im just trying to be green

[stuee147]

i got a letter on Saturday from my electric supplier asking me if i was having any problems with my supply as iv only ever put £60 in the pay as you go meter since i moved in there in October, in the letter they go on about there has to be something wrong with my meter and would like to come out to check it. and if i have a problem affording to top up my electric i should contact them for help.
it strikes me as funny these electric suppliers send you out all this info on saving energy, yet when i talk to them on the phone they dont seem to be able to understand why im not wasting my electricity. they even hinted at the fact that they think im bypassing my meter and getting free power, of course they wouldn't accuse me in so many words but keep telling me that the only way they could see me using so little power is bypassing the meter. i told them that they are welcome to come and look its just how it was left when i moved in.

iv also had the council asking me loads of questions as since October iv only put my bins out twice, once again they didnt seem to understand that not everyone has overflowing bins every week and that some of us dont buy stuff with loads of packaging and dont wast food and so dont have loads of rubbish.

sometimes i wonder why i bother being green because all i get is accused of fiddling with the power and fly tipping

 

[classic33]

They'll want to come out & check that you are not bypassing the meter. Invite them out to check for themselves on the understanding they'll apologise when proved wrong.

 

[stuee147]

They'll want to come out & check that you are not bypassing the meter. Invite them out to check for themselves on the understanding they'll apologise when proved wrong.

yea i said to them on the phone they are more than welcome to come a look any-time they want just turn up iv got nothing to hide

Are you burning your rubbish for heating?

Only joking stuee, well done. Don't be deterred.

lol that would be a good idea lol i used to do that years ago down south i had open fires but then they started going on about smokeless fuels so you cant even burn your rubbish now in-case you get complaints about the smoke lol

 

[classic33]

Chances are they may plan on a visit, my suggestion was given with that in mind. They can't acuse you outright over the phone, but you can prove them wrong.

 

[stephec]

You've got to let us in on your secret, how do you use so little electricity?

 

[format]

Seriously though, £60 across more than 6 months? How?!

 

[Yellow Fang]

I thought my consumption was low but my bill for those six months was about £145.

 

[stuee147]

Chances are they may plan on a visit, my suggestion was given with that in mind. They can't acuse you outright over the phone, but you can prove them wrong.

yea iv told them they can visit anytime the meter is outside so even if im not in they can have a look and see that its all as should be.

and its easy @classic33 , @stephec , @format, @Yellow Fang and everyone else that wants to cut down on there power bills.
firstly i have pay as you go meters for gas and electric and i dont have any form of arrears on either so there's no pay back threw the meters that makes a big difference i know folk that have £5 or even £10 a week taken from there meters for bills
then in the house
i only use low power led lights and i dont leave lights on if im not in a room the lights off.
i also dont haven't had a tv for about 4 years now so there is a lot of power saved. for entertainment i love my music so i have a portable radio mp3 player that can run on mains, built in rechargeable battery, or wind up power which also charges the battery. the radio, mp3 player i have also has an alarm clock on it.
and also i dont have anything on 24/7 and i mean nothing, i dont even have a fridge plugged in, i used to but i didnt see the point when i dont have anything that needs to be chilled. i cant take milk so dont need a fridge for that all my veg i buy fresh and store in a veg rack not the fridge. i dont use butter or other dairy so dont need a fridge for that. i tend to buy food like meat as and when i need it. that way nothing gets wasted or left and i like it because i can pick what i want to eat each day.
the only appliance that i use is a washing machine and because i live alone thats only about once per week and even then its done on an economy wash.
i also have a solar pack that iv had for years that i used to use for camping and hiking its a small light power pack with a solar cell that clips to the outside of your rucksack. i tend to leave it on the bedroom window and i plug my phone into that at night to top my phone up
so you see its easy to save power. my cooker and heating are both gas so there's no electric there. having said that i put about £15 to £20 per mouth in my gas for heating, hot water and cooking, having said that now the weather is warming up my gas should go down to about £10 a month so more savings lol

 

[summerdays]

Very impressed! I wish our bills were anything like that but with a family of 5 who like electric things it's never going to be that low but I still go around turning off lights (put one light in a bedroom on a motion detector when I gave up trying to get them to turn it off).

 

[IDMark2]

Well done @stuee147, you are a (low energy) shining example of 'Where there is a will...' Must go, need to wind-up my laptop again, it's been on for 5 minutes...

 

[Beebo]

It's all a lie, this is @stuee147 house at Christmas. (probably)

 

[stephec]

Thanks Stuee.

 

[welsh dragon]

Chances are they may plan on a visit, my suggestion was given with that in mind. They can't acuse you outright over the phone, but you can prove them wrong.

How can you prove they are wrong if haven't accused you of anything? And don't they a statutory right to enter your home to check the meter?

 

[classic33]

Bypassing the meter usually involves heavy duty wiring. Not easy to hide the cuts where the insulation on the wires have been made.
They can enter your property to check, but in this case the meter is outside, so that right is removed.
To accuse a customer, over the phone of bypassing/tampering
with the meter would leave them with more than egg on their faces.
Which is why I suggested the invite be made on the understanding that an apology be given when they are proved wrong.

 

[ASC1951]

...To accuse a customer, over the phone of bypassing/tampering with the meter would leave them with more than egg on their faces.
Which is why I suggested the invite be made on the understanding that an apology be given when they are proved wrong.

You can see why they would have that suspicion, though - that really is very very low usage. I had the same experience when I first set up in business. HMRC couldn't understand how I got by on so little income and accused me of not putting all of it through the books.
No point in being surly with them, IMO, just let them come and have a look.