Horsham’s Andrew Sostheim is among residents in the city who contacted provider Energy Australia when he received a gas bill hundreds of dollars higher than he was expecting.

Mr Sostheim said his most recent gas bill in July was $662.73, 61 per cent higher than the same time last year.

He said his statement said the amount was based on an estimated meter reading.

“I went and read the meter and did my own calculations and worked it out was excessive,” he said. “I called Energy Australia and quoted the actual meter reading and was able to get my bill reduced to $142.21.”

Mr Sostheim said he posted on Facebook about his experience, and found many people were in the same situation.

He said it was concerning to think how many people would receive their bill and pay it without realising the discrepancy.

“It was easy to rectify from a consumer side, but the average punter out there who doesn’t understand it is an estimate could just pay their bill,” he said.

“I am not sure how they can justify coming up with an estimate. Perhaps they didn’t have a meter reader available.

“The other side is that there is only one gas retailer in Horsham, so people don’t have any flexibility with pricing.

“It seems like the provider can do what they like and there’s no comeback.”

Energy Australia’s website says estimated bills are used when a distributor cannot read a meter.

When this happens, they estimate a meter reading based on a person’s previous usage.

When an estimated bill is sent, the distributor schedules an actual reading for the next billing period.

“Once your meter has been read, we can find out what your actual consumption was in your last billing period,” the website says. 

“This makes sure that over the two billing cycles you only pay for the energy you’ve actually used.”

The Wimmera Mail-Times has contacted Energy Australia for a response on the issue.