Help understanding electricity usage!

QrizB

For the 18th, what chart do you get for "day"? How does it differ from the 17th and 19th? Can you share a screenshot or two?

Qyburn

You need to start switching stuff off until you get to the bottom of this. Even if that's painful or inconvenient you need to stop using 25-28kWh per day, costs that you can never get back.

Quick check if your two panel heaters are on five hous a day, let's say they draw 700W each for one hour, and four at the 300W you quote.  That's 3.8kW. A 10 minute shower @10kW that's another 1.6kWh. We're not scratching the surface of your total usage, something else is at play.

Have you looked at the half hourly data to see whether it's at specific times? 

Qyburn

You need to start switching stuff off until you get to the bottom of this. Even if that's painful or inconvenient you need to stop using 25-28kWh per day, costs that you can never get back.

Quick check if your two panel heaters are on five hous a day, let's say they draw 700W each for one hour, and four at the 300W you quote.  That's 3.8kW. A 10 minute shower @10kW that's another 1.6kWh. We're not scratching the surface of your total usage, something else is at play.

Have you looked at the half hourly data to see whether it's at specific times? 

Magwitch15

Thanks everyone for your comments. I've asked my electrician for his thoughts and as I've been at work all day today and will be out all day tomorrow, the only electricity that will be on will be the one radiator so it will be easy to see the data. I have the meter set up for half hourly readings. The meter recorded 14.64kwh yesterday but I put the washing machine on a 30minute cycle and cooked for about an 1.5hours so it's harder to work out what energy is being used where. 

I've spoken to some people I know and although it's only comparing in cost, one pays £130 a month for gas and electric, 2 bed terrace house, one pays (I can't quite believe) £80 for a three bed house gas and electric. I suppose my costs seem comparatively high but thinking about it, I suppose a bigger home would still use a similar amount of electricity, if they were frugal with it. I would expect their water and cooking to be greater energy-wise, but I suppose the heating element is similar so maybe my usage just comes across as higher because I'm solo. 

I'll report back on what the electrician says. It's a shame if he's misadvised me as I really liked him but we all make mistakes so let's hope it was a genuine error of judgement. 

Also, it's such a relief to speak to real humans (albeit e-humans)! EDF were very responsive but they clearly had programmed responses and everything was either a 'yes' or a 'no' which isn't terrible, but when you're asking for help it's a complete failing of care. I know it's up to me to work out my energy usage, but I would also argue that they're the experts and there is a small part of them which has a responsibility to help their clients understand what they're being charged for. This isn't EDF specific, of course, it's just wonderfully frustrating  

Magwitch15

@qriz it’s a bad example as the 17th I was working from home so would have had my laptop plugged in, the 18th I was at work as normal, the 19th I was away for the night so turned off all my electrics in the evening as a test. 

Scot_39

Netexporter said:

That is very very high. 

Not for a 10kW shower, it isn't. Depends how long you stay in it, though.

10kW including a cold fed electric shower is not that high - models range typically from c7.5kW to nearer 11kW - 9.5kW most common followed by 8.5kW, followed by 10.5kW at one retail/trade outlet website just checked

My IHD shows kW or W live on the view I typically leave it on - thats power not energy.

My sisters - more modern - shows both power (W/kW) and energy (kWh).

The energy consumed in kWh - the units we pay our electric (and even gas these days) bills in - is arguably the time dependent part - power in kW x time in hours = energy in kWh

It will likely always show therefore as near 10kW (heater elements are themselves temperature dependent - so power taken can very by few percent cold to hot ) - but a 10 min shower will take c 1.7kWh of energy (10kW*10/60) - 2.5 times the energy now recommended for energy saving 4 minute shower according to adverts.

And again if being a little more pedantic than should be re orginal 10kw, as we all probably know what poster meant  - it's SI symbol is capital "w", so W not w, so kW not kw etc

Robin9

• @Magwitch15 Looking at the 18th graph there is a very steady load 10 am to 6pm - you were at work. Could the settings on one of the heaters be wrong and it is actually on during these hours.?