Thanks, Scott.

I'm still puzzled that we're using 30-40 units a day (as measured by the electricity meter and by my bills from npower), but with my new measuring toys I may be able to nail it down.

Also , could you just take me through the maths of extrapolating a daily kWh into a monthly one? It would seem to be a simple matter of multiplying by 24 (for a 24-hour day) and then by 30 (for a month), but that doeesn't appear to be right for kWh, if I read your previous post correctly.

Sorry to be a pain.

Gareth

Gareth,

Sorry I was working on the basis that it was 0.17kwh a day and therefore only had to multiply this by 30.

Right well this is a different ball game. So, here goes...

170 watts / 1000 = 0.17kw
If this is running 24-hours p/day = 4.08kwh (0.17kw x 24)
4.08kwh x 30 = 122.4kwh p/month
On the basis that a kwh = c.10 pence
122.4kwh x 10p = 1224
1224 = £12.24 p/month

Sorry Gareth. I thought you were saying it was 170watts p/day not p/hour.

Can you clarify for me.

Regards,

Scott Byrom
moneysupermarket.com

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Regards,

Scott Byrom
Utilities Manager
moneysupermarket.com

Hi Scott -

This is where I always get terminally confused. Try as I might, I can't get my head around the difference between kW and kWh - the reason being that the Electrisave device (and indeed the Maplin meter) display kW as a continuously monitored value. At the moment, for example, the Electrisave is showing 3 kW exactly (the electric oven is on), but a few minutes ago it was displaying 1.8kW, and before that 0.12kW.

So the answer to the query is - I don't really know. If the Electrisave is showing 0.17kW continuously all night - the so-called 'phantom load' - then I suppose one might say that the phantom element of my usage is 0.17kW a day, but by the same argument it would be 0.17kW a month, a fortnight, or any period of time one might choose, so there lies my confusion.

The manual describes the display 'kW' thus - 'The total amount of energy being used in kilowatts', and I notice that it's now changed to 4.7kW.

I'm just beginning to think that the more I learn, the less I know.

Interesting, though, that, according to the electricity meter itself, the house has only used 3 units in the ten hours since 0830 this morning (though I was out from 1400) - and 1 unit in the hour between 1830 and 1930! 

 
Puzzled,

Gareth

 

Further ramblings -

It's amazing what an Electrisave will unearth - my wife was taking a shower this morning and I noticed the reading leap up to above 10 kW. And it was only then, on googling for shower electricity consumption, that I discovered that electric showers use about 9.5kW - that's one hundred bright lightbulbs all going on at once!

Also, I'm pleased to notice that 24 hours of consumption as measured by the power company's electricity meter was exactly 20 units, which is amazingly low for us - similar monitoring two years ago was showing that we were regularly using 38-42 units a day.  I wonder whether the improvement is solely due to my changing most of the lightbulbs for low-energy ones, or do simple things like switching off the computer monitors when I leave the desk for short periods also count.

I've also ordered an Intellipanel for my office, which seems a pretty neat (in more ways than one) invention.

Gareth

 

Gareth,

If the ElectriSave is showing 0.17kw all the time then I can only assume that this is equating to 4.08kwh p/day as I previously mentioned.

It's a good little device by the sounds of it and it also sounds like you're pretty on the ball with regards to keeping your bills to a minimum.

The low-energy lightbulbs will be helping and so will the fact that you don't leave anything on stand-by.

It's been an interesting post so thank you for that Gareth.

I hope it's been of use to you.

Anything else let me know.

Regards,

Scott Byrom
moneysupermarket.com

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Regards,

Scott Byrom
Utilities Manager
moneysupermarket.com

My dad has tried to cut down on the amount of electricity he uses. He has the TV, DVD player, CD player etc etc on a multi plug extension cable. With 1 flick of a switch it is all off for the night or when the house is empty. This may seem abit funny, but he has saved quite abit of money and its not much hassle.

 Another method he used to track down what was causing so much electricity to be used was to go round switching everything off and checking the wheel on the electric meter to see if it was still spinning. You will never get it to stop though cos of the house alarm and smoke detectors.

One can get quite obsessive about this - I know, cos I'm becoming it. When you know everything's switched off in the house except the things that are hard-wired like the burglar alarm, and items that need to be on, like the answering machine and the Sky+ recorder, it's irritating to see that wheel careering around as though you had a  house full of people all taking showers, boiling kettles and warming themselves in front of 3-bar electric fires.

It can also be a bit creepy - padding around the house at 1 a.m. with an Electrisave which is showing that the equivalent of three old-fashioned lightbulbs is using your precious leccy, but not being able to find anything which might be responsible (the fridge and freezer aren't compressing, you haven't forgotten the immersion heater...).

Last time I broached the general subject with my usually saintly wife, the look in her eyes suggested she might take a swing at me if I mentioned it again.

Such is obsession.

 

Gareth,

1am in the morning!!!???

I've got the image in my head that you're walking round your house like Dr. Egon Spengler off Ghostbusters. Lol!

Words of wisedom:

Don't let the obsession upset your wife. For the sake of a couple of kw's it's just not worth it.

Regards,

Scott Byrom
moneysupermarket.com

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Regards,

Scott Byrom
Utilities Manager
moneysupermarket.com

Hi Gareth,Excuse me for butting in,but do you have security lights ,cordless telephones,mobile phone chargers,these things use electricity even if they are not being used.

Hi, teeljayl -

 No security lights, no cordless phones, yes to mobile phone chargers - but they're not plugged in except when being used.

At one low point I started imagining people were stealing my electricity....

....well, not really, but it does pass through your mind fleetingly!
 

Hi Again,My youngest son recently completed the purchase of his current home that was fitted with a prepayment meter,the previous owner had left several pounds of credit on it for him,as he was unable to move in for various reasons he didnt use any power,but a month later when he started to move in he found that the credit had decreased considerably even though nothing electrical was in the property except an electric cooker that was switched off at the cooker point,he spoke to the service provider who said it was probably cable leakage and the meter itself using power to drive the works-so yes someone is stealing your power,the service provider to drive their equipment,not a lot of use this information,but I thought I would write it anyway-all the best in your quest for an answer.

Way - that's creepy.

Food for thought though!

 Thanks,

Gareth
 

 

Hi there,

My boyfriend is about to move from Lincoln to Birmingham in with me, in trying to finalise his bills he noticed a discrepance in his electricity bill. He moved into the property in November 2005 and took a meter reading of 04310 when he was billed in August 2006 his reading was 14815 a recent bill dated Februay 2007 they show a reading of 15567 and today he took a reading of 15609. As u can see over the 38 weeks from November to August he has used 10350 units and yet from August to February only 752 units do u think this is right? even the electricity companies estamates reflect the figures now and not then. The heating is gas and only pc and tv etc electric. Its a 3 bed house but only 1 person there and all lights are energy savers. The bills from start to August were estamates and as a result he has been landed with a HUGE bill which they have taken via direct debit. Please could u advise us what to do.

Many Thanks

Claire x x

Claire,

This all looks a bit odd to me.

So lets clarify a few matters:

From November 2005 to today (20th April 2007), your boyfriend has used 11,299 units (kwh) of electricity.
Over 17-months this works out at 664 units (kwh) p/month.

The UK average for Electricity consumption is 3,300 kwh.

At 664 kwh p/month, this equates to 7,968 kwh p/annum.

The change in consumption is as follows:

Nov 05 - Aug 06 = 10,505kwh (1,167kwh p/month)
Aug 06 - Feb 07 = 752kwh (125kwh p/month)
Feb 07 - Apr 07 = 42kwh (21kwh p/month)

Like I said, this is all very strange and clearly something is going wrong.

Initial thoughts are a faulty meter and so I'd advise that you contact your provider and speak to them.

If you have any problems getting through to them, speak to energywatch on 08459 06 07 08.

Good luck with this and please keep me posted.

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Regards,

Scott Byrom
Utilities Manager
moneysupermarket.com

Scott,

Thank you for replying i was thinking the same thank you for your advice and yes we will keep you posted.

Many Thanks

Claire x