ᐅ Construction site electricity meter reading not recorded. Is the incorrect billing accurate?
Created on: 10 Apr 2019 13:03
L
laurooon
Hello everyone,
I’m having some trouble with my temporary construction power. We moved into our new house last November. Right when we moved in, the temporary construction power was switched to regular power, and I received my own meter.
However, I continued to receive bills for the construction power. At first, I thought the cancellation of the temporary power might just take some time. But in March, I found out that the temporary power was never actually canceled, and of course, I didn’t note the meter reading when the meter was changed (this is my first time building a house!). Apparently, the electrician kept using “my” construction power meter for other buildings. There are almost 2000 kWh (2140 kWh) more recorded on the meter than there should be based on calculations!
Is there anything I can do? If this is accepted as it is, I will probably have to pay several hundred dollars extra.
Best regards
I’m having some trouble with my temporary construction power. We moved into our new house last November. Right when we moved in, the temporary construction power was switched to regular power, and I received my own meter.
However, I continued to receive bills for the construction power. At first, I thought the cancellation of the temporary power might just take some time. But in March, I found out that the temporary power was never actually canceled, and of course, I didn’t note the meter reading when the meter was changed (this is my first time building a house!). Apparently, the electrician kept using “my” construction power meter for other buildings. There are almost 2000 kWh (2140 kWh) more recorded on the meter than there should be based on calculations!
Is there anything I can do? If this is accepted as it is, I will probably have to pay several hundred dollars extra.
Best regards
Who was responsible for deregistering the meter?
Has it been deregistered now?
Have you paid any invoices between November and March?
What does the electrician say?
My gut feeling is to write off the money already paid. The payment went to the energy company, but from whom could you claim it legally? You would likely lose in court. Partial fault due to the missed deregistration would leave you responsible for all legal costs.
Dispute all unpaid invoices immediately and prevent new ones from accumulating.
Has it been deregistered now?
Have you paid any invoices between November and March?
What does the electrician say?
My gut feeling is to write off the money already paid. The payment went to the energy company, but from whom could you claim it legally? You would likely lose in court. Partial fault due to the missed deregistration would leave you responsible for all legal costs.
Dispute all unpaid invoices immediately and prevent new ones from accumulating.
Of course, I pay my electricity bills. After all, it’s not their fault. I am registered under meter number 123456 and have used the recorded kilowatt-hours.
I can only argue logically that, compared to my average monthly consumption, the billed amount is far too high in those months. That’s all I have to go on.
But I really want to warn everyone to note or photograph the readings of the construction power meter. The meter was replaced while I was away on a business trip, so I had no chance to take a picture, and it got overlooked amid the general construction stress. Now I’m stuck potentially paying for someone else’s electricity because no one canceled the registration of that meter. By the way, you can’t cancel this yourself; the electrician—who also registers the meter at the start—has to do it. Only they receive the meter. If you’re not careful, you can end up losing out.
I can only argue logically that, compared to my average monthly consumption, the billed amount is far too high in those months. That’s all I have to go on.
But I really want to warn everyone to note or photograph the readings of the construction power meter. The meter was replaced while I was away on a business trip, so I had no chance to take a picture, and it got overlooked amid the general construction stress. Now I’m stuck potentially paying for someone else’s electricity because no one canceled the registration of that meter. By the way, you can’t cancel this yourself; the electrician—who also registers the meter at the start—has to do it. Only they receive the meter. If you’re not careful, you can end up losing out.
laurooon schrieb:
I can only argue logically, ... Depending on who your contracting party is (which you apparently don’t want to disclose), it can also be argued that there is still a 5- or 2-year warranty on the house / work and that a fair cooperation is expected.Similar topics