High electricity bills and high meter reading...

[Conor74]

...friend gets a bill of about €200+ every two months. She has a few kids, but says she has nothing on, there is no tumble dryer going full time, the heating is oil, dishwasher is not used, lights are turned off, and all appliances are turned off at the switch, computers are turned off. She has a deep freeze alright, but that shouldn't be too much. She has had the meter read, so it's not an estimate issue.

Is it possible that there can be some drain or some faulty equipment which would drive a reading/bill up?

[jhegarty]

Unplug everything in house and see if the meter stops spinning.

[jaybee747]

Yes faulty equipment can run up your bill, my parents received a 600euro bill last month because of a faulty kettle. They unpluged everything and went through each thing 1 by 1, plugged in the kettle and the meter starting spinning like crazy. Would suggest you try unplug everything and go through them 1 by 1.

[Davy]

Loads of things are possible, most of which are extremely rare but to be exact best to get an engery meter that you can walk around the house, using an item at a time it will tell exactly what its using. If its using more than it should then you will know something is up.

Sometimes people don't realise how much they use, its the same when you ask is everything plugged out, normally something is overlooked.

[Bob Z]

Its worth querying. I know someone this happened to. The meter was broke and they were getting charged day rates for night and vice versa

[Fnergg]

Originally Posted by Bob Z

Its worth querying. I know someone this happened to. The meter was broke and they were getting charged day rates for night and vice versa

That was a problem with the time-switch, not the meter, and of course could only happen to someone with a meter that records day and night usage separately. The OP didn't mention such a meter and so I assume it is an ordinary single-tariff meter that is recording the usage.

The meter is never the problem. Meters are highly accurate instruments with a worldwide reputation for accuracy. Over time (20+ years), the old analogue meters slow down slightly (in the customer's favour) and most utilities have a meter replacement programme for that reason.

Any high usage is invariably down to increased use of electricity, wasteful usage (e.g. leaving an Immersion tank on all the time, using plug-in heaters, etc), or, rarely, a problem with a faulty appliance or with the wiring.

My advice would be to take a meter reading every day around the same time and thus establish what the daily usage is for a week or so. Knowing what has been in use you should be able to determine if the recorded usage is in line with it or not. The appliance calculator on the ESB's website is very useful in that regard: https://www.esb.ie/esbcustomersupply...calculator.jsp

If the recorded usage seems to be well above the actual usage it might be worthwhile getting an electrician to check the installation for faulty appliances.

Mu hunch though is that there is nothing amiss and that the bills are just down to actual usage. €200 per bill for a family is €25 per week or €3.50 per day. Seems about right to me. There's always room for savings though and, again, the Energy Efficient House page on the ESB website has some very useful hints.

Regards,

Fnergg

[foggy_lad]

Originally Posted by Conor74

...friend gets a bill of about €200+ every two months. She has a few kids, but says she has nothing on, there is no tumble dryer going full time, the heating is oil, dishwasher is not used, lights are turned off, and all appliances are turned off at the switch, computers are turned off. She has a deep freeze alright, but that shouldn't be too much. She has had the meter read, so it's not an estimate issue.

Is it possible that there can be some drain or some faulty equipment which would drive a reading/bill up?

laundry alone with a few kids can cost upwards of €60 over 2 months and a fridge freezer costs around €20 just three appliances we think may not use much as we take them for granted.

also i know from friends and family's children that they always leave the fridge door open and the tv on in bedroom as well as the living room, lights are always left on and things like hairdryers and straighteners use a lot more than you might think!

even considering that most modern homes are heated by gas instead of electricity €200+ for two months usage still sounds about right for a family with 3-4children as Fnergg said.

[Wilde86]

Hello. I'm just looking for a bit of feedback and to see if anyone else has experienced the same problem. I live in a studio flat and my esb bills are averaging at €60+ every two months. I use communal washers and dryers. I don't use my immersion. My boyfriend has more or less the same set up as me but his bill only came to under €30 when he last got his bill. When I plugged all of the appliances out the meter was running very slowly and then eventually stopped. I think that there may be a faulty appliance in the room. My landlord is apprehensive about bringing in an electrician for some reason. It's very frustrating. Any ideas? Help!

[tommy21]

Originally Posted by Wilde86

Hello. I'm just looking for a bit of feedback and to see if anyone else has experienced the same problem. I live in a studio flat and my esb bills are averaging at €60+ every two months. I use communal washers and dryers. I don't use my immersion. My boyfriend has more or less the same set up as me but his bill only came to under €30 when he last got his bill. When I plugged all of the appliances out the meter was running very slowly and then eventually stopped. I think that there may be a faulty appliance in the room. My landlord is apprehensive about bringing in an electrician for some reason. It's very frustrating. Any ideas? Help!

Do the times you use the appliances at differ to your boyfriend? Off and on peak have different rates. Also 60 euro is very little to be honest, at least from my standpoint.

[dudara]

I agree with the above poster, E60 seems OK for two months usage. In fact, your boyfriend's bill of E30 seems suspiciously low - are you sure that he is submitted meter readings, and not just going with estimated bills.

[Wilde86]

Well I only really use my cooker and tv in the evening and the shower. I was also going on my parents bill from our house at home. They use far more appliances than me throughout the day and their bill comes in at about E130 for two months. My mate in work also lives in a house with her husband who is there all day and they have a washer, dryer, dishwasher etc and her bill only comes in at just above E80 for the two months.

[Srameen]

Originally Posted by tommy21

Do the times you use the appliances at differ to your boyfriend? Off and on peak have different rates. Also 60 euro is very little to be honest, at least from my standpoint.

Firstly this is misleading. Most premises do not have day and night meters but are on a flat rate. The time of day does not matter to 80% of people.

I have to agree however that €60 for a studio flat every 2 months is not high.

[tommy21]

Originally Posted by Srameen

Firstly this is misleading. Most premises do not have day and night meters but are on a flat rate. The time of day does not matter to 80% of people.

I have to agree however that €60 for a studio flat every 2 months is not high.

Back up 'most' please. While flat rates exist it is generally for business. From my experience most residential customers (rightly or wrongly) are on the default day/night rate.

[seamus]

It's a studio flat - how is it heated?

[Wilde86]

It's heated by a small oil heater. Not one of those blow heaters that eat up energy and I only turn it on for half an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening at most.