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High electricity usage!!

#Post
1

Electricity bill seems very high when compared to others. Any way to check what is using so much electricity?? 2 adults $350 a month/ summer!!!!! 1000 units 35 days!!!

bobinnz - 2021-01-31 13:57:00
2

how hot is your water ?

martin11 - 2021-01-31 13:59:00
3

start turning things off until the meter stops reading.

its often either big items are being used a lot. eg hotwater, stove.
or smaller things left on all the time.
check things like how much is the fridge/freezer turning on. a malfunctioning fridge can chew a lot of power.
check hot water is not flowing out of the relief pipe.

tweake - 2021-01-31 14:04:00
4

Sounds like you’re using a heat pump for cooling maybe?

We are 3 adults here and our Bill for a month is about $130.

lakeview3 - 2021-01-31 14:14:00
5

Is this a recent increase in the bill?
Is this a new house?
Have you checked whether you are on the right plan for your usage?
As above turn off major appliances and check that usage falls accordingly.

sparkychap - 2021-01-31 14:17:00
6

Seems to have a lot of problems on various things going by the OP's posts .

martin11 - 2021-01-31 14:26:00
7

Yes biggest use in electric hot water, second is heat pump, dryer. Stove only if your using it everyday. As said above read your meter and record your usage of things. Each electrical item you can work out how much power they use / hour. Do some maths and google.

msigg - 2021-01-31 15:02:00
8
lakeview3 wrote:

Sounds like you’re using a heat pump for cooling maybe?

We are 3 adults here and our Bill for a month is about $130.


i have similar bill to you but i'm running three heat pumps.

tweake - 2021-01-31 15:14:00
9
msigg wrote:

Yes biggest use in electric hot water, second is heat pump, dryer. Stove only if your using it everyday. .


stove includes hob. assuming not gas of course.
most people use a hob/stove top most days.
resistance heating is expensive and cooking is often overlooked when it comes to power bills.

tweake - 2021-01-31 15:16:00
10

The most common cause is leaking hot water. Check the relief valve outlet by your HW cylinder, or the roof pipe on older houses.

masturbidder - 2021-01-31 15:42:00
11
lakeview3 wrote:

Sounds like you’re using a heat pump for cooling maybe?

We are 3 adults here and our Bill for a month is about $130.

No heat pump fire for heating. Seemed to jump when we had "smart" meter installed and just seemed to get worse! Wonder if meter could be faulty.

bobinnz - 2021-01-31 16:59:00
12

Most common problem is the cost of your electricity and your lines charge, everytime.

gabbysnana - 2021-01-31 17:01:00
13
gabbysnana wrote:

Most common problem is the cost of your electricity and your lines charge, everytime.

you’re saying that the cost of electricity is *checks notes* the cost of electricity?

sparkychap - 2021-01-31 17:05:00
14

Your correct gabbysnana, too expensive in NZ.

msigg - 2021-01-31 17:28:00
15

What's the website where you can compare power prices / your power bill, to other providers or schemes?

Mines $65 a month supply charge & 22cents a unit, plus GST & minus discount.
They are taking the discount off soon, and lowering the unit charge.. so it 'should' be the same ( LoL )
No way, in 6 months it will be what it is now without the discount.
Bet they only drop the unit charge, not the supply charge.

Edited by marte at 5:51 pm, Sun 31 Jan

marte - 2021-01-31 17:50:00
16
bobinnz wrote:

Seemed to jump when we had "smart" meter installed and just seemed to get worse! Wonder if meter could be faulty.


Check the meter reading and meter number to your bill. Make sure they match for starters.

macman26 - 2021-01-31 18:01:00
17
bobinnz wrote:

No heat pump fire for heating. Seemed to jump when we had "smart" meter installed and just seemed to get worse! Wonder if meter could be faulty.


Yes the reading often jumps with a smart meter because it is accurate. The old mechanical meters tended to read low due to friction, especially at the lower end of the power range.

masturbidder - 2021-01-31 18:11:00
18
bobinnz wrote:

Electricity bill seems very high when compared to others. Any way to check what is using so much electricity?? 2 adults $350 a month/ summer!!!!! 1000 units 35 days!!!

Too vague. At least identify usage for water heating and general, then the appliances in house. Do you take 25 minutes showers?

amasser - 2021-02-01 11:05:00
19

With 2 meters, one is probably just for water heating.

Narrow the usage down. Turn everything off & see if the meters still spinning.

My fridge has a problem with it & runs 24 hrs a day, it hasn't added anything to the power bull that I can notice.

But then, the supply charge is 2/3rds of my power bill & the rest is the electric jug & lights/washing mc & occasionally the drier, + GST, for $120 month
Nothing for hot water or heating.

Check the overflow pipe first, if on a fine hot day, there's water tricking down the guttering pipes, that's a clue.
If it's a bare Copper pipe, they can split in a frost, even my old 2 story flats one did, a invisible split from that distance. It's a easy fix.

Edited by marte at 2:51 pm, Mon 1 Feb

marte - 2021-02-01 14:46:00
20
bobinnz wrote:

. Seemed to jump when we had "smart" meter installed and just seemed to get worse!.


The old analog meters were often inaccurate.
Rather than all this leaking stuff people have said....check your bill.
What is your per unit cost? Take a look on Powerswitch and compare rates with who it says your cheaper providers are.
We did and saved $150 a month!!!

lythande1 - 2021-02-01 15:24:00
21

2 adults.... recent bill was 250 and we have 2 heat pumps....one runs all night.

molly37 - 2021-02-01 18:55:00
22
bobinnz wrote:

No heat pump fire for heating. Seemed to jump when we had "smart" meter installed and just seemed to get worse! Wonder if meter could be faulty.


Ask the electric company to check the smart meter.
Sounds like heating a spa pool continuously or something.

serf407 - 2021-02-01 20:12:00
23
tweake wrote:

start turning things off until the meter stops reading.

its often either big items are being used a lot. eg hotwater, stove.
or smaller things left on all the time.
check things like how much is the fridge/freezer turning on. a malfunctioning fridge can chew a lot of power.
check hot water is not flowing out of the relief pipe.

This.

Use your breaker box, turn everything off, make sure the meter stops, then progressively turn things back on again (or one by one) and go view the meter for a x minutes at a time to see how fast energy is being used. Hopefully it's a meter with a flashing led or a useful display dial.

Or buy a cheap plug in meter and put it on your major appliances for a couple of days at a time. Might pick up a faulty fridge (for example). e.g. this https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/business-farming-ind
ustry/industrial/electrical-equipment/gauges-meters/listing/
2960550201?bof=5bEgry0V

Edited by loose.unit8 at 9:12 pm, Mon 1 Feb

loose.unit8 - 2021-02-01 21:11:00
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