High electricity usage?

Cardew

He is taking a leaf out of the Rocky movie series - we get to know what happened in 'High Electricity Usage V'

Firefly

Me too. I think of this thread every time I read my meter!

deggers_2

Cardew wrote: »

Sorry they have increased in price:

From an old thread:

L61AQ Power Monitor Socket £12.75

Lidl were selling them for £5 some while ago.

L61AQ Power Monitor Socket £12.75

This was actually £24 but they are now offering it for £7.99 + PP
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Search.aspx?criteria=N67FU&DOY=1m7

Cardew

deggers wrote: »

L61AQ Power Monitor Socket £12.75

This was actually £24 but they are now offering it for £7.99 + PP
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Search.aspx?criteria=N67FU&DOY=1m7

Hope you don't mind but this is worth a separate thread - so I will start one.

LooLooMe

Wig wrote: »

OP

if your tenancy agreement is longer than 6 months you have the right to get it changed to a normal meter (this is probably a free service but I don't know)

Hey does anyone know where I can find the legal facts for changing a prepaid meter in a rented house and/or where I can find out how to change to standard meter.

Thanks.

Debbie_Cat

do you think
1344 units of electricity quarterly and
2710.98 kWh of gas quarterly is a too much?

electricity_2

So I have a similar problem. My electricity usage is high and I am not sure why. I phoned British Gas, who were very nice but I feel a bit fobbed off! I asked if they could come and check the meter but he suggested rather that I talk to an "energy consumption adviser" or something like that. I talked to the guy and I couldn't quite get him to answer my question, which was as the three of us tend to be out all day (the hot water and heating are not run by the electricity) so all we have is maybe an hour or two of TV an evening and the washing machine and dishwasher twice a week each - why is my electricity consumption 1200 kw a month?

I asked him, is that not a little high? To which he responded in a roundabout manner, talking about using energy efficient light bulbs etc. But that seems high to me, for three girls in a flat - out all day from 9 -6. One desktop computer in the house and one laptop. Two alarm clocks. A fridge and a fridge-freezer. Sky box and DVD player and TV left on standby (the TV is big 42") and no energy-efficient light bulbs in the house.

It still seems high - and then he said that our usage "averaged out" over the year at 18-24 units but for the last month (as far as I can work out) it has been at 40 units so almost double! And this in the summery month of long days and lots of light.

What is the big deal about replacing or coming out to check the meter. Why are they so reluctant to do this?

I don't understand why we are suddenly using double our average consumption.... it doesn't make sense, especially as during this winter we were using an electric heater from time to time too! So now, we are not using that at all and haven't for the last three months and our using the lights a whole lot less and suddenly our usage has doubled.

I just wish they would come out and check the meter! Or change it.

What did it turn out to be for the original poster in the end. The only thing that I think may have changed (that I can think of) is that my laptop, which I use frequently at home battery has died and so it needs to be constantly plugged in whilst I am on it... but surely that is not going to double the usage!

Any thoughts as to why or how we could be suddenly using so much? No new appliances brought into the house. Nothing much plugged in beyond, the fridge and freezer and TV/DVD/Sky on standby a lot but also used during the evenings. Washing machine and dishwasher both used about twice a week.

And a hairdryer daily in the morning - that's it...

electricity_2

So just to update - I checked the meter this morning and it read 75719 (at about 10 am) now it reads 75794 - this is after having not put dishwasher or washing machine or TV or any lights on at all (it has been a lovely day).

So is that normal to use 75 in one day without using any appliances (not even the kettle) excepting the oven for about one hour at 200 degrees and my laptop, which has been plugged in the entire day?

Cardew

Well it simply is not possible to use 75kWh in 8 hours; are you sure you are reading the meter correctly?

Is it a digital display? if so could those readings be 7571.9 and 7579.4 i.e. used 7.5kWh

Is it a dial meter - if so these are very easy to read incorrectly as the pointers move clockwise and anti-clockwise on alternate dials.

Could it be that all the electricity for all flats in the building is going through your meter - has happened!! Switch off everything in flat and watch meter meter.

They will check your meter but it will cost you £60 to £70, refunded if meter is found to be faulty.

electricity_2

Thank you very much Cardew for the reply. I think I am reading it correctly, now as of this morning it only reads 75801 - which seems more normal usage, I guess (only 7 overnight).

The only difference being that I turned off (completely) my apple mac desktop - rather than leaving it on standby (where you simply press a button to make start up again).

I can't understand it...

I wish they would just come and check the meter. I have ordered from the internet one of those plugs that read the energy devices are using - so I will try plugging all that in and keep an eye on the meter over the next few days too... if I continue to get huge increases, I think I will have to try to insist that they check the meter because I can't see anything here that would account for such usage!

Thanks again. :-)