Very high final electricity bill

[Susan11]

My mum’s balance was in credit. She was very careful about things like that & she would save up any correspondence for me to look at but all the bills would have been paid via direct debit until her death so she was up to date paying the bills but they were always estimated usage based on her previous bills when the property was occupied.

I think it's the fact that the bills were probably underestimated so although your Mum was paying regularly it would not have been enough to cover the actual amount so an outstanding amount has accrued. Shame but I think you're fighting a losing battle. Sorry to say that !
I would double check the final readings were correct.

 

[Kikki21]

The final reading is correct. My concern is that the bill is so high for the period of between April 2019 & the final reading date which is what the £500 relates to when all that was in use were 2 lights in the property & then from July onwards then it went down to 1 light & then when the property was empty - nothing on at all.
But we shall see.

 

[jugglingmum]

If the final reading is correct then the final bill is probably correct.

The £500 isn't the electricity usage between April 19 and sale of house, it is the total electricity used between sale of house date and the last correct meter reading (sometime in 2017) less the amount paid in that date plus or minus any balance at the meter reading in 2017.

Was the meter reading in 2017 read by your mum or the electric co (british gas I think) - my MIL read her own meter and sent it in, and it was then shown as a meter reading not estimated, but she'd read it wrong. She then got a very high bill (about £1000) when they came and read it, and wouldn't pay it, which SIL finally sorted out.

How is your mum's house heated, was any heating on through winter? Even if central heating is on gas, the pump uses electricity.

If meter reading was in early 2017 and your mum was leaving lots of things on during 2017 they might well have underestimated her usage during 2017.

I ended up with a high bill once when the tariff went up and they hadn't adjusted for it in my monthly DD.

So whilst the final period will be a low charge, all the estimated bills since 2017 need to be taken into account as well, which is probably what is making the high charge.

 

[silver'lantern]

I have been reading this ongoing.....what people are saying is....
yes the final reading was taken and final bill produced...but ....
as there had been only estimates up until that final reading the estimates have maybe been wrong and not covered usage......and so this final bill totals up all the previous payments and all the units used over the whole period the estimates were given in the past (not just the last few months) the shortfall from estimated bills still has to be cleared and maybe that is where the extra on the final bill has been accrued. you need to look past the bill being for the last few months....