Electric Metre Change

[greggp]

my bills are very high.

From the meter readings provided, you are using about 10 units per day, which is the average amount for a normal sized house.

However the high percentage overnight is not normal. Unless you are actually using your washing machine and dishwasher every night between approximately midnight and 7am, there is something else which is using a large amount of electricity. An old fridge or freezer with defective door seals is a likely culprit, or anything left switched on all the time such as a computer/server or similar.

Hi Thanks for the post.

I took the following readings last night and this morning.

No washing machine or dishwasher on last night. Only phone chargers, fridge, freezer and router.


1). Night Reading taken at 10pm -- 11273.14kWh
2). Night Reading taken at 7.30am -- 11275.92kWh

Therefore I used 2.78kWh last night.

@ 8.39pence on the night rate I spent 23p!

You mention the chest freezer. Yes I have one in an outbuilding which is a shed construction attached to the outside of my house (Kitchen)

The freezer is not the greatest, it is about 3-4 years old, but there is a lot of frost built up inside which tells me the doors sales are knackered. So maybe this is eating up the consumption but is 23p a night really that excessive?

 

[JohnW2]

No washing machine or dishwasher on last night. Only phone chargers, fridge, freezer and router.
1). Night Reading taken at 10pm -- 11273.14kWh
2). Night Reading taken at 7.30am -- 11275.92kWh
Therefore I used 2.78kWh last night.

When you say 'last night', don't forget that (on your 'night reading') would only relate to a 5-hour period (02:30-07:30, or maybe an hour different if the clock is on GMT). If the fridge and freezer were using 2.78 kWh in 5 hours, that would amount to about 13.34 kWh per 24h, most at 'peak rate' - which would be costing you a fair bit (and, indeed, exceeding the 'average' total daily domestic electricity consumption, just for those two appliances). In other words, 'something is not right'.

As I said, I would expect a modern, correctly functioning, fridge and freezer to take well under 0.5 kWh over 5 hours - so (if you are absolutely sure that nothing else is using power - no immersion heater?), then it sounds as if one or both of those appliance is being very excessively power-hungry.

If you want to find out exactly how much electricity is getting used up overnight, you should repeat the exercise you did last night, but recoding boith the 'night' and 'day' readings, so you can add the two together.

Kind Regards, John

 

[greggp]

No washing machine or dishwasher on last night. Only phone chargers, fridge, freezer and router.
1). Night Reading taken at 10pm -- 11273.14kWh
2). Night Reading taken at 7.30am -- 11275.92kWh
Therefore I used 2.78kWh last night.

When you say 'last night', don't forget that (on your 'night reading') would only relate to a 5-hour period (02:30-07:30, or maybe an hour different if the clock is on GMT). If the fridge and freezer were using 2.78 kWh in 5 hours, that would amount to about 13.34 kWh per 24h, most at 'peak rate' - which would be costing you a fair bit (and, indeed, exceeding the 'average' total daily domestic electricity consumption, just for those two appliances). In other words, 'something is not right'.

As I said, I would expect a modern, correctly functioning, fridge and freezer to take well under 0.5 kWh over 5 hours - so (if you are absolutely sure that nothing else is using power - no immersion heater?), then it sounds as if one or both of those appliance is being very excessively power-hungry.

If you want to find out exactly how much electricity is getting used up overnight, you should repeat the exercise you did last night, but recoding boith the 'night' and 'day' readings, so you can add the two together.

Kind Regards, John

Okay thanks I will do another reading tonight and in the morning using both day/night readings.

I have a HW cylinder in the loft but I have the boiler timer on for 30-45 mins per day to heat my hot water.

 

[greggp]

attached latest bill /consumption Jul-Sep13

Untitled

• greggp
• 19 Sep 2013
• 1

 

[JohnW2]

Okay thanks I will do another reading tonight and in the morning using both day/night readings.

Fair enough. In fact, on reflection, if your time clock is running on GMT and you took the readings at 07:30 (BST) this morning, the reading may only relate to 4 hours of 'night use' - if I've got it 'the right way around', your cheap period would then be 03:30-08:30 BST, wouldn't it? I would therefore suggest that you take your reading at about 08:30 (BST) tomorrow morning.

I have a HW cylinder in the loft but I have the boiler timer on for 30-45 mins per day to heat my hot water.

A HW cylinder in a loft would be very unusual - are you sure about that? Are you also sure that it does not have an electric immersion heater in it (and working)?

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

attached latest bill /consumption Jul-Sep13

At 5.75 kWh/day over that 74-day period, your total consumption is pretty low (I think way below 'average') - but for 2.19 kWh/day of that (38%) to be 'night' (5 hours per night) still 'is not right' in terms of what you've told us - either your fridge and/or freezer are taking far too much or else there is something else using electricity at night which you have overlooked.

Kind Regards, John

 

[greggp]

Okay thanks I will do another reading tonight and in the morning using both day/night readings.

Fair enough. In fact, on reflection, if your time clock is running on GMT and you took the readings at 07:30 (BST) this morning, the reading may only relate to 4 hours of 'night use' - if I've got it 'the right way around', your cheap period would then be 03:30-08:30 BST, wouldn't it? I would therefore suggest that you take your reading at about 08:30 (BST) tomorrow morning.

I have a HW cylinder in the loft but I have the boiler timer on for 30-45 mins per day to heat my hot water.

A HW cylinder in a loft would be very unusual - are you sure about that? Are you also sure that it does not have an electric immersion heater in it (and working)?

Kind Regards, John

Hi John,

The HW Cylinder is in my loft dormer conversion (Ensuite cupboard) and is directly below my gravity fed (HW & Central Heating) header tanks All I know is I get hot water. The HW cylinder is insulated. Sorry to appear vague but Not sure about an electric heater in it??

 

[rjm2k]

Hi John,

The HW Cylinder is in my loft dormer conversion (Ensuite cupboard) and is directly below my gravity fed (HW & Central Heating) header tanks All I know is I get hot water. The HW cylinder is insulated. Sorry to appear vague but Not sure about an electric heater in it??

You could always post a photo of the cylinder but normally they would have a cable going to an immersion heater sticking out near the top of the cylinder. There will be a switch on the other end of the cable which controls when the immersion is on or off.

 

[greggp]

attached latest bill /consumption Jul-Sep13

At 5.75 kWh/day over that 74-day period, your total consumption is pretty low (I think way below 'average') - but for 2.19 kWh/day of that (38%) to be 'night' (5 hours per night) still 'is not right' in terms of what you've told us - either your fridge and/or freezer are taking far too much or else there is something else using electricity at night which you have overlooked.

Kind Regards, John

The following electrical applicances in my house are as follows.

Ground Floor

Constant use
1). Fridge.
2). Digtial Clock on Gas cooker
3). Freezer
4). Broadband Router
5). TV aerial amplifier
6). LED TV standby
7). House telephone
8). Heatmiser Touchscreen thermostats x 2
9). Hot Water programmer & Boiler 30-45 mins per day (summertime)
Hot water provided in winter from Cental heating boiler running)
9). Boiler when pump running

Occasional use
1). TV / DVD
2). Laptop
3). Baby monitors
4). Lamps
5). household lighting & Outside light
6). Phone chargers
7). KItchen Task Lighting
8). Kettle
9) Toaster
10) Hob extractor Fan
11). Hoover
12). Iron


First Floor
1). Electric UFH (Bathroom)
2). household lighting

2nd Floor (Loft dormer)

This floor is not constantly used only occasional use with guests and myself / wife having a shower.

1). Electric Panel Convector Radiator (Manual on/off via switched spur)
2). Electric Triton Shower
3). Extractor Fan
4). Light in Loft
5). Household lighting

Think I have covered everything.

Thank you for posts and input.

Cheers
Gregg

 

[JohnW2]

You could always post a photo of the cylinder but normally they would have a cable going to an immersion heater sticking out near the top of the cylinder (or out of the side near the bottom). There will be a switch on the other end of the cable which controls when the immersion is on or off.

See addition in red in above quote.

I do suspect that the OP may well have an immersion - even if the cylinder is very well insulated, I'm not sure that 'boiler heating' of the water for just 30-45 mins per day would be enough to result in an adequate supply of hot water.

Kind Regards, John

 

[riveralt]

This floor is not constantly used only occasional use with guests and myself / wife having a shower.

A little too much information thank you!

 

[JohnW2]

9). Hot Water programmer & Boiler 30-45 mins per day (summertime)

Are you sure that's not an immersion heater controller? What time of day (or night) are those 30-45 mins?

1). Electric UFH (Bathroom)

When is that switched on, and for how long?

Kind Regards, John

 

[greggp]

Its a honeywell programmer which turns my boiler on/off.

The electric UFH is directly below tiles.
I hardly bother with, its got a programmable stat but when I need it (i.e bathing the kids). I turn it on/off manually.

I'm pretty certain my cylinder hasn't got an immersion but I will double check tonight.

My boiler is an old Ideal Balanced flue type boiler from about late 70's.
It turns on about 3-4pm for 30-45mins during warmer months (i.e when central heating is not on). Hot water is plenty, we don't use an awful lot. Showering is electric/cold water feed.

 

[greggp]

This floor is not constantly used only occasional use with guests and myself / wife having a shower.

A little too much information thank you!

 

[greggp]

9). Hot Water programmer & Boiler 30-45 mins per day (summertime)

Are you sure that's not an immersion heater controller? What time of day (or night) are those 30-45 mins?

1). Electric UFH (Bathroom)

When is that switched on, and for how long?

Kind Regards, John

On top of the HW cylinder tank is a Sadia 3Kw immersion heater, but this is not wired to anything up so is redundant! The previous owner fitted this so not sure if he used it previously or not?

The chest freezer in my outhouse which is quite large and only 1/4 full with a dodgy door seal from probably being outside may point to the consumption overnight? Can't think it being anything else?

I will check my readings on both tariffs before bed and again in the morning.

Untitled

• greggp
• 19 Sep 2013
• 1