The British Gas Bill Debacle: A Case of Mistaken Identity

Imagine receiving a bill for £10,529 from British Gas, demanding payment within 10 days, when you have never been a customer of theirs. This is exactly what happened to Jessica*, a tenant in a modest flat in London. Her monthly bill from E.ON Next, her actual energy provider, was a mere £50.60.

Jessica recounts her frustrating experience of contacting British Gas repeatedly, only to be told that she owed the money because her electricity supply was registered to them. Even after providing photographic evidence that she was not with British Gas, she was informed that she needed to pay the bill unless she could somehow prove that the meter they were charging her for did not exist.

A representative from British Gas revealed that their industry database listed a business account under Jessica’s address, despite her insistence that she had never been their customer. It turned out that the meter registered to her flat was actually registered to a non-existent Flat 5 in the building. Previous bills had been sent to the wrong address, which is why Jessica was completely blindsided by the alleged debt in January.

Jessica is just one example of countless homeowners who have received shock bills for someone else’s energy due to errors on the industry database. Each property has a unique reference number that matches its gas and electricity supply to the correct address. However, customers are unable to check this number themselves as it only appears on their bills, not on their actual meter. As a result, some homeowners inadvertently end up paying the wrong energy supplier.

In particular, residents in recently built or converted flats are more likely to be affected by meter mix-ups, as meter point reference numbers may be registered before the new addresses are confirmed.

Take Sue Lowndes, for example, who found herself caught between four suppliers after moving into a newly converted flat in 2020. For two years, she paid British Gas for her electricity, only to start receiving bills from Scottish Power addressed to her neighbor. It turned out that Scottish Power had been supplying her energy all along, but sending bills to the wrong flat. Then, she discovered that her supply had been transferred to Ovo by mistake.

Even the energy companies themselves struggled to figure out who Sue’s actual supplier was. Scottish Power initially claimed they had been providing her energy but sending bills to the wrong flat. Eventually, it was revealed that she had been a British Gas customer, but her supply had been erroneously transferred to Ovo, who also billed the wrong address.

Upon investigation, it was discovered that at least three flats in Sue’s block had been registered against the wrong supply, resulting in residents being charged for their neighbors’ electricity. British Gas had been charging Sue for her neighbor’s supply for a whopping 18 months. The refund she received was to compensate for these incorrect payments.

The database is so tangled that even the energy companies themselves were unable to determine Sue’s true supplier. Scottish Power blamed E.ON for installing the electricity meters incorrectly after the building conversion, registering Sue’s meter to the wrong address in the central database. E.ON declined to comment, and Sue has since been transferred back to British Gas while awaiting an updated bill.

Under Ofgem’s back-billing rules, companies are not allowed to charge customers retrospectively for more than 12 months of gas and electricity if they failed to issue accurate bills at the time. Sue will only be liable for the energy supplied over the past year.

Jessica’s battle, however, continues. British Gas insists that the management company must confirm which meter supplies her flat before canceling the bill and correcting the database. Despite three months passing, the management company has failed to do so.

Customers who suspect they are being incorrectly billed can escalate their complaints to the Energy Ombudsman, which highlighted billing issues, including meter mismatches, as the most common category of complaint it receives.

Ofgem emphasizes that under supplier licensing conditions, energy companies must take all necessary steps to accurately reflect meter readings on bills, and it takes action if data from suppliers and the ombudsman suggests significant issues affecting customers.

To avoid falling victim to mistaken identity in billing, it is essential to know your energy meter numbers. The meter point administration number (MPAN) refers to electricity, while the meter point reference number (MPRN) pertains to gas. These numbers are crucial for confirming your location when switching suppliers or moving homes. They can be found on utility bills, but not on your meter itself. If you don’t have a bill, contact your supplier for the numbers. If you don’t know your supplier, reach out to the relevant network operator for assistance.

Another important step is to verify the meter serial number (MSN) printed on your meter matches the MSN on your bills. This ensures that you are not being billed for someone else’s energy usage.

However, even matching the MSN may not resolve the issue if the meter has been registered to the wrong address. To check which address it is registered to, you need the MPAN.

If a billing dispute remains unresolved for eight weeks, you have the right to escalate your complaint to the Energy Ombudsman.

*Name has been changed

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