v high electricity bill - anyway to get someone to check usage independently?

rogerblack

victor2 wrote: »

The fridge could be taking 300 watts, but only when the compressor is running, which shouldn't be all the time, more like half

However, fridges and freezers can fail.
One mode of failure is for the cooling system to not work well, so run most of the time.
Some fridges also have defrost heaters, which could if malfunctioning be running all the time.

300 seems high, even for that case, but maybe if it's a large older appliance, or an 'american style' one.
I diddn't mention the original poster saying that they had tried turning everything off.

If everything is turned off, do you get to '0' power consumption?

If you have a add-on energy meter, does it compare with the real one?
The real one will have a label on it saying '166 2/3 revs per KWh, or '200 flashes per KWh' or similar.

If the clip-on meter shows 2Kw, and you're getting the disk rotating at 330 turns an hour, then it's right. (330 per hour/166 = 2Kw) (similarly 400 flashes an hour)

ukphd

macman wrote: »

But if the circuit is 'obsolete' (nothing connected to it), then it cannot be draining 100W. If nothing else is running on that circuit then whoever removed the immersion should have isolated it properly.
What is the circuit rating shown on the CU? Is there still a circuit cable from the old immersion switch (if still in place near the tank) back to the CU?

The tank and immersion heater are no longer there so there's no switch or cable. I don't really know what you mean by "circuit rating" - sorry. Where is that and what is that?

rogerblack wrote: »

However, fridges and freezers can fail.
One mode of failure is for the cooling system to not work well, so run most of the time.
Some fridges also have defrost heaters, which could if malfunctioning be running all the time.

300 seems high, even for that case, but maybe if it's a large older appliance, or an 'american style' one.
I diddn't mention the original poster saying that they had tried turning everything off.

If everything is turned off, do you get to '0' power consumption?

If you have a add-on energy meter, does it compare with the real one?
The real one will have a label on it saying '166 2/3 revs per KWh, or '200 flashes per KWh' or similar.

If the clip-on meter shows 2Kw, and you're getting the disk rotating at 330 turns an hour, then it's right. (330 per hour/166 = 2Kw) (similarly 400 flashes an hour)

I can't turn everything off as the fridge is plugged in behind a really heavy piece of furniture (I know, I know - very stupid of us) and I can't move it to get at it and turn it off. There isn't an on/off switch on the fridge itself. It's a fridge-freezer, just a normal one, not american style. It is old though. I don't have an add-on meter as far as I'm aware, just one digital meter.

Sorry if I'm being a bit dim with my replies. I really appreciate the help and patience with this!

penrhyn

Turn everything off at the fuse box.

ukphd

penrhyn wrote: »

Turn everything off at the fuse box.

yes I've done that. Sorry I thought they meant switch each applicance off and then check (in terms of whether there is an unusual drain somewhere). When I turn all the circuits off it goes to zero. But that still leaves the rather high usage for the fridge and the 100 watts on the old immersion heater circuit

victor2

ukphd wrote: »

The tank and immersion heater are no longer there so there's no switch or cable. I don't really know what you mean by "circuit rating" - sorry. Where is that and what is that?

In that case, there should not be a wire coming out of your consumer unit (where the circuit breakers/fuses are) from the point where the immersion heater was connected. If there is then maybe the electrician who removed your tank and immersion heater didn't remove all the wiring, or it does provide power to something else, which I wouldn't expect.

ukphd wrote: »

I can't turn everything off as the fridge is plugged in behind a really heavy piece of furniture (I know, I know - very stupid of us) and I can't move it to get at it and turn it off. There isn't an on/off switch on the fridge itself. It's a fridge-freezer, just a normal one, not american style. It is old though. I don't have an add-on meter as far as I'm aware, just one digital meter.

All you can do in that case is make sure everything else with a plug on it is unplugged or switched off, then switch off the ring main at the consumer unit and whatever your monitor figure drops by is the power the fridge was taking. If your fridge compressor is constantly running, you will hear it and it will never stop. If you do have an anti-frost feature as rogerblack mentioned, you can't normally hear them, so it will be more difficult to trace.
I have a US style monster fridge/freezer and it uses hardly anything when idle, around 300 watts when the compressor runs and about 800 when the compressor and anti-frost feature are running. Fortunately, the anti-frost only kicks in about once every 10 hours, and it really works, so I don't mind! The compressor cuts in about twice an hour for 20 minutes a time in normal use.
Under normal operation, a fridge will cut in and out as the thermostat requires and you will hear a motor run - the power used varies significantly as the motor switches on and off and should be visible on your monitor.

If your monitor has the ability to download data to a computer, which many do, you could do that and look at daily usage over a period of time. That will give you an idea of a typical day's usage. If you can match its readings to actual meter readings, you'll also get an idea how accurate the monitor is.

Of course, you risk becoming a bit of an anorak with electricity usage!;)

ukphd

victor2 wrote: »

In that case, there should not be a wire coming out of your consumer unit (where the circuit breakers/fuses are) from the point where the immersion heater was connected. If there is then maybe the electrician who removed your tank and immersion heater didn't remove all the wiring, or it does provide power to something else, which I wouldn't expect.

Right well there's definitely still a cable from the cicruit breaker. I will have another go and finding out where it goes!

victor2 wrote: »

All you can do in that case is make sure everything else with a plug on it is unplugged or switched off, then switch off the ring main at the consumer unit and whatever your monitor figure drops by is the power the fridge was taking. If your fridge compressor is constantly running, you will hear it and it will never stop. If you do have an anti-frost feature as rogerblack mentioned, you can't normally hear them, so it will be more difficult to trace.
I have a US style monster fridge/freezer and it uses hardly anything when idle, around 300 watts when the compressor runs and about 800 when the compressor and anti-frost feature are running. Fortunately, the anti-frost only kicks in about once every 10 hours, and it really works, so I don't mind! The compressor cuts in about twice an hour for 20 minutes a time in normal use.
Under normal operation, a fridge will cut in and out as the thermostat requires and you will hear a motor run - the power used varies significantly as the motor switches on and off and should be visible on your monitor.

If your monitor has the ability to download data to a computer, which many do, you could do that and look at daily usage over a period of time. That will give you an idea of a typical day's usage. If you can match its readings to actual meter readings, you'll also get an idea how accurate the monitor is.

Of course, you risk becoming a bit of an anorak with electricity usage!;)

Thanks - I'll give that a go.
Sadly my monitor doesn't have the ability to download to the computer... I wish it did, I quite like the idea of becoming an electricity usage geek

victor2

ukphd wrote: »

Right well there's definitely still a cable from the cicruit breaker. I will have another go and finding out where it goes!

That can be very difficult as it probably disappears behind some plaster and/or under floorboards!

To prove whether or not something is still taking power from it, switch all breakers off except that one and look at your monitor, which should read 0. If it reads more than 0, switch the "immersion heater" breaker off and see if it changes. If it does, then it will look like something is still powered by that feed. Try it a few times at different times of the day just to be sure.