Hey I currently get my electricity from one of the big suppliers. Since April I have noticed around a 50% increase in my consumption. My average until April was around 7.5 kWh per day and now it is around 11kwh per day. I am to my knowledge using no more electricity than I was before the increase. Looking online I read it was more than likely a problem with a faulty appliance so I got myself a meter to test everything, all seemed fine with my appliances. I tried turning my power off at the mains on the box for an hour and noticed it went up approx 0.2 kWh, I tried doing this again for 4 hours and it went up 0.5 kWh in that time so I estimate I'm loosing around 3 kWh per day, maybe more. I phoned my supplier and they are sending someone out to do an accuracy test next week. They have said that even when power is off at the mains it is not totally isolated and the meter can still increase. They also said if they find the meter to be not faulty I have to pay 62 quid! Basically I wanted to know if they are trying it on? I can get my head around maybe a tiny increase in consumption when power is off at the mains but surely not 0.5 kWh every 4 hours, that's would be 21 kWh per week and over the quarterly billing period 270 kWh! For the last 3 weeks or so we have definitely been using less power than we have been for years as I don't want to rack up a bill for electric I'm not using. Thanks is advance, I hope this is an appropriate question for this forum as I am struggling with this and could use some advice. I haven't got 62 pence to waste at the Moment let alone quid!
You can ask for your meter to be checked by an independent examiner. if your not satisfied with your suppliers test, but there is sometimes a cost for doing this. CAB should have advice/leflet on doing this.
Thanks, not knowing anything about this type of thing is worrying if I'm being honest. Surely a meter would not clock up 21 kWh per week of usage with the power to the house isolated? If they try and say that I will need an explanation of why this only started happening around April time!
How close are the meter and consumer unit? Can you actually see the cables running from one to the other? If you cannot - for example meter in an cupboard in a communal hall and CU in your house/flat then as KIAB says, someone may be tapping in. First thing to do is NOT mention it to any neighbours at all if there is any suspicion of tapping in.
A washing machine/ tumble dryer could quite easily use this amount in a week. Years ago, saw two paticular incidents with electric snaffling, cables for one flat ran through loft of other flat, so it was a simple job to cut into ring final & tap into electric. Other one, the oik had remove two concrete blocks in loft to get into the next door loft to tap into ring final for a free feed for the the heat lights for hs canabis factory in his loft.
0.2 kWh in 1 hour and 0.5kWh in 4 - that suggests and average of about .125kWh - the 0.2 reading was because of when each increment happened around your test. 125kWh is 125 Watt for 1 hour - and allowing timing of increments it could be maybe 150 W. That is nothing extreme but certainly NOT leakage or consumption by the actual meter to power it's control circuit. It certainly points to something being tapped off. Can you photograph your CU and any switches you have and show which switch/es you used to turn it off. Just so we can confirm that you have done so correctly/totally. If possible can you photograph the meter this afternoon and then turn everything off for another couple of hours and then photograph again just before switching on. The more evidence you have the easier it with be to persuade your supplier that there is a problem
Thanks pollowick . Picture of box attached. There are other switches behind the cover but basically my friend said to pull the big switch marked 'Main Switch'. There was def no power coming into the house when that was off. Good idea on pictures of the meter but I'll have to do that tomorrow. Thanks for the advice. What do you mean by something being tapped off? I'm hoping it's a faulty meter then BG should install new one and refund me the difference. If it's something else though it's gonna cost me!
Meter have specified 'in service life', after which they are changed, so a photo of yours would help.
My first thought was theft. Meter hasn't been tampered with by looks of it. CU is in the hall way and meter is outside. Cannot see any cable to CU. Know my neighbours pretty well and doubt very much they would do this. Funnily enough mind there was a bust at a house in my street a couple of weeks ago and loads of growing equipment was taken out. The tiny amount I am loosing though wouldn't grow nowt lol.
Apologies for interrupting the excellent advice being given but I would you have a look in your loft if your house is connected to others just to be on the safe side.
That is the right switch! Meter looks fine however there is the cable from meter to CU and that is where it could happen! I wonder if there is a communal light that is tapped off your supply before the CU? When the switch is OFF does the indicator LED on the meter flash - it may only be once a minute so sit and watch for 5 minutes and count!
Yes the light was still flashing I noticed it the other day when I turned power off for 4 hours. Cable from the CU goes through our wall then into the meter I presume, it's only a very short distance. Just for reference I will post meter readings for when the power was off for 4 hours ; 11am Power off at mains 11.05am Meter Reading 37778.0 12.05pm Meter Reading 37778.1 13.05pm Meter Reading 37778.3 14.05pm Meter Reading 37778.4 15.05pm Meter Reading 37778.5 15.06pm Power back on at mains I have noted a fair few meter readings.
Thanks, his meter is from 2008 like mine, dodgy batch maybe? Mine does not go up as much as his thanks goodness. To be honest if I was not totally skint I may not have noticed.
So do people think I am best to go ahead with this meter check next week? It's costing me the more I leave it anyway I suppose plus apart from looking up the loft I can't think of what is else I can personally do to find out what the problem is. I will look up the loft this week. I put my back out this morning so it will have to wait a couple of days
Forums
Facebook
Twitter
You Tube
Instagram
Shop