Green Doctor wipes £1,300 energy debt

Due to a faulty meter and estimated readings, John was in debt with his energy supplier for over £1,300. With help from regional charity Groundwork Five Counties and its energy advisors known as Green Doctors, John has been able to rectify his energy supplier’s mistake, get his debt wiped, gain £300 credit and have a smart meter installed.

For some years, John was wrongfully billed hundreds of pounds every quarter for energy he did not use. He knew something was not right but was unsure what could be the cause of the issue or how to resolve it.

John said: “I was panicking. I am on a low income and without savings, I had no hope of paying the money back. it was causing me a lot of stress and my mental health was getting worse because of it.”

His local Citizen’s Advice Bureau referred him to the Green Doctor, an East Midlands-wide service by charity Groundwork Five Counties that provides households with energy guidance and financial advice. 

John received a home visit from Green Doctor Ben, who looked over his bills and asked questions about John’s day-to-day usage. Ben concluded the billed usage must be wrong, as John is very economical with his energy. 

Together they phoned John’s supplier, who confirmed the bills had been estimates and they had received no actual readings from the meter. They agreed to send an engineer to investigate further.

John said: “I was so relieved when the engineer found that my meter was faulty. From there, Ben and I discussed whether a smart meter was right for me as I had seen a documentary about customers’ data not always being safe. I did a lot of research and decided to go ahead, as the technology has improved, and customer data leaks are very rare.

“It has proven to be the right thing to do, with the instant smart readings my energy supplier could see I don’t use anywhere as much energy as they estimated. They wiped my debt and even credited my account with £300.

“I am very grateful to Ben, I couldn’t have done it without him. It’s like a massive weight has been lifted, and I can breathe again.”

The Green Doctor service has no eligibility criteria. It is available in the East Midlands to people of any age and background, whether they own their home, rent, or are a council or social housing tenant.

For more information and to make a free appointment, visit the website.