Meter checking

smartspark · Mar 21, 2011

Hi all
I had a call from a customer saying there bill has just doubled nearly, from 7k to 12k per month, they have there own sub station.
question I have is, how do I go about checking to see if there meter is reading correctly and having it calibrated possibly. Will I have to call the local electricity supplier to check? Or can I hire some kind of equipment to check the draw of electricity against the meter?

nickblake · Mar 21, 2011

Only real way of doing this is to contact the DNO have they had a new meter fitted or changed the suppliers could be the reason so many mistakes have been made dut first contact the Supplier for advice

Engineer54 · Mar 21, 2011

You can hire a power data recorder from the forum sponsor here, or from a similar company. These units can record all sorts of parameters, ....A, KW, KWhr, KVAhr, etc etc to mention but a few!! Main thing to remember, that you need a recorder that will measure unbalanced 3 phase systems!!!

IQ Electrical · Mar 21, 2011

Yes, hire something like a Chauvin 8335 or a Fluke 435 and make sure the reporting software is included.

On the plus side, you'll also get power factor, voltage & current harmonic values, flicker and a whole host of other characteristics.

Set up for at least a 7 day monitoring period to capture usual patterns of use etc.

Knobhead · Mar 21, 2011

Just remember if you hire a power analyser you will have to pay a deposit on it. Usually 100% of the purchase price.

malcolmsanford · Mar 22, 2011

As there been a new meter fitted or as the client changed his supplier. If a new meter was fitted it may not have been set up on a special commercial tariff, again if he had changed supplier then they may have omitted setting up a commercial tariff.

If your a customer spending 7k a month and then it rises to 12k, with no apparent reason I think he would have a good chance of getting his DNO and supplier involved in this. They could set up a 2nd meter in conjunction with the first to track the consumption, or fit monitering devices as the other guys have said. My first port of call would be the supplier.