Electricity Consumption 12,000 per year

Axel

Hi,

Our electricity consumption appears to have rocketed over the lasy 1-2 years. On checking the account we are averaging about 1,000 KWH per month or about 35 KWH per day.

We live in a 3 bed semi-dettached cottage and have GAS central heating a GAS fire and GAS cooker. There are only two of us with one TV never on during the day and a PC which is on most of the day.

I have contaced EON and they start talking about insulation etc. which has nothing to do with it as there are no electric heaters in the house other than the toaster and the kettle!

I would appreciate any comments about this level of consumption and any advice on how to do an energy audit and try and find the source of the problem.

Axel

jalexa

Axel wrote: »

Our electricity consumption appears to have rocketed over the lasy 1-2 years. On checking the account we are averaging about 1,000 KWH per month or about 35 KWH per day.

The consumption is about 4 times average for a gas heated house:(. Have you confirmed the bill readings are Actual and not Estimated?

Take daily readings for a few days and post the results.

Axel

Yes that's what I thought and they are actual readings and not estimates.

I have now started daily readings.

Axel

WestonDave

Do you have an electric instant heat shower or do you shower/bath off the gas central heating? Electric showering generally accounts for around 30% of our consumption which in a 3 bed detached house with 4 of us in it, comes to less than half yours! Another thing to check is whether you have a secondary electric element in your hot water tank and whether that has been accidentally switched on - if so that can use a lot of power as well.

Beyond that its a question of firstly monitoring daily (or if possible more frequent) meter readings to try to establish any sudden spikes in usage, and also trying to track usage against specific appliances. For example if you turn everything off and unplug it all, does the meter stop or keep turning. If the latter you have something to find! Once you have done that use something of a known power rating like a kettle, use it and see how much power it uses. That might give you a clue as to whether the meter is reading faster than it should.

(The other one is to turn it all off for ten minutes after dark (not long enough for the freezer being off to be a problem) and see if you hear any swearing from next door! I suppose its unlikely but not impossible that they've tapped into your supply somehow!)

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi Axel

Quite frankly, that amount of electricity for the property described is staggering, particularly as the heating is gas. As Jalexa says, it's something like 4 times the national average.

Taking regular meter readings is the way to go.

I know you've already spoken to us but we have a specialist team who deal specifically with this type of issue. This is our Consumption Team.

They're the ones best placed to advise and I'd suggest talking to them. Give them the results of your meter reading checks. Also, tell them about your property and the appliances used. They'll be happy to help.

You say the usage started to go up 1-2 years ago. Do you have details of the usage before this time? Was it considerably lower than now?

Hope this helps point you in the right direction Axel. Give me a shout if you need any more details as will be happy to help.

Malc

macman

Immersion heater switch left on is the very first thing to check.

Axel

OK, took the reading after 24 hours and we had used 15 KWH, about half the average for the year but still appears to be double what it should be.

There is no immersion heater or electric shower, we have a combi boiler so don't even have a water tank. For the 15 KWH reading yesterday there was no washing machine, no dishwasher, no ironing, no hoovering and TV on in the evening only. PC on most of the day.

Call from EON team talked through our appliances and usage and worked out 28 units based on our discussion! Not sure how she got that but it seems very high. I have ordered an an energy meter which should arrive today so I will carry out my own tests.

Any comments on the 15KWH used would be appreciated.

Axel

molerat

15 kWh is still very high. You should be on less than10 a day, how Eon got 28 is a mystery.

As has been stated before you need to switch everything off and see if you get a reading and start from there. A power meter would be of assistance in this. They are not very accurate but are a good guide, switching a single item on and off will show what it is using, looking at mine now and I am using 0.352 kWh. The boiler has just fired up and the reading has increased by 45 watts.

scotland_lass

Our useage seems to be quite high too. Our home is a new build, completed in Nov 2009. It's 3 bedrooms, air source underfloor heating.

So we've been here 2 1/2 yrs and have used almost 35,000 units. That seems high according to any figures i can find online that rate even high useage at 5,100 per year.

macman

scotland_lass wrote: »

Our useage seems to be quite high too. Our home is a new build, completed in Nov 2009. It's 3 bedrooms, air source underfloor heating.

So we've been here 2 1/2 yrs and have used almost 35,000 units. That seems high according to any figures i can find online that rate even high useage at 5,100 per year.

But you are using electric heating (ASHP). The UK average of 3,500kWh is for properties with gas CH and DHW. Any form of electric space or water heating will greatly increase that figure.

jalexa

Axel wrote: »

Call from EON team talked through our appliances and usage and worked out 28 units based on our discussion!l

I don't believe that and if I am right the E.ON specialist? adviser is incompetent.