Tracking Energy Use on EDF Energy Hub

FilofaxFan

Robin9 said:

Please get rid of that gas heater -   potential causes of condensation, damp and carbon monoxide.

Read you meter at the same time every day, keep a log of what you were doing, how many at home, what the weather was like.

In you list  - you don't mention baths or showers.

It is your meter you're reading isn't it - not unknown for meters to get mixed up in flats.

I have a carbon monoxide indicator alarm and I air the flat, don't worry. Not sure why you say it causes damp/condensation? We don't have any damp/condensation at all.

I didn't mention number of baths or showers as it makes no difference - the water heater is on for a set amount of time, regardless. The time set for heating the water gives us just enough for the 3 of us to have 10 min showers every other day, the odd bath and hot water to wash up.

It is definitely our meter, it's in the hall cupboard.

FilofaxFan

QrizB said:

Really, comparing month-by-month isn't a very effective way of assessing recent changes you've made.

It's a few months since I had my electricity with EDF but I seem to recall that I could see weekly, daily and half-hourly readings as well as monthly.

Is your smart meter signed up for half-hourly metering? (It's a setting on EDF's website.)

Also, I would agree with earlier posters who say 30kWh/day is quite a lot, particularly given the March we've just had.

Can you check the serial number of your meter with the one you're being billed for? Are you also able to take @Gerry1 's meter sanity test and confirm that the smart meter is connected to your property and not to a completely different flat?

I was looking at the days for March 2022 to compare, but then looked at months to get more perspective.

I am set up for half hourly but as I said, it takes about 3 days to show results in the EDF app. Are you really able to see half hourly results on yours?

Thanks for the link to the meter check - I will definitely do that. Something is not right, somewhere along the line.

Gerry1

FilofaxFan said:

Robin9 said:

Please get rid of that gas heater -   potential causes of condensation, damp and carbon monoxide.

Read you meter at the same time every day, keep a log of what you were doing, how many at home, what the weather was like.

In you list  - you don't mention baths or showers.

It is your meter you're reading isn't it - not unknown for meters to get mixed up in flats.

I didn't mention number of baths or showers as it makes no difference

Oh yes it does !  If used more, the tank will end up cooler, will taker longer to heat up next time and cost more.  There's no All You Can Eat with energy.

Think of it like driving further in a car - the tank level will end up lower so the next fill up will cost more.

FilofaxFan

Gerry1 said:

FilofaxFan said:

Robin9 said:

Please get rid of that gas heater -   potential causes of condensation, damp and carbon monoxide.

Read you meter at the same time every day, keep a log of what you were doing, how many at home, what the weather was like.

In you list  - you don't mention baths or showers.

It is your meter you're reading isn't it - not unknown for meters to get mixed up in flats.

I didn't mention number of baths or showers as it makes no difference

Oh yes it does !  If used more, the tank will end up cooler, will taker longer to heat up next time and cost more.  There's no All You Can Eat with energy.

Think of it like driving further in a car - the tank level will end up lower so the next fill up will cost more.

If the heater is on for precisely an hour, it can't take longer though? I can understand that the water might not be as hot if it's starting from cold. Is what you mean, the water boiler works at a higher, more expensive intensity to heat the water from cold? 

We only run out of hot water every Tuesday... both kids shower after sports... but surely that can't be making us 'high users'.

( I really appreciate your help with this btw, just really trying to figure this out, sorry for all the questions! I'm really quite resourceful, but have become quite unstuck with this niggling issue)

QrizB

FilofaxFan said:

I am set up for half hourly but as I said, it takes about 3 days to show results in the EDF app. Are you really able to see half hourly results on yours?

I left EDF in September (my gas is now back with them but that's a different story) but yes, I'm sure I could see a breakdown through the day. It was either hourly or half-hourly.

You can get the same data from http://www.n3rgy.com/ (you need to register as a consumer) or via the Bright app.

Gerry1

FilofaxFan said:

Gerry1 said:

FilofaxFan said:

Robin9 said:

Please get rid of that gas heater -   potential causes of condensation, damp and carbon monoxide.

Read you meter at the same time every day, keep a log of what you were doing, how many at home, what the weather was like.

In you list  - you don't mention baths or showers.

It is your meter you're reading isn't it - not unknown for meters to get mixed up in flats.

I didn't mention number of baths or showers as it makes no difference

Oh yes it does !  If used more, the tank will end up cooler, will taker longer to heat up next time and cost more.  There's no All You Can Eat with energy.

Think of it like driving further in a car - the tank level will end up lower so the next fill up will cost more.

If the heater is on for precisely an hour, it can't take longer though?

The immersion heater will heat the water until it's sufficiently hot, and then the thermostat will switch it off.

Ignoring the heat lost through the insulation, if you used no hot water the immersion heater wouldn't switch on the next day because the water would still be hot.  If you had had one brief shower, it might take 15 minutes to bring the temperature back up.  If you'd had three brief showers, it might take 45 minutes.

Basically you pay for every litre of hot water, use more and it costs more.

Just like a car, if someone borrows it for an extra journey without your knowledge, you'll find your regular weekly fill up will take longer and the litres and ££ readings on the pump will both be higher.  There's no free lunch.

GingerTim

QrizB said:

FilofaxFan said:

I am set up for half hourly but as I said, it takes about 3 days to show results in the EDF app. Are you really able to see half hourly results on yours?

I left EDF in September (my gas is now back with them but that's a different story) but yes, I'm sure I could see a breakdown through the day. It was either hourly or half-hourly.

You can get the same data from http://www.n3rgy.com/ (you need to register as a consumer) or via the Bright app.

Just for info, here's the breakdown you get from the EDF website, plus a categorisation of your use (not entirely sure how they work out the latter).

QrizB

Thanks @GingerTim , I didn't grab a screenshot before I left!

FilofaxFan

@GingerTim

Yes, that's it. I can see all that, but there is a handy 3 day lag on results lol. It was better with the old smart meter located in the kitchen - at least I could see the immediate effect of turning something on/off. 

You're right. The breakdown section is complete and utter nonsense. It must be based on some median aggregate info, mine doesn't reflect actual usage at all. For example, no heating on for the last 2 weeks, but it tells me that it makes up the biggest part of my usage. I dropped the water boiler daily timer by over an hour and it says I've increased my use 23% on last month! 

GingerTim

I find it usually populates the data after 24 hours, but there certainly are times when it seems stuck for a few days. The Bright app usually provides the data the following day, but not in real time of course.

All I can find about the breakdown is at https://www.edfenergy.com/for-home/help-centre/faq/how-does-energy-hub-work-out-my-energy-breakdown#node-teaser-21432. The answer seems to be 'just trust the algorithm'!