Faulty Electric Meter or is this normal? Help needed please!

AdamRich2017

Hi all,

Me and my partner moved into an electricity only 2 bedroom cottage 2 months ago. All new to paying electricity bills as in our previous rent, it was all inclusive. We had an estimated tariff of £40 which we were happy with but then when I put in my actual meter reading two days ago, I was faced with a bill for £325 for the 2 months!

When we moved in the meter reading was 41823 and when I entered my meter reading two days ago, it was 44017. Meaning in 2 months, we had used a whopping 2194 kwh in two months. We are both working full time and have the electric oil heaters on a timer so it wasn't as if everything was on 24/7.

I checked the meter 24 hours and it was 44071 meaning that in one day we had used 54kwh.

We did realise that we had our water pressure storage heater timer set on for 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours at night (naive new renters) which may have been the cause of the huge amount.

So last night, we reset the electric heaters to come on much less and turned the water timer to come on for one hour in the morning. Unfortunately the timer has 2 compulsory settings so am forced to leave the one in the evening for 45 minutes (that is the closest the two tabs go together on the timer!).

So checked the readings for the 24 hour period and it is now 44092 so we have reduced it to 21kwh.

What I'd like to know please is if this sounds normal for an all electric property? It is a small 2 bedroom semi-detached cottage.

I have become obsessed with checking the meter (sad, I know!) and have noticed that the rotations vary even when the same power is on (eg not when the water is heating up but the electric heaters are on) as in it will speed up then slow down and then speed up again. Could there be a fault? Does anyone know if E.on have a service where they send someone to check to put my mind to rest?

Or is this in fact, what should be expected as normal usage for an electricity only property of this size? Its looking at being over £80 a month (and that's with it being reasonable warm weather).

Does anyone have any advice please on this and what I could do to try to reduce it? Is it the heating cylinder as I am suspecting and is this normal?

Please excuse my ignorance with these matters as, said before, new and naive to being an electricity customer. I would really appreciate any advice and thoughts.

Many thanks in advance.

McKneff

Why not turn your water heater offf altogether and just put it on for an hour or so when you actually need it.
or boil a kettle to wash up. it would use less electricity that a water heater on for an hour.

We pay £approx £100 a month for gas and electricity over 12 months and it balances out well for us.

molerat

Your supplier will come out and check the meter but if they find it is correct you will be charged somewhere in the region of £80.

You need to do some self checking first. Ensure EVERYTHING is turned off and see if the meter is moving. Plug in a known heavy load, a 1 kW heater is ideal, and leave it on for 15 minutes - you should use .25 units of electricity. A few easy checks could save you a lot.

welshmoneylover

AdamRich2017 wrote: »

Hi all,

Me and my partner moved into an electricity only 2 bedroom cottage 2 months ago. All new to paying electricity bills as in our previous rent, it was all inclusive. We had an estimated tariff of £40 which we were happy with but then when I put in my actual meter reading two days ago, I was faced with a bill for £325 for the 2 months!

When we moved in the meter reading was 41823 and when I entered my meter reading two days ago, it was 44017. Meaning in 2 months, we had used a whopping 2194 kwh in two months. We are both working full time and have the electric oil heaters on a timer so it wasn't as if everything was on 24/7.

I checked the meter 24 hours and it was 44071 meaning that in one day we had used 54kwh.

We did realise that we had our water pressure storage heater timer set on for 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours at night (naive new renters) which may have been the cause of the huge amount.

So last night, we reset the electric heaters to come on much less and turned the water timer to come on for one hour in the morning. Unfortunately the timer has 2 compulsory settings so am forced to leave the one in the evening for 45 minutes (that is the closest the two tabs go together on the timer!).

So checked the readings for the 24 hour period and it is now 44092 so we have reduced it to 21kwh.

What I'd like to know please is if this sounds normal for an all electric property? It is a small 2 bedroom semi-detached cottage.

I have become obsessed with checking the meter (sad, I know!) and have noticed that the rotations vary even when the same power is on (eg not when the water is heating up but the electric heaters are on) as in it will speed up then slow down and then speed up again. Could there be a fault? Does anyone know if E.on have a service where they send someone to check to put my mind to rest?

Or is this in fact, what should be expected as normal usage for an electricity only property of this size? Its looking at being over £80 a month (and that's with it being reasonable warm weather).

Does anyone have any advice please on this and what I could do to try to reduce it? Is it the heating cylinder as I am suspecting and is this normal?

Please excuse my ignorance with these matters as, said before, new and naive to being an electricity customer. I would really appreciate any advice and thoughts.

Many thanks in advance.

Yes, it all sounds normal, just make sure everything is turned off when not in use.

EachPenny

AdamRich2017 wrote: »

We did realise that we had our water pressure storage heater timer set on for 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours at night (naive new renters) which may have been the cause of the huge amount.

Could you just clarify the type of water heater you have, you also mention a heating cylinder so it sounds like you have an immersion heater fitted to a conventional hot water storage tank (cylinder) but some people have an instantaneous heater fitted which heats the water as you use it (a bit like a combi boiler).

Immersion heaters are typically 3kW, so if it was running for 5 hours continuously then you'd use 15 kWh per day just for hot water. However, immersion heaters should be fitted with a thermostat which will stop the heating element once the cylinder is fully heated. Depending on the size of the cylinder it may be able to fully heat within no more than say two hours from fully cold.

So a couple of points to consider: Unless your immersion heater is a lot more than 3kW it seems unlikely that all your excess consumption is down to hot water heating.

Secondly, one possibility could be a faulty (or missing) thermostat meaning the immersion element is running continuously during the hours the timer is on for, regardless of how hot the water is. Do you find the hot water too hot to use without adding lots of cold?

AdamRich2017 wrote: »

...have noticed that the rotations vary even when the same power is on (eg not when the water is heating up but the electric heaters are on) as in it will speed up then slow down and then speed up again. Could there be a fault?

Do you mean the rotations of the metal disk visible inside the meter? The speed of the disk is proportional to the amount of power you are using. It is normal for it to speed up and slow down as different appliances switch on and off. You have several room heaters by the sound of it, and these should all have thermostats - so the variations in speed may just be reflecting individual heaters coming on and going off.

Try the checks molerat suggests. If you aren't convinced after those checks then another option is to use a separate power usage monitor, you can buy one for around £40 but in some areas it might be possible to borrow one from your local library (some Councils ran initiatives to help people reduce their energy bills which included using these monitors). They use a sensor fitted near your meter to feed data via a radio signal to a small portable display unit. these are really useful as you can stand next to different appliances and see how the household consumption varies as the appliance switches on and off (a good way of checking thermostats are fitted and working).

Also, you only mentioned one set of meter readings. If the property is all-electric then it sounds like you could benefit from being on an Economy 7 tariff instead of a single rate. With Economy 7 you get cheaper electric overnight, so things like immersion heaters can be set to run during the cheaper time. If you are renting then you may need to get the landlord's permission, but it might be worth looking into it.

One benefit is you will probably need a new meter - which would remove any doubt you have with the existing one. Some suppliers will fit them for free, others may charge. But even if you have to pay for one to be installed it may work out cheaper than the cost of having your existing meter tested (if it turns out to be ok)