Advice sought re overnight electricity consumption

BirnamBear

Live in a big house and use gas central heating.The house is full of low energy downlighters(7w bulbs giving the equivalent of 50w).
I have been monitoring overnight usage the last two days afterv we go to bed.
First day used 13kwh till 2200hrs then 7kwh overnight
Day two used 17kwh till 2200hrs then 10kwh overnight

Now it is half term here in Scotland so two teenage boys at home with tv's,PS3,laptops on etc

Culprits for overnight usage is mobiles charging overnight,youngest likes their bathroom light left on o/n but what I wanted the opinion of MSE forum experts is that we have two 500w pir security lights outside.When neighbours walk their dog,cars go past,wandering cats etc set them off periodically...could this account for the hefty overnight consumption.

Swipe

Mobile phone charging uses next to nothing at all. The security lights are most likely the main culprits. Can you turn down the length of time they stay on for when activated?

Valli

Maybe I'm being thick but if you have panels are they not reducing your energy use during daylight hours?

Wywth

I thought this sounded familiar

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4237511

The 2 x 500W security lights would only use 7kWh total if both on continuously all night (i.e. the low rate period).

Keep looking - there is something else using a significant amount somehwere, especially during the day.

One way may be to tell everyone to turn off every electrical device and then check the meter. If it's still rotating, keep looking for the consuming device. Perhaps cutting the supply at the mains may help you identify it.

BirnamBear

Swipe wrote: »

Mobile phone charging uses next to nothing at all. The security lights are most likely the main culprits. Can you turn down the length of time they stay on for when activated?

Have turned the length of time on to the minimum setting and also turned the sunlight to dusk setting to the lowest also.
Will see if that makes a difference.

BirnamBear

Wywth wrote: »

I thought this sounded familiar

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4237511

The 2 x 500W security lights would only use 7kWh total if both on continuously all night (i.e. the low rate period).

Keep looking - there is something else using a significant amount somehwere, especially during the day.

One way may be to tell everyone to turn off every electrical device and then check the meter. If it's still rotating, keep looking for the consuming device. Perhaps cutting the supply at the mains may help you identify it.

I don't have a low rate period for electricity,pay the same be it 1400hrs or 2am.

macman

Security lights, yes, but do you really need 500W bulbs in them? Change them for more like 200W, and reset the detection angles so that they're not triggered beyond the property.
Unless you are on an E7 tariff, you pay the same rate 24/7. If you are on an E7 tariff, that would be unusual for a property with gas CH, as you are then paying a higher rate for all your day and evening usage. You typically need to use 30% on night rate to get any benefit from E7. Which for most people means night storage heaters and an immersion heater.

grahamc2003

BirnamBear wrote: »

Live in a big house and use gas central heating.The house is full of low energy downlighters(7w bulbs giving the equivalent of 50w).
I have been monitoring overnight usage the last two days afterv we go to bed.
First day used 13kwh till 2200hrs then 7kwh overnight
Day two used 17kwh till 2200hrs then 10kwh overnight

Now it is half term here in Scotland so two teenage boys at home with tv's,PS3,laptops on etc

Culprits for overnight usage is mobiles charging overnight,youngest likes their bathroom light left on o/n but what I wanted the opinion of MSE forum experts is that we have two 500w pir security lights outside.When neighbours walk their dog,cars go past,wandering cats etc set them off periodically...could this account for the hefty overnight consumption.

Seems strange having leds in your house, and 500W lights (heaters) outside!. Are you certain they are 2x500W? I ask because my neighbour has a single 400W on her house, and that not only makes her garden bright, but also her summerhouse about 200feet down the garden! Coincidentally, I got an email today with a security system with 2x35W fluorescent bulbs in them (probably to replace 200W bulbs).

Seems high night consumption - sure you don't have an immersion on all the time? Kids with fan heaters in their room?

rogerblack

Your meter will indicate a load - by revolving, flashing, or making barking noises at intervals.
Read the dial - for example - mine flashes 1000 times per kWh.
So, if it's 4 seconds per flash, that means that there are 15 flashes a minute, and 900 flashes an hour (3600s/4s) = 900/hr.
This means that if it's doing 900/hr, then the house is using 900W.
(The previous one rotated 166 times per kWh - so was considerably more annoying to calculate).

Using this information, you can begin.
Find some torches or something, and turn _everything_ in the house off.

The flashing/... should stop, or slow greatly.
If you can't get it below 100W (with freezers/fridges/... off too) then something else is up.
Plug things in one by one, while watching the meter, and see what starts it flashing again.

Having said that.
If it's 1000W in a single load, it's _NOT_ going to be small, and quiet and unobtrusive.
A phone charger drawing this would be glowing a bright cherry red.
Check for conservatory heaters you've missed.
Kids doing stupid stuff is also possible.
Window open + fan heater 'coz I like it'.

Wywth

macman wrote: »

...Unless you are on an E7 tariff, you pay the same rate 24/7. If you are on an E7 tariff, that would be unusual for a property with gas CH, as you are then paying a higher rate for all your day and evening usage. You typically need to use 30% on night rate to get any benefit from E7. Which for most people means night storage heaters and an immersion heater.

The OP has already stated they are on a single rate tariff.

Once again you post the falacy that it is unusual for an a property with GCH to also have E7. :cool:

As I've mentioned before, it is not uncommon. Whilst those on an E7 tariff pay up to 10% more for normal rate supply 17/24 of the day, they get a whopping 60-70% discount for 7/24 day.

As I've said before, you should be able to do the maths... but maybe you can't? :huh:

macman

I missed the reference to single rate.
I doubt that maybe 10% of properties with gas CH knowingly have E7?
And it's also not uncommon for new posters with unexplained high bills to find out by info given here that they are still on an E7 tariff, purely because it was never switched over when the property was converted from storage heaters onto gas CH.
So what is important is that people in this position do the maths for themselves, and only then opt for E7 if it's suitable for their circumstances. 30% is an average, it will depend on tariff and region of course.
I did not say that E7 is never suitable for such properties, but I would suggest that in most cases, it isn't.