How can I monitor our electricity usage...

RandyRos

...without a smart meter?

We're presently with Bulb who charge us £110 a month direct debit. It's the cheapest I've found as our household uses almost 10,000kw a year in electricity.

For the last 10 years or so I've been getting the best deal I can, by working out our consumption and not going by estimated quotes. I visited a pal the other day and she's with Shell and despite her massive waterfront home, she only pays about £70-80 a month!!

So I went on the Shell website and did an estimated quote (I cba to find my bill) which came out at £60 a month. I was stunned. So I dug out our usage from the last year and re-did the quote to make sure it was accurate. But the number I got was £122 a month

I was puzzled, so I went back to the estimated quote and discovered that "average 3 bed homes" use a little less than 4,000kw a year.

!!!!!! IS GOING ON???? :eek:

We live in a 3 bed semi in the country. Without listing everything electrical we own, I don't believe we are any different than any other family of 4 (inc. 2 adult kids). TBH I think we have a lot less gadgets than most folk and we don't have any electrical heating, no boiler, just an immersion heater for the water. I am totally perplexed as to where we are using the electricity! No gas here, either.

We cannot have a Smart Meter (I tried a couple of years ago) as the phone signal (or whatever they use) is too poor. So how can I find out what is using so much power?!

PLEASE can someone help/advise me? TIA

Oh, and Merry Christmas x

daveyjp

To get an average you need some who use more and some who use less. You use more, if you used less, the average would be lower.

With no gas how do you heat rooms?

FreeBear

I have a Peace Fair gadget that clips around just one of the cables (tails) between the electricity meter and consumer unit. This is linked to a home automation system that logs the energy usage and can display assorted fancy graphs.


Probably way too complicated for you unless you are tech savvy... However, PF do a range of other products that are simple to install and use - The PZEM-022 is likely to be the most suitable if you can wire up a plug and have a spare socket close to your electricity meter. Do make sure you get one with a split current transformer (open CT) that can be clipped on to a meter tail.

RandyRos

open fire. as much free wood as we can scavenge lol

RandyRos

hubby is good with electrical stuff, he does it at work on the farm. Wiring a plug is about as far as I go lol I will look into the PF gadgets, thanks. I can normally get the hang of gadgets.

FreeBear

RandyRos wrote: »

hubby is good with electrical stuff, he does it at work on the farm.

If you want one now, try - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Peacefair-PZEM-022-AC-Digital-Display-Power-Monitor-Voltmeter-Ammeter-Multimeter/153627469456
You could order one from China and have to wait 6-8 weeks if you want to save a few quid. Personally, I'd go for a UK seller. Get hubby to fit it in a nice little box, and you are all set to go.

RandyRos

daveyjp wrote: »

To get an average you need some who use more and some who use less. You use more, if you used less, the average would be lower.

With no gas how do you heat rooms?

So you are saying that the average given on energy suppliers sites aren't in any way accurate? Cos it makes me feel like I'm paying for my local town's festive illuminations all year round!

RandyRos

FreeBear wrote: »

If you want one now, try - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Peacefair-PZEM-022-AC-Digital-Display-Power-Monitor-Voltmeter-Ammeter-Multimeter/153627469456
You could order one from China and have to wait 6-8 weeks if you want to save a few quid. Personally, I'd go for a UK seller. Get hubby to fit it in a nice little box, and you are all set to go.

Wow, I'm glad that's so cheap, hubby's been off works sick for 2 months. Thank you x

comeandgo

Your electric use is massive, truly massive. You mention farm, are you living on it and if so are the meters being read the correct ones? Shut off all your electric items and see if your meter is still turning.

RandyRos

comeandgo wrote: »

Your electric use is massive, truly massive. You mention farm, are you living on it and if so are the meters being read the correct ones? Shut off all your electric items and see if your meter is still turning.

No, we live opposite A farm, which is nothing to do with us or our landlady (though her hubby owned it about 30 years ago). The one hubby works on is 8 miles away.

We live in a row of 4 cottages, owned by one landlady. We do have a sewage treatment plant for the 4 cotts that is wired up to our house as it's the nearest, but that has it's own counter and the landlady pays us for the little energy is uses (about £45 every 3 months).

I will try turning off everything and see what happens. I have wondered if the meter is running too fast or not counting correctly, but it's digital so it must be correct, mustn't it?

SnowTiger

RandyRos wrote: »

I will try turning off everything and see what happens. I have wondered if the meter is running too fast or not counting correctly, but it's digital so it must be correct, mustn't it?

I think most of us have wondered that about our meter.

You mention you have an open fire. Is that your only source of heating? Does it run a central heating system?

Do you run any additional electric heating? Perhaps a radiator in the bedroom(s), kitchen and/or bathroom? Electric heating is very expensive.

After heating hot water will likely be the biggest user of electricity. How good is the lagging on your immersion heater?