Bills have tripled in my business

Hamilton6137 · 4 July 2019 at 5:08PM

They may be high usage equipment but that still doesn’t explain how my bills have tripled because they were the same high usage units that the previous bills were charging a reasonable amount for. Not to mention I’ve got rid of a shelving unit containing 12 old style strip lights that were built in. There’s also a couple of lights that don’t work and/or flicker regularly and one of the fridges started leaking water after I cleaned it but was still holding temperature so I didn’t bother investigating further.

Hamilton6137 · 4 July 2019 at 5:10PM

How would I be able to know if someone else is using my compressor?

markin · 4 July 2019 at 5:18PM

Flat upstairs?

Did the old owner actually use heaters apart from 3 days a year, how powerful are the 2 heaters?

You have to turn it all off and check the meters at a standstill.

Hamilton6137 wrote: »

How would I be able to know if someone else is using my compressor?

He meant the power supply i think, Check no new wires have appeared from it going next door.

Hamilton6137 · 4 July 2019 at 5:25PM

I wouldn’t know where to start so it sounds like I will need to get an electrician in to investigate. Also as I worked with the previous owner for several years i know for a fact he consumed more energy than after I took over as he would have the computer running all day as well as two heaters in the winter because it gets pretty cold up here. The heaters are 2000w.

Robin9 · 4 July 2019 at 5:41PM

I would have thought that £390 a month is about par for the course for a retail unit. That about 1700 kwh - if 6 days a week 12 hours a day -about 6 kwh an hour (ignoring night time use of compressors and security lighting

I would question what you had been told by the previous owner

markin · 4 July 2019 at 5:44PM

Can you get some old meter reading from the previous owner just to compare usage? Your units consumed should be half by the sounds of it.

Unless the new retail fridges are gobbling it up, and he only had ones with doors? So while old they where more efficient?

Talldave · 4 July 2019 at 6:28PM

Get an energy monitor (an LED monitoring one if your meter has a pulsing LED) shut all circuits off, then enable one at a time to see what the consumption is. Check if the fridges come on and off or are running 24/7 because they are on their last legs?

Robin9 · 5 July 2019 at 6:26AM

markin wrote: »

................. Your units consumed should be half by the sounds of it.

.

Markin - how do you justify that ?

Owain_Moneysaver · 5 July 2019 at 9:39AM

Hamilton6137 wrote: »

one of the fridges started leaking water after I cleaned it but was still holding temperature so I didn’t bother investigating further.

The fridge may be holding temperature but only by running continuously because its insulation is waterlogged. That could be costing you a fortune.

victor2 · 5 July 2019 at 9:47AM

The £390 per month cost works out at about 53kWh per day after you take off VAT and the standing charge.
Of course that is using estimated reads and you say the actual are a bit higher (do give the actual reads, otherwise you'll face a large catch-up bill later). Just take readings at the start and end of a normal day and see if that figure is realistic. Then take readings before and after switching various appliances off for about an hour. That may help you identify what is using most power. The first check is to switch everything off and verify that your meter is not recording any usage. If it is, something else is running through your meter.
If you switch any fridges off, don't forget to switch them BACK ON again afterwards!

Bills have tripled in my business

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free