Estimated meter readings can be a costly exercise

I SWITCHED to Bord Gáis for electricity last year.

On October 1 they reduced their prices, so I knew I would be paying two different prices for the electricity used between mid-September and mid-November. As a precaution I read my meters on October 1 and recorded the readings.

As I cannot rely on the ESB reading my meters (they are supposed to read them for Bord Gáis), I phoned the meter readings for November 9 to Bord Gáis.

But instead of using them, they used estimated readings supplied by the ESB. They then estimated my consumption between the readings I had provided for September 10 and the end of that month.

When compared with the real figures, their estimates for day domestic units were 131 too high, night domestic were 24 units too low and night storage 99 units too low.

As the reduction in the charge for day domestic electricity was twice the reduction on night domestic and night heating, I was out of pocket, but as the net amount was small I let it go.

On January 8 last I phoned my readings to Bord Gáis again. They then did something which the ESB had never done — they disregarded the estimated readings used in November. They credited me with the amount I had paid and proceeded to recalculate the estimated electricity used between September 10-30 and October 1 to January 8 on the entirely false assumption that my usage had been constant between September 10 and January 8.

Their estimate for the day domestic units between September 10-30 was 31 units too high, the night domestic units 44 too low and the night storage units estimate was 638 units too high.

On receipt of this bill I complained by phone but the only result was that the ESB came and read the meters themselves. However, I was not complaining about the readings — it was the use, or rather misuse, that Bord Gáis was making of them.

I rang Bord Gáis again and pointed out to them that as I had used no night heating electricity between July 9 and September 10 it was ridiculous to assume I would use 916 night heating units in the next 20 days and gave them my readings for October 1.

The only result was further visits from the ESB who offered to remove my night storage heating meter and connect the storage heaters to the night domestic meter. This I refused to let them do as I like to know exactly where the electricity is going. If they have done this to me I feel sure they have done it to others as well. But as the figures show, it is the owners of night storage heaters and/or those who supplement their heating with electric fires who are most at risk of being overcharged for electricity assumed to have been used in September, 2009.

Allen Crosbie

Merville

Cobh

Co Cork