Electricity charges - I think we're being ripped off...

prolific8

Three more days to wait, and our usage is around the 80-90 unit mark per day.

Magentasue

Are you using storage heaters? You must be at 80-90 units! This was posted on another thread:

"If it's any consolation, our heating is via storage heaters and EACH ONE can use 6 units through the night whilst set on low - there are 4 heaters, plus we need to supplement this with oil-filled radiators in the rooms that don't have storage heaters, plus a tank of water takes between 6 and 7 units to heat. I am easily using 40 units per day already and that's without having hot water or heating any of the bedrooms or the kitchen. Last winter, during coldest spells, we used 80+ units per day and the house was still cold."

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=980757&page=16

Post #605

Good luck for Friday!

prolific8

We are, yes, but only one which is consuming around 50 units a night. Other than that we are using around 30 units during the day rate, the other day we managed to use 19 units having left the house at 8am and not returning till 12am the following day! I know things being on standby etc still use electricity so I'm not arguing that we haven't used anything, but 19 units?

BallandChain

Thanks for keeping us updated Prolific. I'd be interested in the outcome to this.

prolific8

Siemens came in today to test the meter, and after double and triple checking his numbers declared that the meter was reading 172% fast, a result he claimed he would likely see every five years or so.

So now I guess I just wait for Southern Electric to contact me about it?

notbritishgas

prolific8 wrote: »

Siemens came in today to test the meter, and after double and triple checking his numbers declared that the meter was reading 172% fast, a result he claimed he would likely see every five years or so.

So now I guess I just wait for Southern Electric to contact me about it?

A good result OP, make sure you get a "good" result from Southern.

prolific8

We have a "check meter" being installed next Monday, looks like Southern don't trust Siemens all that much

PrinceGaz

prolific8 wrote: »

Just been home to do the immersion heater test. Checked the rating and it's rated at 3kw @ 240v, and 2.76kw @ 230v (230v is the standard now, is it not?)

I ran the heater independently of everything else (all other fuses except the immersion heater turned OFF). Consumption in that half an hour period was 4.1KWh.

Game set and match?

Actually, in Britain, or at least locally where I live at any rate, 240V is the usual mains voltage, give or take a few volts. This surprised me as I believed we'd gone into line with mainland Europe at 230V, but both a plug-in energy monitor and a computer-monitored UPS confirmed the average voltage was more like 240V. My plug-in energy monitor is right now (I've just switched to voltage display), reading a pretty high 244-245V, which just shows how much it can vary. That's the sort of voltage will get those old tungsten lightbulbs burning out more quickly

Anyway, that your immersion heater (plus a few trivial odds and sods no doubt) consumed 4.1KWh in half an hour according to your meter would require that you were using 8.2KW on average during that period. That is a lot.

Siemens came in today to test the meter, and after double and triple checking his numbers declared that the meter was reading 172% fast, a result he claimed he would likely see every five years or so.

So now I guess I just wait for Southern Electric to contact me about it?

172% fast? That means it is actually reading 2.72x the actual usage (as 10% fast would mean 1.10x, 50% fast would be 1.50x, and 120% fast being 2.20x).

So taking your 3KW immersion heater, and combining it with the 172% (2.72x) over-reading, we get... 8.16KW. Which is near enough identical to the 8.2KW (4.1KWh in half an hour) you measured.

I think the case is conclusive. Your meter is indeed over-reading by the exact amount Siemens measured it to be, and which your own best check confirmed.

PrinceGaz

Just to follow on that post, I don't think I've ever seen the voltage so high, but it is now fluctuating between 246-247V. Essentially, I think the UK voltage is still single-phase 240V AC +/- 10V.

prolific8

Check meter installed at 8.30am. So far the main meter has recorded about 12 units, the check meter just 4.