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1 in 3 homes have been hit by power bill blunders
Blunder: £142 is the average amount of bills are inflated by estimated readings
One in three households have been billed incorrectly by their power company, research has revealed.
Energy companies are the worst culprits for getting bills wrong, the consumer survey found.
More than nine million households had been forced to deal with at least one inaccurate energy bill in the past two years, according to price comparison website uSwitch.com.
Six million of these - a fifth of households - said they received inaccurate correspondence on more than one occasion.
It was found that millions of customers had unexpectedly owed money to their energy supplier due to a discrepancy between an estimated bill and the actual meter reading.
Instances of 'bad billing' by energy suppliers have increased in the past year, the report said.
It also showed that power companies are making more mistakes than banks, councils, water companies and HM Revenue & Customs.
Ann Robinson, from uSwitch.com, said: 'The energy industry's reputation for accuracy is suffering because it is still relying on an estimated billing system.
'Not only can this leave people unexpectedly out of pocket but it can also damage their confidence in their supplier.'
The survey, which consulted nearly 2,400 UK energy customers, found that it took an average of two months to sort out billing problems.
Energy suppliers have ranked top for inaccuracy for the past three years, followed by HMRC.
Communications companies, which include broadband, telephone and digital television providers, are now ranked third for inaccuracy, up from fifth place last year.
The DVLA, mortgage companies and banks and building societies provided the most accurate correspondence, the survey found.
But there was some relief for customers who encounter problems. More than one in ten billing issues are now being resolved within a day.
Customers are also able to do more to help ensure they receive an accurate bill, with suppliers having made it easier for customers to phone in, email, or even text their latest meter readings.
It is thought new 'smart meters', which are replacing the old kind, will also help resolve discrepancies between actual and estimated bills.
'Suppliers are starting to get the message across to consumers that it is in their best interests to supply up-to-date meter readings,' a spokesman for uSwitch.com said.
'This will go some way to improving accuracy and changing consumer perception.'
Last year, energy watchdog Ofgem found that power giants were ripping off some 5.9million customers with pre-payment meters, who were being charged on average £118 a year more to stay warm than those who pay by direct debit.
The 'big six' power companies were estimated to be raking in as much as £113million extra a month, much of it from poorer families and pensioners who were not signed up to the cheapest online deals.
Ofgem began investigating British Gas, E.ON, npower, Scottish & Southern Energy, EDF and Scottish Power at the beginning of last year after all six imposed hikes of up to 25 per cent in bills.
It cleared the firms of operating a cartel, rigging prices or imposing unjustified increases, but found evidence of serious failures to offer millions of customers a fair deal.
One in three homes hit by power bill blunders | Mail Online
Blunder: £142 is the average amount of bills are inflated by estimated readings
One in three households have been billed incorrectly by their power company, research has revealed.
Energy companies are the worst culprits for getting bills wrong, the consumer survey found.
More than nine million households had been forced to deal with at least one inaccurate energy bill in the past two years, according to price comparison website uSwitch.com.
Six million of these - a fifth of households - said they received inaccurate correspondence on more than one occasion.
It was found that millions of customers had unexpectedly owed money to their energy supplier due to a discrepancy between an estimated bill and the actual meter reading.
Instances of 'bad billing' by energy suppliers have increased in the past year, the report said.
It also showed that power companies are making more mistakes than banks, councils, water companies and HM Revenue & Customs.
Ann Robinson, from uSwitch.com, said: 'The energy industry's reputation for accuracy is suffering because it is still relying on an estimated billing system.
'Not only can this leave people unexpectedly out of pocket but it can also damage their confidence in their supplier.'
The survey, which consulted nearly 2,400 UK energy customers, found that it took an average of two months to sort out billing problems.
Energy suppliers have ranked top for inaccuracy for the past three years, followed by HMRC.
Communications companies, which include broadband, telephone and digital television providers, are now ranked third for inaccuracy, up from fifth place last year.
The DVLA, mortgage companies and banks and building societies provided the most accurate correspondence, the survey found.
But there was some relief for customers who encounter problems. More than one in ten billing issues are now being resolved within a day.
Customers are also able to do more to help ensure they receive an accurate bill, with suppliers having made it easier for customers to phone in, email, or even text their latest meter readings.
It is thought new 'smart meters', which are replacing the old kind, will also help resolve discrepancies between actual and estimated bills.
'Suppliers are starting to get the message across to consumers that it is in their best interests to supply up-to-date meter readings,' a spokesman for uSwitch.com said.
'This will go some way to improving accuracy and changing consumer perception.'
Last year, energy watchdog Ofgem found that power giants were ripping off some 5.9million customers with pre-payment meters, who were being charged on average £118 a year more to stay warm than those who pay by direct debit.
The 'big six' power companies were estimated to be raking in as much as £113million extra a month, much of it from poorer families and pensioners who were not signed up to the cheapest online deals.
Ofgem began investigating British Gas, E.ON, npower, Scottish & Southern Energy, EDF and Scottish Power at the beginning of last year after all six imposed hikes of up to 25 per cent in bills.
It cleared the firms of operating a cartel, rigging prices or imposing unjustified increases, but found evidence of serious failures to offer millions of customers a fair deal.
One in three homes hit by power bill blunders | Mail Online
