Electricity firms warned for slack billing

NEWS UK customers who change their electricity supplier are not getting the correct bills according to the National Electricity Consumers Council (NECC). A report by the agency said electricity companies should send out less estimated final bills when customers get a new supplier. Rodney Brooks, chairman at NECC, claimed that estimated meter readings were rarely accurate leaving customers at risk of paying higher bills. He said suppliers should take a reading from at least 90 per cent of meters but that "some suppliers do not seem to be making the effort to read meters or contacting customers to obtain a reading when they change supplier". Electricity companies could face fines unless more care is taken, warned Brooks.