British Gas, OVO, EDF, Octopus customers have been told to check if their bills are too high. Citizens Advice is urging customers with energy companies to remember your energy bill should reflect the amount of gas or electricity you’ve used.
If your bill has suddenly gone up and you weren’t expecting it, it’s worth finding out why it’s happened, the group warns. Some electrical appliances can cost a lot to run. You might be getting a higher bill if you recently started using a new electrical appliance, for example a tumble dryer, plug-in heater or hot tub.
There are other checks you can do, too, like seeing whether your company or firm has put prices up. Meter faults are rare, but there could be a problem with your meter if your bills suddenly go up and you haven’t changed how much gas or electricity you use, Citizens Advice said.
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The group also says that, if your bill isn’t an estimate, you should be able to use your bill to check if you’ve been billed for the wrong meter reading. For example, the supplier or firm you're with might have made a mistake and given you a bill based on someone else's meter reading.
You should first look at your most recent bill and then find the meter readings on it that your supplier used. Then, read your meter and compare it to the number on the bill and iff there’s a big difference, your supplier might have billed you for someone else’s meter.
Alternatively, you might have given them an inaccurate reading. Then, contact your supplier and give them the new reading - and you should ask them to send a new bill based on the new meter reading or check you’ve been billed for the right meter, the group goes on to add.
