High electricity usage - help please

[Kaiser Sose]

Guys, I recently checked my meter for input onto PowerGen website and they said that it seems very high and had I made a mistake. I used over 1000 units in a quarter (Feb - May). In checking my meter the last few days, I've noticed I am consuming 17 units per day. 20p per unit = £3.40 = 23.80 per week !!! OK, not anything to worry Bill Gates but I think that seems a lot.

This is a sudden leap,a lot more than my winter bill.

I do not have electric heating, my water is on gas and I cannot think of anything profligate with electricity. We do have a lot of stuff on standby though. My son has TV, video, DVD, Xbox all on standby. We have 3 fridges also. Security lights seems to come on a lot at night too. My missus seems to watch a lot of TV lately too.

I know I have some experimeting to do here but does this bill seem high to you guys? We have a five bedroom house, two shower rooms.

Regards, Steve

[auctions]

If your security lights are 500W halogen, that's enough to explain it

- say 2 lights on for 4 hours each, that's 8 units a day. Sort out the settings on them and change the bulbs to 100W or 150W - still bright enough in most circumstances.

Also - 3 fridges?!?

A

[Lurch]

On Thu, 24 May 2007 07:47:24 +0100, "Kaiser Sose" mused:

Nothing like immersion heater gone faulty, permanently on?

[Partac]

20p. per unit? Ye Gods! You're being maced! I pay about 8p. per unit with Scottish Power ( in Thames Valley area). Check this link

[Andy Cap]

Agreed. The consumption's doesn't sound exceptional, though no doubt savings could be made, but like you, I'm paying 8.57p for secondary units.

Andy

[John]

Don't get too hung up about stand-by. check the data for each item - it may be as low as one watt. If a lot more then start to switch off.

I agree with the security lights. One on for a few minutes too long eats more than a fridge for the whole night.

(I think some people think that "Halogen" is some sort of low energy!!!)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

20p a unit for all of it? What was your last bill and the number of units used?

Over 1000 quid a year is a lot of electricity for an average house with no heating etc. Have you high powered automatic security lighting?

[SJP]

And the showers are electric power shower types?

[meow2222]

Your security light isnt one of those dimmer PIRs is it?

its halogen, make sure youve got a 150w bulb in it, not 500.

The answer really is to get a kilawatt type meter and find out what eats what. A faulty fridge can eat =A3100 pa, etc etc. The meter will tell you what your devices eat on standby - in most cases its a non- issue, but some items do eat 100% on standby. However with that bill you'll be looking mainly at items that produce heat.

NT

[meow2222]

[meow2222]

[chris French]

In message , Kaiser Sose writes

Were the meter readings previous real or estimated?

I' just checked ours the other day and put in a new reading, to find that none of the real readings the meter reader has taken had made it onto the account and it was way down on real consumption. which the site highlighted.

As I said was your winter bill a bill for real consumption?

As others have said I don't think you consumption level is esp. high, but your calculation is way off. We are paying 7.975p ex. VAT per unit for our basic price.

[David Hansen]

On Thu, 24 May 2007 08:33:58 GMT someone who may be "John" wrote this:-

It is, in that it produces more light than a GLS lamp for the same electrical input.

[The Natural Philosopher]

That is probably it. They are by far and away the biggest consumers of what you have mentioned.

My missus seems

[John]

You consider 5 bedrooms and 2 shower rooms average???

John

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Maybe not. It's a bit on the small side.

[Dave Liquorice]

That all? Wish I could get ours down that low. Sit at about 22 units/day... We do cook electric but I doubt that could account for 5 units/day. The 3 PCs on most of the day on the other hand may well do, (300W for 18hrs is > 5 units).

There are tarrifs out there at over 15p/unit, agreed 20p is pushing it a= bit but we are talking PowerGen! If the OP is paying more than 7 or

8p/unit then he really ought to seriously think about switching supplier= .

Many internet sites about that will take your normal consumption and giv= e a list of what that'll cost with other providers. Power costs vary by region and provider so what is best for some one some place might not be= best for some one else elsewhere.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

It was the well over 1000 quid a year for electricity that surprised me when no heating was involved. I thought mine was bad enough...

[mike]

I average 11 units in the day and 7 at night (Economy 7).

4 bedroomed house - gas hobs - electric oven - PC on 24 hours - electric shower - fridge freezer. No immersion heater. Dishwasher, washing machine and clothes dryer used during night.

2 people detached.

(20p per unit is high)