“I don’t know what I would have done without Rob’s help” – Joan’s Story

Joan lives alone in a housing association property in Trafford. Despite experiencing health conditions that affect her vision, hearing, and mobility, she continues to live independently well into her eighties.

When Joan’s gas meter was condemned and replaced, she received a large and unexpected bill from her energy supplier. For years, the supplier had been estimating her energy usage without requesting meter readings or arranging any checks. When the meter was exchanged, an actual reading was taken for the first time in a long period. This prompted the supplier to review Joan’s account and recalculate her historic bills, concluding that her usage had been consistently underestimated. As a result, Joan was informed that she owed nearly £900.

Concerned and unable to afford the debt, Joan switched suppliers but continued to face demands for payment from her previous provider. She sought help, and her housing association referred her to the Groundwork Energyworks team.

In mid-December, Rob from our Green Doctors team visited Joan at home. His first priority was to reduce the immediate stress the situation was causing. He contacted Joan’s former supplier and secured a temporary hold on debt collection activity while the account was investigated. He also helped Joan access the supplier’s online account system, enabling all of her historic bills to be reviewed in one place.

This gave Joan peace of mind over the festive period and allowed time for a thorough investigation. During the visit, Rob also carried out a range of energy efficiency measures, including replacing inefficient light bulbs, installing reflective radiator foil, and ensuring Joan was using her heating system as effectively as possible. Following the shock of the large bill, Joan had been limiting her heating use significantly to keep costs down, which risked leaving her in an uncomfortably cold home during winter.

In the new year, Rob completed a detailed review of Joan’s billing history and identified a key issue. The supplier had included estimated charges from more than 12 months before the revised bill was issued, contrary to energy backbilling rules.

Reflecting on the case, Rob said:

“When I realised Joan had been overcharged, I contacted her previous supplier and asked them to recalculate her bills in line with backbilling rules. Although their first review still didn’t seem right, I continued to challenge the figures and worked through the available meter readings and usage data.

After several discussions, the supplier agreed that most of the charges fell outside the backbilling period and reviewed the account again. As a result, Joan’s £900 debt was completely written off, and she even received a small refund.

Joan had always been willing to pay for the energy she had genuinely used, but the original bill was clearly unfair. It’s incredibly rewarding to see such a positive outcome, and while every case is different, our Green Doctors always work hard to make sure people receive the support and fair treatment they deserve.”

Joan said:

“I don’t know what I would have done without Rob’s help. The bill was causing me a huge amount of worry, and I don’t think I could have dealt with it on my own. I hope people know that help is available when they need it. I can’t thank the Green Doctors enough.

“I’m much happier now that everything has been resolved, and I’m looking forward to deciding what to spend my £15 refund on when the cheque arrives.”