Electric Meter Reading Weird!! HELP!!

H.P.Bazxter

Hello>ALL

I have recently aquired a few appliances (a fridge freezer and a large fish tank) and been watching how much electricity they run. According to products' wattage I was supposed to pay for 2 more units/day but it's been way more. Well, for 1 or 2 days out of week. The meter reading shoots up the sky, even though I am running the same appliances each day. WHY??

For instance it was just 8 units (day rate) and 9 units (night rate) yesterday, but today it's 14 (day) and 12 (night). I was doing prety much the same stuff on both days.

Does meters have tendency to even out readings over a few days? Why does it vary so much in some days?

Please advise, I can't sleep! (I have been living with lowest possible electricity consumption to save up, for such a long time, and this excess bill is driving me nuts!!)

Regards

daveyjp

What are the wattages of the new appliances?

PeterDuckett

I would expect the the fish tank to be the same wattage though out, the pump cleans at the same rate and the lights light at the same rate. Fridges and freezer are different the will have a standing power ie to monitor the temperature and a running power to make things colder. So if its been warm in your area the they will work harder to keep your ice cream solid

jillymit

If the tank has a heater this will also kick in and out to keep the water at the right temperature.
I does sound like this extra consumption is down to your new appliances but I'd see if I could turn all but each one off and monitor the electricity it uses over a few hours to be sure it wasn't something else in the house. Your freezer should be ok with the door closed for a couple of hours and fish should be fine for longer so I start with that.
HTH.

penrhyn

OP you do know that the meter display is cumulative?

H.P.Bazxter

tank runs the following;
filter 17w (always on)
heater 25w (thermostat triggered)
light 30w (on only in the eve)

I can't find the fridge wattage now, but my place is never hot, so very unlikely that it was working harder in some days.

I have watched hourly consumption yesterday, and it ran 6 extra day unit, but pretty much the same (just 3 extra unit) for the evening, i.e., my day rate is ridiculously high even though nobody is in the house!! :eek:

How could same appliances run more electricity for certain hours of some days??? :huh::huh:

Is there such meter that is, say, sticky? I am asking this because I do actually have some days with ridiculously low readings.

thanks for all your advices in advance xx

penrhyn

What is your weekly consumption?

As an example, I use approximately 42 Kwh per week Electricity.
I've gas central heating now off, water heating only is around 30 Kwh a week.

H.P.Bazxter

penrhyn wrote: »

OP you do know that the meter display is cumulative?

Hi, sorry I missed this. Yes, I know. I take numbers at midnight each day and see how many more units (=kwh) were used since the night before.

My place is all electric, no gas, on economy7 and I was using about 15 units a day, so around 105kwh a week. Now it's 17 units on low day, 26 or more on high day, on average 145 - 150kwh a week.

My bill now is higher than what I was paying for winter time with the storage heaters on!:(

Premier_2

The meter will accurately record the usage as it is consumed.

Some appliances will use more power the harder they are required to work.
e.g. when it is warm, a fridge freezer has to work harder/longer to maintain the desired temperature inside

H.P.Bazxter

Premier wrote: »

The meter will accurately record the usage as it is consumed.

Some appliances will use more power the harder they are required to work.
e.g. when it is warm, a fridge freezer has to work harder/longer to maintain the desired temperature inside

I understand that, but it was rather cold yesterday. It was SO hot on Monday, but meter read very low that day. Just not making sense.

Any other suggestions?

cheers

spiro

With fridge/freezers they use more the more often you open the door. Also with the freezer they will use more if you put a load of stuff in to freeze. For the first few hours it is on from new it will use loads to get the right temperature.

In you posts you say the day useage has gone up by 6 units and your night by 3 units or 9 units per day. Given that the day period is about twice as long as the night period these figures could imply a constant increase of 9/24 units per hour or 375 watts per hour.