Electric Rewire - Now Huge Bill. Advice Please!

[moggie 939]

A elderly friend who has only storage elect. heaters and no gas in a small bungalow usually in credit at £40 month has received a bill for 6 months of £2000!!

The only thing different is that a few months ago she had a complete rewire and a new modern fuse box fitted (but not a new meter of course)

Could this have anything to do with this? You could not wire a fusebox incorrectly could you!

Thanks
Gordon

[gingejbee]

Storage heaters are wired in so that they use cheaper overnight power like Economy 7. Sounds like they might now be using full-price electricity? did the electrician make a blunder?

[BRIGHT SPARK]

They can be wired incorrectly however it does not make the energy meter go faster.Give me a list of the loadings and timed usage and I'll give you a rough costing.

[BRIGHT SPARK]

Sorry ginge.....yes if the installer got the mains tails wrong and if its on the old white meter system the bills will rise.Get the installer back.

[sunny-dave]

gingejbee could have a point - although £2000 is rather more than I'd expect the difference between economy and full-rate to be.

[The Builder]

Unit prices vary like mad, but roughly, off-peak overnight is usually around a quarter to a third of standard rate.
Your £2000 for six months is £1000 per quarter. Which would be approx £250-£300 per quarter. Probably about right for an all-electric house.

As His Brightness has said......... the installer has got his tails in a twist :o(

[gingejbee]

Or, the installer is the brother of your friend's next-door neighbour whose bills have recently reduced dramatically!?

[moggie 939]

Thanks all. Can't get loadings as nowhere near here, but accept the points made. Electrician part rewired bungalow and fitted a brand new upto date fuse box (original very old!)

My friend is getting on to agent who supplied and payed electrician and energy supplier is comng out to see what has happened as they agree there is a fault somewhere
Thanks. Will keep this board informed when I know anything,

[factor-fiction]

The bill will show whether the split between low/night rate and day rate which should help you see whether the meters have been connected the wrong way round- although I can't see how that could happen as the timer in the meter isn't it?

[factor-fiction]

Sorry methyl- I got distracted before finishing my post and hadn't seen yours

[factor-fiction]

Has he got some new neighbours who have a lot of green plants in their bedrooms?

[BRIGHT SPARK]

Yes ff the meters installed in the last 20 or so years have a radio controlled teleswitch to change from day to night rate and so all circuits are on cheap :-) rate at night. However some still use the old white meter system and you effectively have 2 separate systems.The electrician could have connected both to standard rate.