To think my meter might be faulty?

[TibetanTerrah]

I was hoping someone here could throw some light on this in case I've missed something obvious. With prices going up I've been keeping an eye on my electricity usage. I'm starting to think that the 'day rate' part of my meter is faulty.

I don't have and can't get a smart meter here, so I've been taking multiple readings a day, logging what I do/use in between readings, and taking a reading before and after using things like the washing machine.

Between 3:30am and 7am - my night rate - I boiled the kettle three times, twice with just enough water for a coffee, and once a full kettle. Smart light bulb on at 1% brightness for about 2hours. Also filled the kitchen sink to wash up whilst still on the night rate - I don't have gas.

Meter said I used 1 unit in that time.

Between 7am and 3pm, I boiled one full kettle and one half kettle, and ran the washing machine on a quick cycle which is 90 mins. I also switched everything off, including wifi and alexa, but not the fridge, at the wall for an hour while I went out. I don't normally do this but as I'm tracking thought I may as well.

Apparently I've used 5 units.

My theories are:

1 - Delay on the meter showing usage
2 - Something to do with my boiler, maybe keeping the water warm, even though I haven't used any other hot water. This doesn't explain why it wasn't doing this overnight though.
3 - Faulty meter

The bloody thing seems to have a mind of it's own. Between 12:30pm and 15:00 I was literally working on my laptop which wasn't plugged in, everything was switched off at the wall with the exception of alexa, wifi and fridge. Yet the meter jumped in that time by 3 units.

It's a very small flat, no gas, and no heating on.

What have I missed?

You mentioned smart bulbs - they use a small amount of electricity even when turned off. Depending on how many you've got, it may be non-negligeable.

What kind of boiler do you have?
Do you have an immersion heater?
Do you have instantaneous (electric) water heating anywhere?
If you have an old fashion meter like ours there's a disc that rotates to indicate power is being consumed - if you one one of those it may help.

Other than that, your methodology is flawed - turning different sets of electrical equipment on and off apparently randomly won't give you any idea what each one consumes.

I have two. I don't think its that as my night and day usage would be more in line. I work varying hours from home including nights (hence the early start!). I never switch the switches off so the "leak" from them would be 24/7.

I have no idea where my boiler is so contacted the letting agent to find out. Its not in the flat itself. I said I wanted to see about turning the water temp down and they said that a lower water temp wouldn't lower my bills? The hot water is insanely hot, it seems ridiculous to pay to have scalding water and then have to use more water to cool it down!

Also you don't need a smart meter to be able to monitor consumption -

www.amazon.co.uk/EMPORIA-ENERGY-Emporia-Electricity-Metering/dp/B08CJGPHL9?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

My money's on the water heating then.

That does seem some high usage from what you have detailed , I had similar last October my meter ran at over double what it had been , then just went back to normal I never got to the bottom of it 😫

Are you sharing the boiler with another flat maybe?

Your hot water is almost certainly the problem. You need to get to the bottom of what type of water heater you have and how you control it. If it is on permanently it will cost a fortune.

@JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon

Your hot water is almost certainly the problem. You need to get to the bottom of what type of water heater you have and how you control it. If it is on permanently it will cost a fortune.

Thanks. I can't think what else it could be either. I'll find out what type of boiler it is when the agent gets back to me with where it is! I think it must be a combi due to space constraints and the fact the hot water never 'runs out'. But if it was using electric keeping a tank hot all the time, wouldn't it do it 24/7? In which case why was it only 1 unit overnight?

I know my method is clumsy @daimbarsatemydogsbone, but I live alone and use very little imo. I wasn't trying to isolate but was trying to get a clearer idea iyswim.

If you have Facebook go on a group called Energy Support and Advice UK (community) they will advise about turning down water temp and how it affects electricity usage as well as safe levels. I agree with others it’s likely that which is eating the energy

But if it was using electric keeping a tank hot all the time, wouldn't it do it 24/7? In which case why was it only 1 unit overnight?

Hard to guess when we only have half the information really.

I doubt your meter is faulty, but here's some advice -

www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/i-think-my-energy-meter-is-faulty-a2TuF9Y5HzfB

The washing machine could also be using a fair bit even on a quick cycle. It is the temperature that is important - eco washes are generally long and 30 degrees. If you are washing at 60C that will use much more.

@SarahMused

The washing machine could also be using a fair bit even on a quick cycle. It is the temperature that is important - eco washes are generally long and 30 degrees. If you are washing at 60C that will use much more.

Thanks. I washed at 40. I took a reading before I put it on and after it finished. It went up one unit (also boiled a full kettle in that time, nothing else). It then went up another unit an hour later with only a half kettle. Then two units the next hour doing nothing other than the static stuff that is always on.

Must be water then, I guess.

What kind if boiler do you have?

Could quite easily be a boiler/immersion heater set on a timer. Might not heat water overnight because you are also, however from 7am for example would kick in ready for a morning shower etc.

Is it a new build?

@SaxendaSummer

Is it a new build?

No its a really old (like hundreds of years old) building.

I just don't understand it. I work from home, have the same routine everyday. Last quarter I averaged 6kwh a day. The last 24 hours I've used 13 and the 24 hours before that I used 16, yet the 24 hours before that I used just 2! I'm not doing anything different or extra that I've done for months.

If you have no gas you probably have an immersion heater, an immersion on 24hrs with a thermostat (especially set too high) would give exactly the sort of usage you are seeing as it would fire up seemingly at random. If the thermostat is too high or faulty you would have high bills and excessively hot water too.

I know you said you aren't using heating at the moment but what sort of heating do you have?

Also why can't you have a smart meter?

The reason might give us some clues to your set up?

Are you in Scotland or the Midlands?

@JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon Thanks so much for your help. That makes sense about the boiler I suppose. It's really frustrating seeing it jump around so randomly when I literally have 5 power points in the whole flat! I think I'll have a poke around the communal areas tomorrow to see if I can find the boiler anyway even if the agent doesn't get back to me.

The heating is a storage heater but I've been here 3.5 years and never had to use it.

I requested a smart meter with British Gas, all it said was 'unfortunately we can't provide you with a smart meter at the address you've given, click here to be added to our waitlist.' That was two+ years ago and it still says I'm on the list. I'm in the South East.

[quote TibetanTerrah]@JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon Thanks so much for your help. That makes sense about the boiler I suppose. It's really frustrating seeing it jump around so randomly when I literally have 5 power points in the whole flat! I think I'll have a poke around the communal areas tomorrow to see if I can find the boiler anyway even if the agent doesn't get back to me.

The heating is a storage heater but I've been here 3.5 years and never had to use it.

I requested a smart meter with British Gas, all it said was 'unfortunately we can't provide you with a smart meter at the address you've given, click here to be added to our waitlist.' That was two+ years ago and it still says I'm on the list. I'm in the South East.[/quote]
I very much doubt that you have a boiler. Almost certainly an immersion with that set up, they are basically a giant kettle, very simple but lack refinement. The thermostat is usually very basic and they may or may not have a timer.

It seems unlikely that you have a shared hot water system, although not impossible if it is a shoddy conversion job or a weird social housing set up. Are you sure there is no hot water tank type device in your flat?

You need to investigate your system more. Do you have two MPANs? Can British Gas tell you why they can't offer a smart meter? Is the property owned by one landlord or several? Is it a housing association? You might need your landlord's help to sort this all out.