Water and Electricity - Estimated vs Actual usuage

[Shard]

I've just bought a house and got a bit of a bill shock till I realised they're just pumping estimate usage into the bill calcs.

So the estimated electricity meter reading was on a total of 25000 KWh, when I checked the meter, the actual reading was on 16000 KWh. They'd been estimating way over actual usage and the previous owner who was in JHB (house in CT) had just been paying it.

As such first estimate came in with 2000+ KWh used for the month, when the highest I'd ever gone at my previous property had been 800 KWh.

I've heard if you by a place and the utility bill is not paid up, you get stuck with. My question, does anyone have any experience of it working the other way round?

They effectively oh the previous owner 11000 KWh of power, not just that but also the overcharging into tier 4 of the pricing structure.

 

[bekdik]

Contact the municipality

 

[Shard]

Contact the municipality

Done already. Online readings reflect change and account statement is generated with new reading for meter readings on the bottom, but billing is still for the 2000 KWh.

Have to wait for next account statement that gets sent via their batch process, because I assume that updates accounting, to see the financial impact.

Was just wondering if anyone had experience while I waited.

 

[bekdik]

I quite often get estimated readings when the meter reader doesn't get around to actually reading the meter and they automatically adjust the balance once the actual reading takes place.