Electricity bill 'increased by 925%' after error

A pensioner has described her horror and disbelief when she discovered her electricity company said she was more than £1,000 in arrears.

Dr Nuala McAllister only discovered the error when she checked if she was on the cheapest tariff.

The 71-year-old, who lives in County Londonderry, said she could not understand why the issue was not detected by her supplier.

SSE Airtricity has said that a new bill will be issued this week to correct the error.

NIE Networks is engaging with SSE on the matter.

The company said an incorrect meter reading was submitted by the network provider in August.

Dr McAllister said she reviewed her bill after reading a BBC News NI article about switching electricity supplier.

"I read the article and I thought maybe it was time for a change, and to my horror, I discovered that in the bill dated 19 November, I was £1,003 in arrears.

"My electricity usage, according to SSE, has increased by 925%," Dr McAllister told BBC News NI.

The pensioner said she was in disbelief and astonished that such a mistake could be made.

She currently pays her bills via direct debit.

Dr McAllister provided evidence of actual meter readings and her bill to BBC News NI, which shows a spike in usage during the summer of 2024.

An actual reading means it was taken by an official.

"I can pinpoint exactly when it happened," she said

"It was during the summertime, when the meter reading was taken that seemed to be totally ridiculous.

"It seemed to suggest that in three or four days, I had used 639 units of electricity," Dr McAllister told BBC News NI.

A spokesperson for SSE Airtricity told BBC News NI that it has resolved the issue for the customer and will issue a new bill.

"The balance on this customer's account was higher than anticipated following an incorrect meter read being submitted to SSE Airtricity by the network provider in August.

"Subsequently, estimated readings in the following months were also higher.

"While billing on the customer's account was higher than anticipated, this customer's monthly repayments remained... as per their budget plan agreement.

"Following an actual meter read being submitted in November, previous billing was reversed to reflect the customer's usage," it said in a statement.

Dr McAllister has described the process as frustrating.

"I have been told by SSE that the problem originates from the fact that my meter readings were not sent in often enough.

"In actual fact, it's got nothing to do with my own readings," said Dr McAllister.

"There was no explanation, no flagging it up, nothing from SSE. I discovered this myself when I logged into my online account.

"What hope is there for other people who aren't computer literate?

"I think it's absolutely appalling… that no one picked up on that, and they seem to think that a pensioner, someone who is paying their bills regularly, can wait three and a half weeks, if not four, for this issue to be resolved."

NIE Networks, which is responsible for installing, maintaining, and reading meters for all customers in Northern Ireland, regardless of their electricity supplier, said it liaises with suppliers regularly on customer usage and meter readings.

"We are happy to engage further with SSE on this matter," a spokesperson added.