How do we use so much frigging electricity?

[slowmotion]

Nah me no grow no 'erb, man.

& no, these aren't estimates, they come direct from The Man.

The Man estimates bills too. Look carefully at them. They may be genuine readings but it's worth exhausting the possibility.

 

[Night Train]

I have very high electricity bills too.

I think having a MIG and arc welding kit in use might have something to do with it though.

 

[summerdays]

Things like the washing machine and dishwasher use a reasonable amount in their heating cycles, as does the electric shower. We monitor our usage and so have got to notice these things, and the oven on a Sunday roast (or next week's Christmas meal).

Even the computer's have been upgraded to use less energy - Mr Summerdays managed to halve the computer usage of the one left on as a server.

 

[slowmotion]

Do you have a lot of low voltage tungsten halogen downlighters? The recessed ones give out a pitiful amount of light for the wattage.

 

[swee'pea99]

The heating's on for a few hours morning & night and as far as I know there isn't any pump...it's a combi boiler, and it just heats water and feeds it into the system, and the heat takes it round the house...doesn't it? Or am I being ignorant? I'm not aware of any pump.They're definitely accurate readings...I'm on some deal where I read the meter myself (tho' strangely, they still seem to send a man round every couple of months...maybe they can't believe the numbers!) We do have low voltage tungsten halogen downlighters in the attic, but they're only on a few hours every day. And we don't have a MIG or an arc welding kit. Whatever they are. Or possibly it is. I couldn't say.

 

[Andy_R]

ok....combi boiler has the pump built in, so there will be some usage there, but not much. How many appliances do you have in "stand by"...TVs, Sky box, PCs, DVD players etc.......what about fridges/freezers that are constantly on? As a test, go around and switch everything off...are you still consuming electricity? If so, then that's your problem and try to locate it.

 

[swee'pea99]

Nothing abnormal really, other than the fishtank. Three PCs on 24/7, two tellies (one CRT, one LCD) on standby, along with PVRs, one or two hifi's. Fridge/freezer, yes, dishwasher every night, washing machine probably twice a week....that's it I think. So our 7500 v average 3300 looks odd. I'll try one of those testers from the library, if I can get one.

 

[Wobblers]

If you're using 7500 kWhr in a year, that's over 800 Watts - which is the equivalent to a one bar electric fire left on all the time! That seems a lot, if you don't have electric heating, shower or immersion water heater. Do you use a fan heater or convection heater at all? If you do have a lot of halogen downlighters (either the lov voltage MR16 lamps or the GU10 mains voltage ones), they burn an incredible amount of electricity. Ten of those things can easily consume 500 W just by themselves and they really add to your bill. How many of them do you have?

Edit: your dishwasher probably consumes a fair amount of power - about a couple of kWhr or so each time you use it?

 

[rich p]

I'm still shocked that your poor wife has to work in the attic. She may be using a lot of juice hoovering cobwebs and wasps nests.

 

[slowmotion]

This really is a long shot.....are you on a maximum demand tariff? They used to exist for commercial premises. If your home used to be commercial, there is a very faint chance that you might be. Worth checking with your electricity supplier.......if you can actually talk to a human being without being held in a queue for 50 minutes at a rip-off rate.

 

[slowmotion]

Nothing abnormal really, other than the fishtank. Three PCs on 24/7, two tellies (one CRT, one LCD) on standby, along with PVRs, one or two hifi's. Fridge/freezer, yes, dishwasher every night, washing machine probably twice a week....that's it I think. So our 7500 v average 3300 looks odd. I'll try one of those testers from the library, if I can get one.

You could do worse than splurge £15 on one of these.....
http://www.maplin.co.uk/wireless-electricity-monitor-611581
If you don't have a huge amount of electric motors and flourescent lighting, it will give you a reasonable squint at where your money is going. As it says in the blurb, it's "educational" and probably a bit alarming.

BTW, thanks for the reminder. I'm asking Father Christmas for one!

 

[swee'pea99]

Definitely never commercial. Half a dozen 12v lights, on for maybe 20 hrs/week. No electric heating, shower or immersion water heater, fan heater or convection heater. Hmmm. Sounds like time to spend £15...tho' I have to say I'm not entirely convinced about "Fun and educational for the whole family." Thanks all.

 

[slowmotion]

It's that Vietnamese landlord with the empty house next door, and the strangely funky smell that wafts from it.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Definitely never commercial. Half a dozen 12v lights, on for maybe 20 hrs/week. No electric heating, shower or immersion water heater, fan heater or convection heater. Hmmm. Sounds like time to spend £15...tho' I have to say I'm not entirely convinced about "Fun and educational for the whole family." Thanks all.

Yep - it'll be £15 well spent (unless you can borrow from the library)

 

[tadpole]

Does your washing machine have a built in dryer? do you have a tumble dryer? We ditched our tumble dryer and saved £120 a year