Pensioner at war with energy provider after being charged £9,000 over five years

An energy provider says an 86-year-old man owes thousands of pounds after a bill misprint and has threatened court action.

Ernest Earl, a retired teacher and Bletchley Park serviceman from Hove, says the claims that he owes Octopus Energy almost £4,000 for his energy bills at his flat are false and that the money is owed to him.

Mr Earl was transferred from energy provider Bulb to Octopus Energy in March 2023 after the company went into liquidation and has since been told he owes the company thousands after believing he was in credit.

Ernest Earl at his flat in Hove (Image: Andrew Gardner/The Argus)

Mr Earl said: “I have served this country in war and to keep being accused like this is a disgrace.

“All I want is justice. I have always paid my bills, I do not have any debt.

“It is despicable.”

Mr Earl described how the accusation has caused him a great deal of upset and stress after losing his wife in 2019 and suffering with serious health issues.

He says he has been contacting Octopus Energy through emails and letters asking them to explain the charges since July 2023.

In a closing bill from Bulb covering the period of October 2019 and March 2023, Mr Earl was told his account was £4,156 in credit and that, over the period, he had paid in £6,767, with energy costing £2,069.

Ernest Earl said it is 'despicable' (Image: Andrew Gardner/The Argus)

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Mr Earl states that his bank statements reflect the £6,767 paid into the account.

However, shortly after, Mr Earl was sent a corrected bill from Bulb which stated that after receiving “more accurate information about his usage”, his account was now £2,610 in debit.

The bill alleged that Mr Earl’s energy costs were £6,767 over the three and a half year period, the same amount Bulb said he paid into the account previously.

Since then, Mr Earl’s debt with Octopus Energy has climbed to £3,851, as of May 2024, with reductions made to the figure as “goodwill gestures”.

The energy provider said, as of March 2024, that Mr Earl’s total energy costs between 2019 and 2024 totalled £9,055.

Mr Earl reported that he uses “bare minimum” energy in his home, due to only using energy saving bulbs and essential appliances with a high energy efficiency rating.

He has also taken his case to the energy ombudsman, Ofgem and Citizen’s Advice.

Octopus Energy said that the miscommunication is due to a misprint on the initial bill by Bulb, which stated that Mr Earl was £4,156 in credit, and that he has been underpaying on his energy bills since 2019 leading to the debt accumulation.

Octopus Energy said Mr Earl has refused to telephone the company (Image: Andrew Gardner/The Argus)

A spokesman for Octopus Energy said: “Octopus Energy would love to find a resolution for this issue, but Mr Earl has to date refused telephone contact with us.

“We’ve tried to assist Mr Earl with his bill, including offering him £2,000 in credit via the Extra Help Unit, which would reduce his outstanding balance.

“The £4,156 credit figure was the result of a rebilling from his previous supplier Bulb on April 5, 2023, and shown as an opening balance on the bill in question.

“This was the total of all payments made by the customer, government payments and goodwill payments from Bulb.

“Debits for the customers’ historic energy usage were added as corrections to the bill, leaving a final balance of -£2,610.87.

“But in summary Mr Earl has been paying less for his energy than what he has actually used, including not making any payments since August 2023.

“We set this out to Mr Earl via email in October 2023, when we also sent him a full breakdown of his bills and energy usage. Mr Earl did not contact us again until February 2024. We understand this is a stressful situation for Mr Earl and would love to help him resolve it. We can provide him with direct contact at Octopus to talk to.”