‘A tiny Peak District church serving just six worshippers has seen its monthly electricity bills inexplicably surge from £15 to as high as £1,172 after installing a smart meter.
Saint Mary and Saint John Berkhamsytch in the hamlet of Bottomhouse has been hit with thousands in charges despite only using power for one hour each month.
Pam Ramsay, the church treasurer has spent the past year trying to convince Utility Warehouse to address the “nonsensical” bills.
The energy supplier insists the readings are accurate, even though the church only switches on electricity for its monthly 3pm service of hymn and prayer. The church has no plumbing or running water and relies solely on ten single-bar heaters to warm the congregation during services.
Reverend Jane Held, who oversees this church along with eight others said: “It simply makes no sense as the church electricity is only turned on for about an hour every month.”
The vicar explains that these “unbelievable bills” are paid using money from collection plates passed around during services.
Held explained she ensures the power supply is turned off at the main junction box after every service to prevent any additional usage.
Chris Ramsay, 75, a retired electrical engineer tested the church’s actual power consumption using a basic £20 power meter from Amazon. The readings showed each heater used between 1,211 and 1,217 watts during operation.
He said: “If the meter shows 1,000 watts it is equivalent to a 1kWh reading. That is the amount of electricity used in an hour.”
Continue reading 👉 Church’s energy bill soars from £15 to £1,172 after smart meter installation, despite turning heating on just one hour a month