Is there something wrong with my electricity meter?
Discussion
I just got an electricity bill from EON today for £290. This is for 17 weeks, and so works out at over £70 a month. According to my meter i am using 18units a day, however, i can't see how this can be true.
I live in a 1 bed new flat, on my own. I have no dishwasher, washing machine, or kettle, and dont use heating... The only significant electrical items other than lighting are:
- Computer (12hrs a day, no screen)
- Hifi amp
- TV (5hrs max)
- Laptop (always plugged in, used 12hrs a day max)
- Oven
- Fridge
- Water heating (4hrs a day)
- Toaster!
As you can see, there isn't much there, and i work during the day, so am only home in the evenings and at the weekend. I am also very careful with turning things off when i am not using them.
Looking at my electrical bill for my last house (oven and heating were gas), i was using 6units a day MAX), now i appear to be using 3x that.
Do you think there is an issue somewhere, or does 18units a day seem correct for my level of usage?
Thanks
I live in a 1 bed new flat, on my own. I have no dishwasher, washing machine, or kettle, and dont use heating... The only significant electrical items other than lighting are:
- Computer (12hrs a day, no screen)
- Hifi amp
- TV (5hrs max)
- Laptop (always plugged in, used 12hrs a day max)
- Oven
- Fridge
- Water heating (4hrs a day)
- Toaster!
As you can see, there isn't much there, and i work during the day, so am only home in the evenings and at the weekend. I am also very careful with turning things off when i am not using them.
Looking at my electrical bill for my last house (oven and heating were gas), i was using 6units a day MAX), now i appear to be using 3x that.
Do you think there is an issue somewhere, or does 18units a day seem correct for my level of usage?
Thanks
Edited by Matt.. on Friday 12th December 18:04
For me a one bed flat costs £25 a month with pretty average power usage. It does sound high.
Despite not intentionally using heating do you have electric/storage heaters or similar. Maybe check this kind of thing out as it could well be the culprit.
Despite not intentionally using heating do you have electric/storage heaters or similar. Maybe check this kind of thing out as it could well be the culprit.
Edited by richyb on Friday 12th December 18:27
Heating water for 4 hrs could *potentially* use 12 kwh per day if it's a 3kw immersion - over 17 weeks that'd be half of your bill easily. How old is your water cylinder - any insulation?
What do you eat? If it's all roast dinners and oven-baked potatoes, that'll explain it. Stick to pot noodle and sandwiches
What do you eat? If it's all roast dinners and oven-baked potatoes, that'll explain it. Stick to pot noodle and sandwiches

Edited by andy43 on Friday 12th December 18:28
Is the bill from an estimated reading or do eon actually have a meter reading for what you have used to base the bill upon?
do you know the rating of the water heater? this may be quite a bit of your bill depending upon what it is. Is there an electric shower?
18 units (kw/h)
£2.50 a day- 14p a unit approx from your calculations
do you know the rating of the water heater? this may be quite a bit of your bill depending upon what it is. Is there an electric shower?
18 units (kw/h)
£2.50 a day- 14p a unit approx from your calculations
Apologies for being this sad... but...
18 units (kwh) a day - so you're about 13p per kwh.
Immersion - 3kwh.
Cooker - 3kwh.
Electric hob - same again. Per ring.
All approx.
So you cook for an hour in the evening - 40p easy.
Water actually heating for, say, 2 hrs a day - 80p.
And so on.
Laptop, lights, they all add up.
For £30 might be worth getting an Owl meter - which tells you exactly how much you are using at any given moment - we have an Owl meter - now our house is the one where noone thinks we're ever home, 'cos all the lights are off.
£2-50 a day isn't too bad. Stick the cooker and immersion on, and together with your lights, laptop, sky box, cordless phone power adapters etc etc the meter will show you a good £1-50 an hour - betcha.
18 units (kwh) a day - so you're about 13p per kwh.
Immersion - 3kwh.
Cooker - 3kwh.
Electric hob - same again. Per ring.
All approx.
So you cook for an hour in the evening - 40p easy.
Water actually heating for, say, 2 hrs a day - 80p.
And so on.
Laptop, lights, they all add up.
For £30 might be worth getting an Owl meter - which tells you exactly how much you are using at any given moment - we have an Owl meter - now our house is the one where noone thinks we're ever home, 'cos all the lights are off.
£2-50 a day isn't too bad. Stick the cooker and immersion on, and together with your lights, laptop, sky box, cordless phone power adapters etc etc the meter will show you a good £1-50 an hour - betcha.
Check the leccy company has the correct meter for your house.
My last rented place was new build. We were the 1st people to live there.
First bill was for £470. Obviously as mistake. Lots of querying and phone calls it got sorted. The builders (Permisson) had told them the wrong type of meter had been installed. Something silly like it was a type A but was actually a type B.
So they had the wrong type of meter down on their computer, so the units were being mulipied by 100 iirc. They wouldnt believe me and had to send out someone in the end to check the meter serial numbers. Retards. One of their call centre staff said "You do know the price of gas has gone up?!!" ffs, I know, but I didnt want to pay the whole streets bill.
The final bill was about £25. Probably spent that on the phone sorting it out!
My last rented place was new build. We were the 1st people to live there.
First bill was for £470. Obviously as mistake. Lots of querying and phone calls it got sorted. The builders (Permisson) had told them the wrong type of meter had been installed. Something silly like it was a type A but was actually a type B.
So they had the wrong type of meter down on their computer, so the units were being mulipied by 100 iirc. They wouldnt believe me and had to send out someone in the end to check the meter serial numbers. Retards. One of their call centre staff said "You do know the price of gas has gone up?!!" ffs, I know, but I didnt want to pay the whole streets bill.
The final bill was about £25. Probably spent that on the phone sorting it out!
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