Excessive electricity consumption 3 Bed House.

No, usualy it is a very small creep and when you think that a meter has to turn 600 times to go 1 KWh, what he is seeing is something other than creepage.
Quite. That's what I thought - on that basis, he's talking something like 300 revolutions per hour - i.e. one rev every 12 seconds!

Kind Regards, John
 
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Thats if he has a 600 constant, it could be 400.

I would certainly check to see if there was any creepage but i think the problem lies elsewhere.
 
Other things on standby are Sky Plus boxes and DVD Play/Record Boxes, that's the next check.
Do they have a power (wattage) figure on the back? Haven't got a server (or a PC) permanently on have you? They can be surprisingly power-hungry.
 
thank you gentlemen for all your contributions recently.
This is the current state of affairs:
1. I switched the power off last night completely for seven and a half hours and the meter still read a usage of 6 units.

2. I contacted the energy supplier Scottish Power and they were adamant that our C.U. was faulty and that I needed an electrician to check it.

3. British Gas Home Care Team were very prompt in arriving this morning and reported that "no fault with isolator on consumer Unit. Turns off ok. meter still flashing (registering usage when all off)

4. Scottish Power customer care team representative refused to accept that there was no fault with our home wiring.

5. In view of the impass, I requested that they pass it on to higher management and I would receive a letter as requested for the energy ombudsman.

I have taken a firm line with Scottish Power, lets see if they still refuse to accept their meter is faulty and will replace it refunding me for the excess units used.

Any advise would be very helpful.

GRBASF
 
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Scottish Power Rang Back said they had consulted management asked if the electrician had checked all the house wiring, I said not, but had checked the fuse box and thwe CU. Obviously, they do not accept any liability for a faulty meter and are arranging for a check meter to be fitted and if it shows the meter is faulty in the house will of course replace it and refund any monies due to me.

We are rather fed up as you will appreciate with their negative response but can only wait for the engineer to call with the check meter.

Any advice will be appreciated.

GRBASF
 
3. British Gas Home Care Team were very prompt in arriving this morning and reported that "no fault with isolator on consumer Unit. Turns off ok. meter still flashing (registering usage when all off)
4. Scottish Power customer care team representative refused to accept that there was no fault with our home wiring.
Provided that you are absolutely certain that the CU is the only thing connected to the meter (i.e. no 'second CU' or similar - in garage, for shower or whatever) then they are obvioulsy being compeletely ridiculous. I would have thought that if you were persistent enough you would eventually find someone with enough substance between their ears to understand!

Pragmatically, if you are certain that nothing other than the CU could possibly be using power (i.e. nothing else connected to meter), then I suppose you could just let them go ahead and install a 'check meter', pretty safe in the knowledge that they would have to refund anything you'd paid if/when they demonstrated that the meter was at fault - but that's not a very 'satisfying' approach!

Kind Regards, John
 
P.S. I suppose you could have asked them if they knew the phone number of 'Watchdog' !

Kind Regards, John
 
Is there any chance you can post a picture of the metering point and the servise head.

It may be a good idear to have a look before you shout at them.
 
Is there any chance you can post a picture of the metering point and the servise head. It may be a good idear to have a look before you shout at them.
... or, if he can't do that, just tell us what he can see ....

GRBASF, I presume that you can see two fat cables which go from the meter to the CU. If so, can you see their entire length and confirm that they only go from the meter to the CU, and don't connect (or go to/through/whatever) anything else along the way?

Kind Regards, John
 
Ironically, they've cold-called me 3 times this week to offer me a free energy audit! SHould I give them your address? :LOL:
 
P.S. I suppose you could have asked them if they knew the phone number of 'Watchdog' !

Kind Regards, John

Seriously, I watch that programme and I'd love to see this come up.
 
I have had a look at the cables to the C.U. there is only two fat ones, not wired to anything else.

I have not technical knowledge of Electrics whatsoever, but I can see the excessive consumption each week compared to last year, and simply cannot account for it at this stage, apart from the possibility of a faulty meter.

GRBASF
 
I have had a look at the cables to the C.U. there is only two fat ones, not wired to anything else.
Right. I think that really clinches it.
I have not technical knowledge of Electrics whatsoever, but I can see the excessive consumption each week compared to last year, and simply cannot account for it at this stage, apart from the possibility of a faulty meter.
Provided that there is not something which we haven't been told (and I can't for the life of me think what it could possibly be), I really don't think there is any possibly explanation other than the meter.

The change from last year has almost become 'unimportant' to the argument. The most obvious issue now is that you have a meter which is registering electricity usage when no electricity is being used. That's a faulty meter.

In relation to that, you don't really need technical knowledge. Think water. A water meter with a single pipe coming out of it (c.f. the two fat cables coming out of your meter) going to a stopcock (c.f. the main switch in your CU), whereafter the pipe spreads out to supply all sorts of things around your house. Turn off that stopcock (and get the 'BT man' to confirm that it is turning off satisfactorily). Then, despite that stopcock being closed, the meter is registering continuous usage. That's a faulty meter, isn't it?

KInd Regards, John
 
Thank you John W2

Still awaiting an email from Scottish Power with date for installation of meter check machine.

What annoyed me particularly was their insistance that the meters never go wrong, and that the fault must be our house wiring. Despite the two electricians who checked the C.U. stating that it was working fine, Scottish Power representative would not accept this report of theirs, and interoggated me about the extent of their checks, asking if all house wiring had been checked. She accepted she was not an electrician, and stuck to her line that she was correct.

I suppose now, I will have to continue running up expensive electricity bills until such time as I can prove otherwise from a check meter.

Incidentally, their "Energy Efficiency Team" when contacted did not respond to my enquiry last week. Is this concern for energy efficiency just "window dressing" to justify the present high energy bills?

Is their anybody else out there who has experienced similar problems and any resolution to their complaints? I would appreciate any suggestions. I know the final court of appeal is the Energy Ombudsman but that will take an age!

GRBASF
 
Hmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!

so Scottish Power state meters never go wrong

they are absolutely "hounding" me because my meter requires urgent replacement
 

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