single person daily electric usage is this too high?

jd87

Aelitaman, how is you water heated for the hot water taps, shower, washing machine, etc? Is that with your electric too, or do you have a gas boiler? If you have an electric water heater then your usage is fine. If not then you are using too much.

aelitaman

I have gas for water and heating

Chrysalis

aelitaman wrote: »

Chrysalis,

My usage went from 15 to 9 so a total drop of 6 units. My pc was resonsible for about 4 of that I think (it is not a small PC, plus I used to have the laptop on as well). The other 2 reduction was achieved by turning all tvs, microwaves, chargers off when not in use not using standby.

As to your friends that are using such low energy I just do not believe it. I am very careful of turning all things off when not is use and low power bulbs and I just can not get below 9 units a day and I am at work for 10 hours. To be less than 9 they must not watch TV, cook or have fridge.

ok here is an update I wonder if you agree this is weird.

My usage is averaging 12 units a day at current, 8 units when dark, 4 in the day.

When I turned my fridge off for 24 hours on 3 different days I used. 11,12,12 units those 3 days.
when I turned my pc off for 24 hours I used 13,14,12 units those 3 days. (it actually went up yes).

In addition the following changes have been made and no significant impact on readings.

electric water heating turned off (previously was on all day).
tv turned off at socket previously was on standby.
extractor turned off in bathroom.

So the problem I have is I turning stuff off and there is no impact on the usage.
I turned off the main switch at the meter and it did indeed cut power to my flat.

There must be someone here who is an eclectrician or works for a power company who has an idea whats going on, I think I have been tapped but noone wants to say, the meter guy is due tommorow to check out the meter so it will be interesting what he says.

If my usage went down when I turned things off I would understand but its not.

The current usage is approximately £200 quarter.

Katie-Kat-Kins

techno12 wrote: »

Put your PC into standby overnight. I started doing this a couple of years ago, and my electricity usage went down 15-20%. It uses 175w normally and 5w in standby so well worth it.

Maybe it's not the cause of your high bills, but it's a good habit to get into and everyone can make this saving if like me you used to leave it on 24/7.

Or turn it off!!!

Why would you stand by it over night???????? You are burning money damaging the environment and risking your computer if there is a power outage overnight. TURN IT OFF LAZY!!!!

Katie-Kat-Kins

Your usage sounds high, for two people in a 3 bed detached all electric property we have used 22 units per day average since March. Obviously we will be higher over winter when we are using more heating. DH works from home so is using electric all day. This includes heating all our water.

It does sound like perhaps your meter is supplying communal areas too as other wise your usage would be virtually zero when you have everything turned off. I would seriously recommend actually monitering for two hours with NOTHING turned on to see what happens as the others have suggested. Then get on to your landlord.

If your landlord is being difficult you can prove whether it is the communal electric that is causing the problem by taking a meter reading with everything turned off it your flat and communal areas then doing another reading after two hours, then repeating the exercise with everything off in the flat and on in the communal areas (plug a lamp or charger into any communal sockets). If it is the communal areas at fault the first reading will be zero and the second higher. If the first is showing electric being used you probably are supplying another flat.

Either way your landlord would need to get an electrician out.

It would be worth checking how many meters there are in the property. There should be one more than the number of flats, one each plus the communal one. If there is only one each then your landlord has some explaining to do!

Chrysalis

hi katp, there is no communal area but there is security lights outside, I reckon they probably hooked up to my meter which (partly) explains the higher usage at night.

Mark_Hewitt

It does sound very high. I'm currently using about £55 a month. And that's with electric hob, cooker, two washing machines doing at least a load each every day and one drying cycle per day. Computers / laptops, Sky+ box but gas for heating and hot water.

I'd consider myself a medium to high user so I shouldn't be paying less than you!

aelitaman

One thought is are you sure you are reading you meter?

THere have been posts on here where the explanation was the occupier of the flat had been told the wrong meter to read or the utility company was reading the wrong meter.

Katie-Kat-Kins

Chrysalis wrote: »

hi katp, there is no communal area but there is security lights outside, I reckon they probably hooked up to my meter which (partly) explains the higher usage at night.

Have you counted the meters as I suggested? If there isn't an additional one you can ask your landlord where the energy supply for the external lights come from.

Try the tests suggested to work out if this is the problem. Sounds likely in which case your problem is with your landlord not the electric company.

oramgepekoe

Chrysalis wrote: »

hi katp, there is no communal area but there is security lights outside, I reckon they probably hooked up to my meter which (partly) explains the higher usage at night.

If you turn your power supply off in the evening/night, do the security lights go off?