The Daily Telegraph

Estimated bills leave customers out of pocket

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sir – My electricit­y is provided by Octopus Energy. As a pensioner with a limited income, I have to be very careful financiall­y. For several months I have relied on estimated bills. Not any more.

I thought, even with price increases, that I was paying too much. When I put in a meter reading, I discovered a credit balance of £359.41. What good is that money doing in Octopus Energy’s bank account? I want the benefit of it myself.

Octopus Energy has a telephone message which reassuring­ly states that most problems can be dealt with in 24 hours. However, this does not seem to cover my request for reimbursem­ent. I have emailed six times for the return of my money.

What is the word for the retention of somebody else’s money? Don’t we call it theft? It certainly feels like it when I am denied the use of my own funds. Kate Brettell

Thirsk, North Yorkshire

sir – Many houses in Britain are now fitted with condenser boilers fuelled by gas or oil. However, many older properties still have an earlier design of radiator, which only provides enough heat when operated at relatively high water temperatur­e.

The condenser contributi­on to heating the water can produce up to 20 per cent of the total heat but relies on the return temperatur­e to the boiler being as low as possible, ideally around 40 degrees Celsius.

I cannot yet afford to convert to an electric heat pump, but at modest cost have replaced my old radiators with a new type, which have a much larger surface area. Keeping a lower water temperatur­e has already resulted in significan­t savings and bodes well for the long term.

Should I eventually be forced to convert to a heat pump, the same radiators will still produce heat efficientl­y. I commend this interim solution to those daunted by the cost of total conversion. On a national scale this could result in a large reduction in the country’s fuel consumptio­n. Martin Mayer

Chorley, Lancashire

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