High energy readings

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  • SteffiT's Avatar
    Level 6
    Hi
    Our energy readings seem to be very high, I know its winter and we have electric heating, but they still seem very high. (We did find out recently that our electric boiler seems to drawing way too much so we have to keep it off until needed) I have all the radiators on timers and that doesn't seem to be drawing that much. Could my smart meter be faulty ? We do have very bad signal in this area.
  • 14 Replies

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    JoeSoap's Avatar
    Level 91
    Best Answer
    @SteffiT

    Have you physically checked the meter readings and reconciled them with your latest statement/bill? If so, does everything tally up and is the bill correct? Make sure the readings on the bill are not estimates and if necessary you should manually submit your meter readings to get your account up-to-date. If you have a smart meter you could download something like the Hildebrand Bright app which will show historical consumption down to half-hourly intervals (provided you have selected that in your online account) and you will be able to see what energy is being consumed and when. This may give you insight into where you are using most energy.
    I'm an Eon Next dual fuel customer with no particular expertise but have some time on my hands that I am using to try and help out a bit.
  • WizzyWigg's Avatar
    Level 86
    @SteffiT
    Having a poor signal won't effect recording energy consumption on the meter itself. Truthfully for anyone to comment we really need more accurate information over a period of time. At the moment there is nothing to compare.
    When you say an electric boiler is it that or an immersion heater? What exactly is making you think your consumption is higher than it should be? The more information the better.
  • wizzo227's Avatar
    Level 21
    Hello there. I'm an energy saving vigilante but it is unlikely that I'll be much help this time. What I can do is write down what some of my stuff uses to give you some idea of what to expect in the cold weather this week; -3 to +3 C outside with a chilly wind and no warm sun. My 2 up 2 down house with 4 metres front and 4 meters back likes to get about 24 kWh of energy per day to be warm enough all day long in this weather. (I'm presently getting by on half that). Anything less will feel cold. Note that running a 3kW oven for an hour (times 2/3 because its thermostat blinks off and on every few minutes) contributes usefully to the total for the house, so treat yourself and cook some winter food while you are using electric heating anyway. That oven costs about 60p/hour to run. Likewise every other kitchen appliance using much quantity of electricity is usefully contributing to warming up the kitchen.

    Read the label or instruction sheet on your electric boiler; somewhere should say how many kW (kiloWatts) it can deliver. btu (British Thermal Units) get used instead sometimes. What does yours say ?
  • SteffiT's Avatar
    Level 6
    So far this morning it says I've used 21.69kWh. The boiler is fully electric and apart from the brand name (Idropis) it says nothing on the outside unless it's round the back, which I can't get to..The boiler was on for about an hour this morning. Electric hob for around 15 mins. we have 2 PC's which haven't been on much today but more than usual as my partner and me have a day off. There are 4 Electric radiators (1000w) which are staggered by Wi-Fi control timers. never on all at once unless it's really cold. We have an airfryer/fridge/oven/microwave.
  • SteffiT's Avatar
    Level 6
    And there's very little insulation in the flat apart from the loft, it's a Victorian building converted to flats, so no cavity in the walls, and the flat underneath us is empty.
  • WizzyWigg's Avatar
    Level 86
    So far this morning it says I've used 21.69kWh. The boiler is fully electric and apart from the brand name (Idropis) it says nothing on the outside unless it's round the back, which I can't get to..The boiler was on for about an hour this morning. Electric hob for around 15 mins. we have 2 PC's which haven't been on much today but more than usual as my partner and me have a day off. There are 4 Electric radiators (1000w) which are staggered by Wi-Fi control timers. never on all at once unless it's really cold. We have an airfryer/fridge/oven/microwave.
    Just a long shot it might be worth popping a photo on the thread of the Electric Boiler. They vary in consumption and could be anything up to 11kw but could be less or more. I know you said your signal was poor but as @JoeSoap said try downloading Hildebrand Bright app. It might give you a clue what's consuming what. No promises though.
  • meldrewreborn's Avatar
    Level 91
    @SteffiT

    its likely that nothing is really amiss here, but as you say it’s an all electric flat and electricity is an expensive fuel.
    is the property yours or is it rented? We’re not nosy but solutions depend on what you are actually able to change.

    As I’ve written before home heating really consists of replacing heat that is lost to the outside, and the higher you heat the home the more you lose. And lower external temperatures also increase heat loss. You can’t do anything about the weather but you can choose to heat fewer rooms and to lower temperatures- that might need you to wear more clothes than you currently do. Is your hot water device properly insulated? They can waste huge amounts, although anything lost within the flat helps to warm it. Do you have any other fuels - like a gas fire?
    Current Eon Next customer, ex EDF, Zog and Symbio. Don't think dual fuel saves money and don't like smart meters. Chronologically Gifted. If I offend let me know by private message, but I’ll continue to express my opinions nonetheless.
  • meldrewreborn's Avatar
    Level 91
    @SteffiT

    just to put things into context I use gas for heating, hot water and cooking. As a result my daily consumption of electricity is 4.5kWh per day! It’s highly likely that it’s heating and water heating that is driving your high consumption. Addressing this should be your top priority.
  • SteffiT's Avatar
    Level 6
    Gas isn't really an option without replumbing the whole flat. We cant insulate the walls,(the management company have reinsulated the roof) we own the flat. Last winter we had blower heaters which were pretty useless and even more expensive than the electric radiators that we replaced them with.at that time we didn't dare switch them on so the flat was bitterly cold and triggered more seizures for me (I have epilepsy.) The boiler is only for hot water, it's quite small but it heats the water to scalding point so I think the thermostat has become faulty ( we have someone coming to look at it tomorrow) there are no dials or controls on the boiler, it just has a socket point. we have it turned off unless required at the moment. that alone seemed to be costing us about £5 a day.