High Energy Bill - Possible Problem

CommitedToChange

There is definitely something wrong - I live in what sounds like a similar size flat and spend £50/month on electric. And I'm on a key meter (pay in advance).

I never switch on the water as my shower is electric and I boil the kettle for anything else. I also don't use the wall heaters as they eat electricity and give out no heat, instead I bought an oil less radiator and use that.

I'm not sure why she can't check tonight - light some candles or use a torch and switch everything off at the fuse / meter point then see what the readings are after half an hour.

Robin9

Fergie76- any progress ?

Former Spark Representative

Hi Fergie76

I'd like to have a look at your daughter's account.

Can you ask her to pop me an email using the address in my profile please? If you're authorised on her account you're welcome to contact me too.

Happy to take a look if I hear from you.

Kind regards

Jenny
Customer Relations Manager

Fergie76

Apologies for the delay in replying.

So my daughter did a burn test and it appears no electricity was used during this time, which probably rules out the meters being wired the wrong way round.

I phoned Spark again tonight and the said there is pretty much nothing they can do, as everything looks ok from their end, so all they can suggest is either my daughters Landlord gets a Sparky out to check or she does at her own expense.

I'm really struggling on what to suggest to my daughter, as everything is switched off at the sockets, except her fridge and wifi router. During this cold spell she is frightened to turn her heating on and won't turn her heating, it is too cold to sit in the living room, so she is in bed, so the tv is not even being used.

I confirmed with Spark tonight and she is on the cheapest tariff. They said over the last eight days, she has averaged 11 units a day, and yesterday used 21. They said this wasn't an unusual amount. I don't know what the averages is, but I still think this is high, for what she is telling me she is using.

Since the bill on 31 Dec 17 where her final reading was 1159, it is now 1310 (151 units used) and cost £27.03.

On 2 Jan the young family upstairs readings were 718.3 and are now 779.5 (61.2 units used, less than half of my daughter). I have told her to know on their door and ask them about their bill, but she is not the best of terms with the girl that lives there, so is reluctant.

Robin9

11 units a day in an all electric flat is not excessive.

One of the checks suggested was to turn off her consumer unit
- has she done this ?

badmemory

Wait until teatime - after dark, light her candles & turn off that power at the meter. Sit watching the meter no longer moves & wait for her neighbours to come out to check their fuses. If that doesn't work then go out to work leaving it turned off. Preferably if she is on the night shift!

Fergie76

Robin9 wrote: »

11 units a day in an all electric flat is not excessive.

One of the checks suggested was to turn off her consumer unit
- has she done this ?

Yes she has, as I said in previous post.

11 units may not be excessive, but that's because she has not turned anything on. All she has on is her fridge and WIFI router all the time and occasionally a few other appliances, but it has now got to the stage where she is frightened to turn most things on.

Going on her the final meter reading of her bill (31 Dec 17), 1159 and a reading she took last night, 1310, she has used 151 in 9 days, which actually works out at 16.77 units per day and remember she works 12 hours a day 5 out 7 and compare that to the young family that live upstairs (house more than double the size) and are home at lot more than my daughter, their usage is almost half of my daughters (see previous post for their readings).

victor2

Tell her to use the smart meter's in-house display (which she presumably has) and check the usage it reports at any one moment - in kWh, forget £ for now.
The last one I had updated itself every 10 seconds from the meter, so if hers is similar there could be a short delay in it changing.
It's easy to see though - just switch on the electric kettle and see what the display reports as the kettle is warming up. If that proves the display is working, get her to look at what the display says is being used when only the fridge and WiFi router is on. Then she can start to see what other things are using. When the fridge compressor is not running, there should be next to no usage on it. Even when the compressor cuts in, it shouldn't be more than a few hundred watts.
Does she have storage heaters? If so, they could be incorrectly set up, and even if correctly set, they can use a lot of energy.

ChaunceyGardiner

Robin9 wrote: »

11 units a day in an all electric flat is not excessive.

It seems high if she's not using the heating or immersion. I have gas but I'm at home all day and average around 5kWh, which covers the fridge freezer, cooking, a quick electric shower, central heating pump, lighting and various gadgets.

Fergie76

victor2 wrote: »

Tell her to use the smart meter's in-house display (which she presumably has) and check the usage it reports at any one moment - in kWh, forget £ for now.
The last one I had updated itself every 10 seconds from the meter, so if hers is similar there could be a short delay in it changing.
It's easy to see though - just switch on the electric kettle and see what the display reports as the kettle is warming up. If that proves the display is working, get her to look at what the display says is being used when only the fridge and WiFi router is on. Then she can start to see what other things are using. When the fridge compressor is not running, there should be next to no usage on it. Even when the compressor cuts in, it shouldn't be more than a few hundred watts.
Does she have storage heaters? If so, they could be incorrectly set up, and even if correctly set, they can use a lot of energy.

Will do thanks.

No, they are not storage heaters. They are just electric wall panel heaters. Not sure the exact name of them.