Excessive electricity consumption 3 Bed House.

[GRBASF]

My electricity supply is showing an excessive reading of units used. I Monitor the meter readings every week but for the last 6 weeks the consumption has doubled in comparison with last year's( week on week.)

I have monitored the overnight consumption on the only appliances that are connected ,the fridge/freezer in the kitchen, and the upright freezer in the garage. They show eg 4 units of electricity used. Extending that to the whole week it forms a major part of the overall consumption figures.

The supplier Scottish Power cannot help to identify the problem. I should be using approx.70 odd units per week but the meter reading is 189 units. I am informed a faulty meter is very rare and a check meter would cost £50 up front from Scottish Power.

I obviously have an electric drain some where. But where?

I have contacted an electrician to see if he can test to find out the problem coming next week sometime

I do not wish to replace the appliances before identifying which one it is.

 

[RF Lighting]

Buy a plug in energy monitor. 4 units is a load of 500w overnight. Have you got an outside floodlight that's staying on?

 

[big-all]

do you defrost your fridge/fridge freezer/freezer twice a year ??
even frost free need defrosting for up 24 hours at least once a year

 

[pjcomp]

Old freezers are often a source of excess use and other problems, but I doubt even that would explain the level of difference you're experiencing. Has anything changed in the past year - installed underfloor heating, for instance? The energy monitor suggested above is a good bet, they don't cost much but you can go round the house turning things off and on to see how they affect usage in real time.

PJ

 

[JohnW2]

I have monitored the overnight consumption on the only appliances that are connected ,the fridge/freezer in the kitchen, and the upright freezer in the garage. They show eg 4 units of electricity used. Extending that to the whole week it forms a major part of the overall consumption figures.

As you imply that consumption would be seriously excessive for just a fridge-freezer and a freezer. Had I been asked to make awild guess, I probably would have suggested something appreciably less than 2 units perday (as compared with your ~12/day, if your night is 8 hours).

IF those two appliances really are the only things utilising electricity overnight, then there is, indeed, presumably something wrong with one of them. I think most fridge and freezer compressors use about 500W when they are running (which is usually not that often), so if it were to run almost continuously (limited only by the compressor's thermal cutout), that could account for the electricity consumption you're seeing. That could be due to failure of the thermostat but, if that had happened, I would expect you to probably notice excessive coldness of the contents and/or excessive hotness of the outside of the appliance.

I don't suppose you've unintentionally left a 'quick freeze' option switched on for the freezer, have you? Such switches usually effectively bypass the thermostat and cause the compressor to run more-or-less continuously - which would result in what you're seeing.

AS RF has suggested, getting a plug-in monitor to see what those two appliances are using would seem to be the simplest way forward.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Diyisfun]

Check the fridge/freezer to see if the doors are closing properly, no gaps.
You can check with a piece of paper put between the seal & cabinet, there should be resistance felt when pulling the paper. (about a 1" strip of paper)

 

[JM2]

What have I missed?
Just turn them both off for ½ hr and see what the meter has recorded in that time.

 

[ericmark]

An auto defrost (frost free) freezer with contacts welded on the defrost relay could use huge amounts of extra power. However one should realise there is something wrong as motor would always be running.

 

[JohnW2]

What have I missed? Just turn them both off for ½ hr and see what the meter has recorded in that time.

Half an hour may not be enough to get a reasonable answer (the suggestion is that they may be using 0.25 units per half hour), but if one switched them off for a few hours (maybe even 'overnight' - which would do no harm to the contents) that would certainly give an answer.

Mind you, if the OP is absolutely certain that there are no other electricity-consuming items operating overnight, we already know the answer to that (0.5kWh per hour can't simply be 'disappearing', without something dramatic happening) - in which case switching off just one of the appliances at a time, for 'a few hours', might be the appropriate way to go.

Kind Regards, John

 

[plugwash]

(maybe even 'overnight' - which would do no harm to the contents)

AIUI a fridge or freezer in good condition should be ok overnight with no power.

However given that he is having a power consumption problem that is likely caused by the fridge and freezer I would not trust them to keep the contents in good condition overnight with no power.

 

[phatboy]

I would turn off the main switch in the consumer unit, and check that consumption drops to zero.

If so, then work circuit by circuit, until the one using the power is identified, then work point to point until the faulty / using device is found.

 

[JohnW2]

AIUI a fridge or freezer in good condition should be ok overnight with no power.

I'm sure that is the case.

However given that he is having a power consumption problem that is likely caused by the fridge and freezer I would not trust them to keep the contents in good condition overnight with no power.

I suppose that's a valid point - but, provided that the contents are currently at an appropriate temperature and the door is closing properly, I really don't see that the contents of a fridge or freezer with an electrical problem should warm up any quicker when the power is switched off than would be the case if it was an appliance in good condition.

Kind Regards, John

 

[big-all]

another thought
you are taking your reading for the overnight sessions from the actual meter arn't you ???

do you have any items on standby
can you isolate all sockets except the 2 you need for the fridge and freezer

do you have any lights in say the loft or anywhere else you don't use with normal bulbs that could be left on
do you have a panel heater in your greenhouse or workshop ???

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Have you got new neighbours?

 

[OwainDIYer]

have you left the immersion heater on?