Getting nowhere with EDF

niktheguru

SuperShaun said:

Serious regretting getting a smart meter!

Your electricity usage is not the smart meters fault. Whether or not you have a smart meter you use the same amount of energy.
All the smart meter has done is highlighted how much has been used. As has been said time and time again, do not rely on £/p figures on an IHD, look at Kwh readings. If it says you used 15 in 24hrs you did use 15kwh, then the next task is to find out HOW you used that figure. Its rarely a smart meter fault, its more likely that you've left things on or have items in the house using that energy.

I suspect the "usage" when you are away from your flat is probably a combination of all the devices you've left on, potentially any lights left on, and an immersion heater for water inadvertently left on a timer.

SuperShaun

The heating is manually controlled and there is no underfloor heating. 1 shower would account for £1 in those 4 days.

A little more for breakfast on the 02 Apr, and some for the running of the fridge / water heater whilst I was away in the meantime.

It strikes me as odd.

niktheguru

How is your water heated? (other than shower) If you turn your consumer unit off, does the meter still add any units? Are there any communal lights which are halogens that are coming under your meter.
Go to your consumer unit, what circuits do you have on it?

QrizB

SuperShaun said:

So the thing that got me to question what was going on in the first place... using data from the EDF Energy Hub, this is my consumption for the days I was away from the flat:

Fri 02 Apr 2021    18kWh        £3.28    Out of flat at 0600, maybe some consumption in the morning for shower, kettle and tv

Sat 03 Apr 2021    14.5kWh      £2.68    Away from flat

Sun 04 Apr 2021    15kWh        £2.77    Away from flat

Mon 05 Apr 2021    16kWh        £2.92    Returned 2200 this day, straight to bed

Is this typical for a flat that has nothing aside from the fridge/freezer, water heater and nothing else in use? The EDF Energy Hub reports that approx 1 kWh/day has been used since I moved out.

From those readings it looks as though you were using pretty much the same amount of energy at home as away. The prime suspect, in my eyes at least, is your water heater. Back on the first page of this thread you said:

"The water heater / boiler / immersion heater (very large cylindrical installation in a cupboard in the flat - forgive me, I am unsure which it would be)."

Did you turn it off when you went away for the weekend? Does it look like a bare metal cylinder, or is it covered in foam insulation? Or do you have a leaky/drippy hot tap in the flat?

Also, did you turn it off when you moved out?

Robin9

Do your "panel" heaters actually have water pipes connected to them ?  If so your water heater is a boiler. Turning the panel heaters off will not stop this boiler heating up.

SuperShaun

The panel heaters are electric as well - I was loathed to use them as I am aware they are hellishly expensive to use. Definitely no water involved.

The water heater was a large metal cylindrical installation - I never switched it off for the duration of the tenacy - as said I am surprised my usage is higher in Mar/Apr than in Jan / Feb.

It is sounding like this maybe the water heater is the culprit - I guess I find it odd as have never encountered this issue before in rented accomodation.

SuperShaun

I'll have to chalk this one up to experience I guess- to those of you that have taken the time to respond, thank you.