work done' rings bells for me too. I have an old house and there are controls for old heating systems that use power that can be turned on and no one would ever know they are turned on. 

If he lives in close to other people, someone tapping hsi supply has to be an option.  

http://www.ageaction.ie/care-and-repair/about-care-and-repair

Help the aged send out / recommend repair people near me and they are excellent at dealing with older people and those with disabilities. 

I really hope you can get to the bottom of this, sorry I don't live closer and cant help. 

turbot

Is it possible that someone is stealing his electricity? 

Giving his vulnerable status, he would be an easy target.

One way you could test this would be to turn off everything for 24 hours in those two rooms and see if there is still some kind of drain.

knowhow

wmpdd3 wrote: »

OP have you seen the actual bills? 

Can you see what the bill is made out of? 

Really this is the place to start. once you are added as a person on the account, you can sign up for online billing.

The 'had work done' rings bells for me too. I have an old house and there are controls for old heating systems that use power that can be turned on and no one would ever know they are turned on. 

If he lives in close to other people, someone tapping hsi supply has to be an option.  



Help the aged send out / recommend repair people near me and they are excellent at dealing with older people and those with disabilities. 

I really hope you can get to the bottom of this, sorry I don't live closer and cant help. 

Yes I have seen the bills, I signed him up for online billing so I could see. I can view them and the list I gave earlier of the pricing changes is from reading them online on the billing site. His water tank in the attic burst about 2 years ago, the whole place was rewired, dry walled etc, there have been no problems until Jan of this year. I  have no idea and being so far away it is impossible to check it myself and I am afraid my father is old school. He is construction savvy, that's we are baffled at what could be going on. He wants to get the pay meter thingys but he has to pay his bill off first. I am sending money over to clear the bill then order the new meter.

I really appreciate everyone's advice and help. Thank you.

jca

Don't get the pre pay meter without finding out for definite it isn't a wiring/ someone stealing his electricity problem or as bad as he is now he'd be worse off with those robbers. If he goes pre pay power he'll lose his free units allowance too. 

Electric Ireland: David

Hi knowhow,

knowhow wrote:

Electric Ireland replied to my email stating that investing in a lagging jacket for 20 euros would save 30% in his bills. I know this was a generic email they send out, it was nothing to do remotely with what we had emailed, so obviously its not a problem-solving service, just information that is already on their website. Fed up.

Sorry to read that you were unhappy with the response you received. An energy-saving tip such as the above would be just one of many we would offer in reponse to customers querying usage. We would also advise performing the meter check mentioned above by Auld-Yin, thyme and turbot, and contacting an electrical contractor to rule out any wiring faults.


We also have a section on our website dedicated to helping customers reduce their usage.


The best next thing to do is the aforementioned meter check, which would involve turning off all appliances (ideally from the main trip switch) for 10 to 15 minutes, and then inspecting your meter. If the meter's disk is still revolving (or the dial flashing, if the meter is digital), your father would need to have an electrician check for possible internal wiring faults. See here for help finding a registered electrical contractor if this is still needed (I'm aware other users have probably already helped you out on this front - that's the great thing about Boards ).


If your father finds that the meter does come to a standstill once all the power has been turned off, we would advise then plugging everything out (or as many appliances as possible). That way when he turns the power back on, he could plug appliances in one-by-one to see if any of them in particular cause the meter to spin quickly. This could help isolate the culprit.

knowhow wrote:

He wants to get the pay meter thingys but he has to pay his bill off first. I am sending money over to clear the bill then order the new meter.

We offer a pay-as-you-go option to customers currently in arrears or experiencing financial difficulties - see here for more information. Arrears would not need to be cleared first, as this option is tailored specifically to help such customers manage their arrears.

I hope this information helps, and if you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Regards,
David

knowhow

Electric Ireland: David wrote: »

Hi knowhow,

Originally posted by knowhow
Electric Ireland replied to my email stating that investing in a lagging jacket for 20 euros would save 30% in his bills. I know this was a generic email they send out, it was nothing to do remotely with what we had emailed, so obviously its not a problem-solving service, just information that is already on their website. Fed up.

Sorry to read that you were unhappy with the response you received. An energy-saving tip such as the above would be just one of many we would offer in reponse to customers querying usage. We would also advise performing the meter check mentioned above by Auld-Yin, thyme and turbot, and contacting an electrical contractor to rule out any wiring faults.


We also have a  dedicated to helping customers reduce their usage.


The best next thing to do is the aforementioned meter check, which would involve turning off all appliances (ideally from the main trip switch) for 10 to 15 minutes, and then inspecting your meter. If the meter's disk is still revolving (or the dial flashing, if the meter is digital), your father would need to have an electrician check for possible internal wiring faults. See  for help finding a registered electrical contractor if this is still needed (I'm aware other users have probably already helped you out on this front - that's the great thing about Boards ).


If your father finds that the meter does come to a standstill once all the power has been turned off, we would advise then plugging everything out (or as many appliances as possible). That way when he turns the power back on, he could plug appliances in one-by-one to see if any of them in particular cause the meter to spin quickly. This could help isolate the culprit.

Originally posted by knowhow
He wants to get the pay meter thingys but he has to pay his bill off first. I am sending money over to clear the bill then order the new meter.

We offer a pay-as-you-go option to customers currently in arrears or experiencing financial difficulties - s for more information. Arrears would not need to be cleared first, as this option is tailored specifically to help such customers manage their arrears.

I hope this information helps, and if you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Regards,
David

so my father who is on disability, trying to pay off his huge bill that we can't figure out , is getting calls from India about paying his ESB bill. I have paid his bill, I have talked with customer service several times, my father has talked on the phone with them to the best of his ability and we still get "when are you paying?? we want our money" calls. I am fuming and needless to say  he will be opting for a different electric source. After all our effort and payments, Electric Ireland gets an outsourced company to harass my disabled father telling him that they are not concerned with if he can pay his bill, call customer service, they want to know when they are getting the money. Charming.

EI: Aoife O

Hi knowhow,

Thank you for your post. I can confirm that we don't outsource to India; I would be happy to look into the account for you by PM if you wish, and confirm the origin of any calls you received from us.

I'm sorry to read that you're thinking of switching provider. If we can assist you with any of your queries, please don't hesitate to contact us. For data protection, we would need to discuss any specifics of the account by PM.

Kind regards,
Aoife