There may be times when we need to estimate your bill rather than bill you on your actual usage. You’ll be able to tell if your bill is based on an estimation or an actual read by looking on Page 2 of your Bill under the ‘Current Usage’ section, where it will show either letter “A” for actual or letter “E” estimate.
So, why have you received an estimated bill?
If you don’t yet have a smart electricity and/or gas meter, automatic readings are not sent to your energy supplier. This means that we rely on your distributor to send us a meter reading every two months for gas and every three months for electricity, so that we know how much to charge you.
Usually, someone from your energy Distributor will attend your site (property) to take an actual read and send it over to us. However, if they are unable to, the Distributor instead provides us with an estimated read and this is what you are instead billed on.
It’s important to note that if you have a basic meter and are on a monthly bill cycle, you will have more frequent estimated bills as the Distributor only physically visits your site (property) every two or three months.
On the occasions where your Distributor doesn’t get a meter reading from you, they work out your bill using estimates. The reason as to why the Distributor might not be able to obtain an actual read is generally due to a lack of access to your meter. For example, your meter might be located indoors; A dog or pet may have been near the meter; A locked/closed gate; Overgrowth of plants or trees around the meter and so on. So long as the Distributor has safe and unhindered access to the meter, you will receive an actual reading.
If you’re worried that your estimated bill is higher than your actual energy use, feel free to take a meter reading yourself and send this information to us at support@tangoenergy.com, and we can use it to generate more accurate bills. Click here to find out how to take a meter reading.
Or, you could do even better by installing a smart meter and increasing your chances of receiving a more accurate bill!
I have a Smart Meter, but I have received an estimated bill?
If you have a smart meter but notice the letter ‘E’ on your Bill, this is likely related to communication issues with your meter.
Sometimes communication issues occur when your interval data is being received. In this instance, the Distributor will provide us with an estimate for that interval based on your historical usage.