Hard-pushed Britons resent subsidising greedy energy giants through soaring bills

SIR – Richard Jacobs (Letters, October 25) feels that through increased energy bills, he is effectively subsidising Shell Energy to the tune of £1,000. He is not the only one in this position.

My energy supplier, SSE, was recently replaced by OVO Energy. In my final bill – and despite the fact that I had given an actual reading – SSE estimated a level of electricity usage for summer that would have been laughable in winter, and I was charged for this supposed usage. This meant the figure I was in credit for was significantly reduced when my account was transferred to OVO, which, in my opinion, is fraudulent.

OVO has now also lost a monthly direct debit. The upshot of all this is that although I should be more than £600 in credit I am unable to get either SSE or OVO to recredit me or even to allow me to request a refund.

Ofgem has been no help and I am having to involve the energy ombudsman. No wonder people have zero sympathy for energy suppliers. Ian Dobie

West Overton, Wiltshire

SIR – OVO Energy recently increased our direct debit by more than four times, projecting we will use 2,700 kWh electricity in the next 12 months, despite us using only 9 kWh in the past year (and a total of 35 kWh in the past three years) in the little-used outbuilding it is billing us for.

No amount of reasoning with the company has made OVO change this figure. Is this a case of baffling incompetence or corporate theft? Emma Combes

Pewsey, Wiltshire

SIR – EDF, my energy provider also informed me that my direct debit would increase by more than £100 a month to £390. However, it also asked for monthly meter readings, which I supply, and it now sends me an actual usage bill, currently running at about £180 per month. I pay this by bank transfer, so have no smart meter or credit build-up on my account. John Snook

Sheffield, North Yorkshire

SIR – I advise anyone who is having problems with their energy provider to switch to a different supplier, and change the nature of their contract.

We did this and, having paid by direct debit for years, we now pay monthly for the energy used in the past month. It costs slightly more than a direct debit, but has the advantage that you pay at the rate that you use power and the monthly bill enables you to manage your usage.

Pamela Wheeler

Shrewsbury