Temporary High Power Usage

Gambler

I noticed this morning that for the third time in 12 months, a mysterious 0.33KWH being drawn with everything bar the fridge freezer and router turned off. I have the bright app and it shows normal usage is usually only 0.03KWH overnight or when I'm at work. Annual usage is low at 900KWH helped by 3 solar panels. Normally lasts for a few days before then going back to normal.

I contacted Eon back in May but they wanted me to pay £110 to have the meter tested.

Not had chance today as I'm at work but last time I tried to isolate the usage I'm pretty sure it was the fuse for kitchen sockets.


Any suggestions I'd be most grateful.

Thanks

DullGreyGuy

And if you turn off the fridge freezer whilst this draw is happening?

Gambler

DullGreyGuy said:

And if you turn off the fridge freezer whilst this draw is happening?

No change. Tried turning everything off in the kitchen including the boiler, cooker point etc.

Gerry1

Gambler said:

I noticed this morning that for the third time in 12 months, a mysterious 0.33KWH being drawn with everything bar the fridge freezer and router turned off. I have the bright app and it shows normal usage is usually only 0.03KWH overnight or when I'm at work. Annual usage is low at 900KWH

If your device is displaying kWh, that's not the power being drawn at that moment, it's the energy that's been used over a period of time.  Switching everything off will instantly kill the power being drawn but it won't suddenly change the amount of energy that's been used in the last hour.

Gambler

Gerry1 said:

Gambler said:

I noticed this morning that for the third time in 12 months, a mysterious 0.33KWH being drawn with everything bar the fridge freezer and router turned off. I have the bright app and it shows normal usage is usually only 0.03KWH overnight or when I'm at work. Annual usage is low at 900KWH

If your device is displaying kWh, that's not the power being drawn at that moment, it's the energy that's been used over a period of time.  Switching everything off will instantly kill the power being drawn but it won't suddenly change the amount of energy that's been used in the last hour.

No that's a different screen where I can see usage for the day, week etc.

This screen shows the current usage and the equivalent cost per hour. For example I boil the kettle and it suddenly shoots up to over 3KWH for a few minutes.

Bright app confirms that 0.33KWH has been used every hour while I was alseep when this is usually 0.03KWH

Gerry1

You're still confusing power with energy.

If you switch on a 3kW kettle and a screen suddenly shows 3kWh, then it's merely predicting what would be used in the next hour if nothing changed.

It's like confusing speed with distance.  One is instantaneous, one is cumulative.

teaselMay

Have you checked the freezer door is properly shut?

Scot_39

No it should show it temporarily shoot up to 3 kW the power - if it shows 3kWh - the energy - then that is on the assumption - that it will remain active for a complete hour. 

Which more often than not many loads - certainly in a dual fuel home - would not be. A kettle being a prime example -  high power, short time, but low actual energy use.

Its sometimes a really bad thing and only adds to the confusion.  

Energy = Power x Time (or the integral sum of it if power varies)

So taking a kettle again 

3kW for 3 min boil for a part filled kettle = in bill energy units [kWh] = 3 [kW] * 3 [m] / 60 [m/h] = 0.15kWh

Similarly the 1/2 hrly meter app data - should by kWh energy used in the half hour slot. 

So if shoes 1kWh used - you should have been using an average of 2kW of power for that half hour period (1 kWh= 2kW * 30 / 60)

My background load is 20-30W (higher when off peak circuits active)  - but when the FF compressor or defrost cycle runs - goes over 100W - and thats a small modern FF.  Older large ones - early American style - could easily be over 2-3x that when active.

Gambler

Scot_39 said:

No it should show it temporarily shoot up to 3 kW the power - if it shows 3kWh - the energy - then that is on the assumption - that it will remain active for a complete hour. 

Which more often than not many loads - certainly in a dual fuel home - would not be. A kettle being a prime example -  high power, short time, but low actual energy use.

Its sometimes a really bad thing and only adds to the confusion.  

Energy = Power x Time (or the integral sum of it if power varies)

So taking a kettle again 

3kW for 3 min boil for a part filled kettle = in bill energy units [kWh] = 3 [kW] * 3 [m] / 60 [m/h] = 0.15kWh

Similarly the 1/2 hrly meter app data - should by kWh energy used in the half hour slot. 

So if shoes 1kWh used - you should have been using an average of 2kW of power for that half hour period (1 kWh= 2kW * 30 / 60)

My background load is 20-30W (higher when off peak circuits active)  - but when the FF compressor or defrost cycle runs - goes over 100W - and thats a small modern FF.  Older large ones - early American style - could easily be over 2-3x that when active.

Thanks Scot, yes maybe it's my terminology. My background load is normally 30W but now it is 330W and I have no idea why. I've attached a comparison clearly showing the usage per hour. It started at 3am and will likely last a few days.

On-the-coast

Well in order of probability here’s what could be happening. Most likely first:
1 something you’re unaware of is still using energy.  Eg Central heating pump.  Security system etc. 
2 your IHD has missed a few readings, then caught up everything in one hour.  I never trust my IHD - I go to the meter if I really want to see usage that can be trusted. 

3 your meter is reading incorrectly
4 weird stuff… inductive loads. Heat generating loads.  Any large coils of long extensions leading to Christmas lights?

QrizB

It's been like that since 0300 this morning.

It's turned colder again today, and dropped below freezing overnight in parts of the country. Is there a 300W frost heater somewhere that cut in when the temperature dropped?