A woman says she is on the brink of financial ruin after being hit with an eye-watering £24k energy bill for a property she lets out.
Lin Lawler, who owns Grange Farmhouse in Hainford, Norfolk, uses the five-bedroom house and adjoining annexe as a holiday rental for just over 100 days a year, she says.
Despite the limited use, energy supplier SmartestEnergy has issued a bill of £24,010 for the year, and will cut off her power unless she agrees to pay it back at £2,022 per week, she says.
Ms Lawler, 70, said: ‘I just can’t afford it. They’ve got their hands around my throat and their hands in my pocket.’
The holiday let is available for £2,195 for seven nights, situated on a 50-acre farm with a koi pond.
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She was stunned when she started receiving monthly bills totalling thousands of pounds and complained numerous times to the company’s customer service team, she says.
In February of this year, the company charged her £3,217 for a month’s worth of electricity.
Ms Lawler got in touch with the Energy Ombudsman, who was unable to find enough evidence to show the meter was over-recording.
Finally, she says a customer service call handler ‘slipped up’ by admitting that the company was unable to communicate with her smart meter.
In October 2024, engineers were called out to inspect the meter, and Ms Lawler says one of them said her readings were ‘like that of a factory’ and she should be paying ‘£200 a month’.
‘He said he was condemning the meter as it was faulty and not communicating properly,’ she added.
The meter was replaced in March, and her bills immediately dropped. This May, she was charged £183, compared to £1,675 the year before.
However, SmartestEnergy is still demanding the full £24,000, has cancelled her new cheaper contract, and installed a pre-payment meter.
Ms Lawler said: ‘If they cut me off, I’ll lose my bookings, my income – everything. They’ll bankrupt me.’
Broadland and Fakenham MP Jerome Mayhew called it crazy and pledged to support Ms Lawler.
He said: ‘I have contacted Smartest Energy to make sure that this case is properly investigated and my team will continue to support Ms Lawler until she gets a successful resolution.’
A spokesman for Energy Ombudsman said: ‘Energy Ombudsman offers a free and independent service to help resolve disputes between energy suppliers and consumers.
‘In the initial complaint, we determined that usage at the property was relatively high, but there wasn’t enough evidence to show the meter was over-recording. We therefore recommended that Ms Lawler request a meter accuracy test.
‘Following the completion of the remedies it is clear that Ms Lawler remains in dispute with the supplier and therefore we’re now going to look at the matter again.’
SmartestEnergy was approached for comment.
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