Really high electrical bills?

[Jacus]

Hi Everyone

In April this year I moved into a small 2 bedroom property and I find that my electrical bills are extremely high.
In my old property I had the same sort of things in my house like an electric cooker and oven, normal size fridge/freezer including a fireplace that I use throughout the cold winter months. The thing that I don't understand is that at my old property I had a fireplace too and electrical radiators in every room but in my current place I don't even have radiators - only a fireplace to warm the house.

The thing I don't understand is that at my old house I used an average of 500 units per month on electrics, where at my current property the meter reads just below 2000 units per month?

Any ideas? Is somebody tapping into my electrics or maybe the next door property connected to my electrics? ...you know what I mean...

I spoke to SSE and asked advice but they couldn't help me what so ever. Is it possible to get somebody out to come and investigate this...? What would you do if you were in my shoes?

Thanks guys for the suggestions and support

 

[MDJ]

Do you have electric heating?

 

[Jacus]

No I don't have any electrical heating in my current place. Only a fireplace.

 

[littlespark]

A qualified electrician will have equipment for testing your installation and can measure current usage as each appliance is turned on. 4x your old usage does sound excessive.

You have no heating apart from a fireplace? So no plug-in oil filled radiators, or blow heaters? Must be freezing in the bedrooms.
How is the water heated? Immersion heater in a water tank?

Is it possible to show us a photograph of the meter?
I ask this as the old mechanical type could go faulty over time.... spinning too fast etc.
The newer electronic ones will have a flashing red light. The speed of the flash increases as more current is flowing. Watch it as you boil the kettle to see what I mean.

Did your old property have solar panels contributing to lowering the bills?

Just some ideas thrown in there

 

[Squid]

Turn the CSU off and see if the meter still registers, if you do this at night you will need a torch.

 

[Jacus]

Brilliant replies guys..Thanks! I forgot to mention about my boiler...its electrical and set on a timer for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening. I live on a farm cottage...and yes, the bedrooms can be a bit cold hence the fire place running most of the day.

I think it's a good idea to get a qualified electrician out with the right testing equipment to try and figure this out and investigate. The meter is outside tucked away in a cupboard but I must say it has a digital screen but never noticed a red light flashing. I will have a look for sure. But good advise about the meters as I never knew that could happen.

 

[Wilko]

Hi - you mentioned you've got electric hot water now, was it gas before?

 

[Jacus]

Hi...it's been electric in both houses.

 

[Wilko]

The most likely reasons - meter duff or some thing is using more power. The meter is owned by the one sending you the bill. You could ask them what is involved in getting it tested perhaps? (I've not done this but they must have a process ...).
If more power is being used - what is that thing and are you happy for it... Some (rare) times we find there is some thing attached to one installation that should've been on another. As mentioned the "switching stuff off and seeing the meter stop" should show this. Also as mentioned, if you post up pics of supplier's fuse, meter, consumer unit and linking cables we will review .

 

[Squid]

Remove the meter turn it around the other way and process your own refund.............*

*This was 100% a JOKE okay...........

 

[Jacus]

Here is a photo of my meter. It has a green light that's going almost non stop and 2 red ones that flashes maybe twice every 10 seconds. I had the kettle running at the time and the lights were just flashing as normal I'd say

 

[Wilko]

Good pic - now pan right

 

[Squid]

Its on Zero.........

 

[Jacus]

@SWD ....there are 4 readings... the first 3 are all zeros and the 4th one has the reading. Well done for noticing

 

[Squid]

Jacus where are you from?

 

[Martin Kerr]

From the SSE card at the side of the meter ,the meter was changed in 2016 and the meter reading was recorded as 00000
The previous meter descrIption refers to a pool complex
Maybe you are recieving estimated readings for the previous meter

 

[LeeH]

Have you checked your tariff against any others?

SSE will not be your cheapest choose. Non of the big six will be.

 

[SparkyAndGeorge]

Is your immersion timer working correctly? Not long ago had a call out with this same issue. Turned out the timer was knackered and was on 24/7.

 

[Deleted member 105166]

An electrician will be able to clamp the incomer or individual circuits to see how much current is being drawn, and some will have equipment they can leave on site to record readings of total current draw say every 5 minutes for a week. Your supplier could also do this, however if they find no fault on the meter, may charge for going this. In the meantime have you done a common sense check in the attic and under party wall floor boards to ensure next door aren't stealing electricity from you?

 

[Francis Mahon]

Hi, a similar issue maybe!
I am currently helping my mother-in-law sort an apparently very high energy usage, with nearly 21,000kWh electrical energy showing as used each year for each of the past 2 years since a new meter (a Horstmann Radio Telemeter Series K) was installed by the DNO, Scottish Power at end September 2016. The house has no gas, so space heating and water heating is from electricity supply but only two main rooms, a small kitchen and a bathroom are used now. I've put a simple 'ONZO Smart Energy Electricity Monitor' on the mains line coming into the Horstmann Radio Telemeter and over the past 10 days it is showing an average of 9 kWh used each day, which is in good agreement with 'back of the envelope' calculation for usage (including a 3kW water heater on for 1 hour/day, a 2kW heater on for 2 hours/day, a TV on for 6 hours and then all lighting being LED). But the Horstmann meter, by which billing is set, is showing total of between 55 and 60kWh being used each day (as total of R1 & R4 as is an Economy 7 meter) . I'm continuing to record Horstmann and ONZO readings and will put another completely independent energy monitor in place on the incoming live line, as a comparison, in next few days.

Has anyone seen similar discrepancies, with Horstmann or other electricity meter? It makes the difference between electricity costs of £3800/year and about £1200/year.
Thank
Francis

 

[stevels4]

That’s an Elster Smets 1 meter, you should have one of the energy display units paired to the meter in order to monitor your usage.
Also which tariff are you on? It should state this on your bill i.e single rate, E7, E10.

 

[Francis Mahon]

on two rate Economy 7; the usage noted is the total energy throughput by the Horstmann meter (i.e R1 + R4)

 

[*-jester-*]

I got called out about 10 years ago to a customer complaining of high electric bills, it was loose meter tails!

They had warmed up the Bakelite insulators on the old wylex incoming terminals and over time blackened it with carbon which conducted electricity, but not enough of a short circuit to blow the main 80amp fuse.

It could've been very dangerous which is why It is imperative to double check all connections, it's to easy to get distracted and forget to tighten connections.

Just putting it out there ...but it would need to be checked by a qualified sparky or Scottish Power Engineer.

 

[Francis Mahon]

Many thanks Jester, will have the tails looked at , much appreciated.
am

 

[brianmoooore]

There's what appears to be a 5W dual connector block in the bottom right of the pic., with four ways in use, so this isn't a 'simple tails from meter to single consumer unit installation'.
Where do the other two pairs of tails go to? One set appear to feed a switch fuse in the top right. What's this for, and is it switched on?
Looks like there's a very good chance the OP could well be supplying a.n.other with free electricity.