Electricity meter reading spike

kcwro

I submitted a meter reading to our supplier in March (first time in 15 months 🤦‍♂️) and it showed a colossal spike in usage - from an average of 13 units per day to a whopping 28.4 per day for which we are paying an excess bill of £866. I know first thought is that this period covers lockdown, but since then my husband has been working from home (though not the children) and the readings have barely shifted above 14 at any point.
We have a smart meter that does not belong to our supplier (who we have been pretty happy with) so meter readings must be taken manually, and our home has been made energy efficient (before the start reading of 8758 ) - between March 24611 and now, 26916, usage is completely normal.
I have had the manager on the phone doubting my submissions as they are not in line with 'previous' usage and I wonder whether the meter may have had a fault - do these machines hold a memory that can be analysed as to usage? Or did anyone else experience and enormous spike in usage over lockdown? !

kcwro

By the way, I think I have trawled through ALL similar posts 😉but I didn't find an answer to my particular question - unless someone can helpfully point me to post that can help.
Also, I completed a blackout test on the system yesterday and all was good.

kcwro

Correction; 24611 was submitted on 12/2/21 - makes quite a difference in calculating mean average

MWT

You answers are scattered across a lot of similar posts.

Odds are there is a problem with a meter reading, either the one you took 15 months ago or the more recent ones.

There are ways to get the 'wrong' reading from a meter and with 15 months between readings it is easily possible that you are making a simple mistake like supplying a total reading for all registers instead of just the single register you should be using for example.

Since you only mention a single reading can we assume you are on a single rate tariff?

Have you ever previously been on an E7 tariff with that meter? (day and night readings).

When did you switch to the current supplier since you say they did not install the meter.

Do check that bill from 15 months ago to make sure your supplier did actually use the reading you submitted at the time, or was that when you switched?.

brewerdave

kcwro said:

We have a smart meter that does not belong to our supplier (who we have been pretty happy with) so meter readings must be taken manually, and our home has been made energy efficient (before the start reading of 8758 ) - between March 24611 and now, 26916, usage is completely normal.
I have had the manager on the phone doubting my submissions as they are not in line with 'previous' usage and I wonder whether the meter may have had a fault - do these machines hold a memory that can be analysed as to usage? Or did anyone else experience and enormous spike in usage over lockdown? !

Was that start reading of 8758 taken manually as well? Is it possible that it was actually 18758 ?

theoretica

The meter will have an installation date on it - what was that?  To work out average over total time since meter was at zero.  Was meter about 22 months old for 8758 - to match average use of 13kwh/day.

kcwro

Thanks for input to problem - I have given my information slightly wrong, though - May 19 was 8758, November 19 was 11805 - that makes the readings make sense - then February 21 was  24611 - sorry for being confusing. According to my mathematics though, even though I omitted a higher reading , daily consumption is still 30.4
I have just looked at the box, and can't find an installation date on there.

kcwro

Thanks, MWT, we are on electricity only.
I haven't phoned Utility Point yet to get from them the reading that they will have taken themselves during my time with them.

kcwro

But interesting you should raise that point as there is another number of 2608 showing on the box that I haven't a clue as to what it relates to. UP talked me through on the phone as to the right number, and they couldn't explain the other either.

Robin9

kcwro said:

.
I have just looked at the box, and can't find an installation date on there.

Usually a sticky label or a card left by it.  Alternative a manufacturer's date eg 08/21

I assume this is a Digital meter as compared with the cyclometer style or the very old clocks where the dials go in different directions.

kcwro

Actually, I've just remembered that when we had work done on the house, the source location was change and box replaced before power company reconnected electricity - though this was done in December 18 and all this has happened since