We know getting an unexpectedly high bill can be difficult. In this article, we’ll explain why this might be the case, and what can be done about it. 

Payments are different to bills, though higher bills will result in higher payments with time.

TABLE OF CONTENTS


If You’ve Recently Joined So Energy (From Another Supplier)

When you switch to So Energy, you're asked for your yearly fuel usage (electricity and/or gas). This is used to calculate your monthly Direct Debit. If you didn't manage to provide your exact usage, we have to estimate your payments. 


You’ll receive your first bill (another word for energy statement) from So Energy around a month after your switch is complete. By this point, we’ll have received two things:

  • Meter readings (either from yourself directly or from your smart meter if you’ve got one) showing a month’s worth of energy use
  • Historical usage figures for the property. Only your current energy supplier has access to these, and they take a while to transfer when you sign up to a new one. We’ll use these figures to estimate your usage going forward and decide on an estimated meter reading if we don’t have one from you or a smart meter

If your first bill doesn't look quite right, it’s likely that you haven’t provided a meter reading or were not aware of the historic usage of the property (or both). Sometimes this cannot be avoided, especially if you have moved into a new property.

Sometimes complications can happen around the opening reading validation process.

We want to make sure your billing is always correct, so please provide a meter reading each month (ideally on the monthly anniversary of the day when you came on supply). Even better, if you haven't already, why not get a free smart meter installed? This will allow you to better understand your usage and make any adjustments.

If you joined during the colder months and are on Equal Payments, it’s more likely that your bills are going to be higher than your payments since you’ll be using more energy for heating and you’ll end up building a bit of a debit until spring. We take this into account when calculating or reviewing your monthly payments.

You can change to Seasonally Adjusted Payments via your online account, which will see your payments increase by 25% (of the amount you should be paying on your usage) between October to March but decrease by 25% between April to September.


If You’ve Moved Into a Property Already Supplied by So Energy

We encourage everyone who moves into a new property to take photos of the meter readings when they move in. It’s also important to share the readings with us and the landlord/letting agents/previous owners and agree the changeover readings in any check-in reports. This will help with a smooth transition.

Initially, no one will have a clear idea of your usage, so Direct Debit amounts will be estimated based on the property's history. It's typical for your bills to differ from those at your previous residence.

The same advice applies as above to provide a meter reading each month or even better have a smart meter installed if you haven’t already. This will allow you to better understand your usage and make any adjustments to your energy usage.

You can also check the EPC rating for your new property.


If You Haven’t Provided a Reading in a Long Time (Catch-up Bill)

Firstly, if you haven’t provided a reading in a long time but have done so recently, thank you!

When it comes to accurate bills, regular readings are key. We bill you monthly, which means that we’ve had to issue an estimate for each month without readings. The longer the period goes between meter readings, the less accurate the estimates will be.

If the estimates have been lower than your actual usage for a long time, when actual readings come in it may look on the bill like you’ve had a lot of usage during one month. When a meter reading is submitted after a while, it will account for any usage the estimates did not account for.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to get a free smart meter installed so you don’t have to worry about submitting meter readings each month. This will help avoid those unpleasant catch-up bills.


If Your Usage Has Increased

Your usage varies from month to month. In the winter, people tend to spend more time indoors using more energy. If they have a tumble dryer, they will likely use this more in the winter as opposed to summer, when clothes can be hung outside. It’s important to take these things into account when you see your usage change. If you notice a large difference and you’re providing regular meter readings, it’s worth looking at your usage a year or two ago. This may involve digging up past bills with So Energy. You can find all your bills on your online account to see how it compares.

Even if you are using a different amount than a year ago, it’s worth thinking about anything which has changed in the property since:

  • Have you changed any appliances recently? Items such as tumble dryers can be quite expensive to run
  • Have more people move into your home?
  • Are you using the heating more often or changed the settings on the thermostat?

All of these things will impact your usage and can result in significant changes to your bill. For tips on how you can reduce your usage, click here.


What Happens Next 

Payments are separate from bills. But unless your bill went up due to a one-off event and there is a significant amount of credit on the account already, your payments are likely going to have to increase to account for the higher usage. This is done via a Direct Debit review, and we do these throughout the year.

You can always make a one-off payment via your account to reduce any debit (or increase existing credit) in order to offset a high bill, and this would reduce any payment increases.

We won’t increase your payments if we think your payments will continue to cover your usage.


A Quick Note on Meters & Usage Recording

Almost all meters record usage accurately within the guidelines set by the Office for Product Safety and Standards. So long as you’re getting the reading correctly from the actual meter on the wall, you can be assured of the accuracy of the reading.

However, if you do believe your meter may be one of the very unlikely few to be recording usage outside of the accepted parameters, click here for more details.