Thoughts on massive electric meter spike?

GabC

Hi folks,

We saw a crazy spike in our electric meter reading which we have narrowed down to sometime between 21 Dec 2022 and 07 Jan 2023 based on electric provider and self readings:

25 Oct 2022 = 33241 electric provider (actual)

21 Dec 2022 = 33831 electric provider (actual)

7 Jan 2023 = 39321 self read

28 Jan 2023 = 40014 self read

18 Feb 2023 = 40541 self read

So the meter readings say that we have used around 5,500 units in the 17 day period between 21 Dec and 7 Jan, and then things are back to normal again after that. Needless to say we received a massive bill and the account has been frozen.

The electric provider just keeps saying we used the electricity and have to pay for it, but it would seem impossible to use that amount of electricity in a couple of weeks.

They say it is extremely unlikely to be a meter fault but we can pay ourselves if we want it checked out. Since it has been increasing normally since after the spike, paying the electric provider for a check is likely to be more money wasted.

They say we must have a faulty appliance in the house, but by my calculations you would need to have the oven switched on 24/7 for over 100 days straight to use that amount of energy. Plus how would a faulty appliance just turn good again.

We do have an Ecodan heat pump but it's own consumption readings are normal (nowhere near what the meter says) and we have had it since last October.

So we're at a complete loss as to where the 5500 units of electricity disappeared to or what to do next.

Has anyone ever come across a situation like this?

Thanks! Gabriel

kirk.

What type meter is it and what appliances do you have

Do you have readings before the 21st dec

TherapyBoy

What was the last self-read meter reading before 21st December?

Such a massive jump would suggest something gone faulty (which seems to have fixed itself) or maybe previous meter readings being estimated way below what they were? Check the meter numbers on previous bill before Dec & see if they line up with your current self-read numbers.

GabC

Previous reading before 21st December was 33241 and was an actual taken by the utility provider on 25th October. Have edited my original post to include this one too.

ax530

Could there have been an error in an actual reading?

They put in number too low?

The readings are entered manually typed so could have put in wrong.

So the units used between since Oct reading ?

GabC

It's an old style mechanical meter (i.e. not a smart meter). We live in a detached 3br house with standard appliances, a heat pump (installed October 2022 as mentioned), nothing else that is non-standard.

kirk.

Heat pump seems to be a common denominator

All i've seen is wiring faults on older houses or something running continuously

Doesn't sound like a meter fault

Alun

If my maths are correct the difference between the two readings is equivalent to a continuous current draw of approx. 58.5A over that period. That'd be some fault not to have noticed. Try pointing this out to them, and ask exactly what kind of faulty appliance could draw that amount of current, and see what they say.

39321 - 33831 = 5490 kWh

5490 / 17 = 322.94 kWh / day = 13.45kWh / h

13.45 kW / 230 = 58.5A

dashoonage

i had a 6000kwh error on my account for January, eventually with many calls to ESB they agreed there is no way i could have used the same as the previous two years total draw....in 28 days..

TherapyBoy

Could a reading of 38XXX have be misread (twice) as 33XXX?

If you have the old bills, check the meter readings on them as far back as you can go. If they are showing a consistent usage running up to the glitchy bill & again after it you’d have a legit argument to make about the oddly high bill, as with Dashoonage’s post above.

the_amazing_raisin

It's possible the immersion heaters could have been stuck on

I had an issue a few years ago with my heat pump (Dimplex, not Ecodan) where the hot water cycle failed and it started using the immersion heaters to heat the water but never switched them off

So the system was trying to maintain water at something like 70C, made for some toasty showers, and a horrifying electricity bill 😱

I've had to keep an eye on it since then, apparently there's a way to change it but the Dimplex engineers pretty much refused to do it

This would probably not be measured by your heat pump as consumption since the immersion heaters might be on a different circuit

Check your heat pump controller to see if there's a reading to say if the backup or immersion heaters are running

denismc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120406356#Comment_120406356

Even if they left the immersion on all day every day for 17 days thats still only about 1200 units, and thats assuming the thermostat is not working.

An immersion that is well insulated and has a working thermostat won't actually use that much.

5000 units is a years electricity for the average house.

GabC

Yes, good suggestion, although as denismc says the 3kw backup immersion that comes with Ecodan couldn't use that amount in 2.5 weeks even if it were faulty.

kirk.

A close up of the main board and the metering would be no harm

10-10-20

What square meter is the house? How many bathrooms and bedrooms?

artanevilla

The big jump comes between the electrical company check and your own check, I think I'd be questioning the electrical company readings.

GabC

...

GabC

150 sq m, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 2 occupants

10-10-20

There is probably no quick way to get this resolved without catching the event in the future. I will add that it just seems odd that it happened over the Christmas period when electrical consumption is typically through the roof, but as many have already pointed out 13kWh of heat isn't going to be dumped into a house or escape through the floor without you knowing about it.

I'd recommend a energy meter with logger such as the Owl.

kirk.

If that loading( most of it) was on 1 circuit then you'd expect something to be tripping

I would get the wiring tested anyhow including tails

As 101020 said u need to be logging usage now in case this happens again

CrazyEric

What kind of Christmas tree lights did you have?? Don't think the Rockefeller centre tree uses that much.

I am with TherapyBoy on the check meter numbers and previous readings because it sounds like a mistaken read previously.

On the 33831 reading the second 3 would have been near to clicking to 4 so possibly was an 8 going for 9 so was misread. The first 55 day period includes a new heatpump reading and if it is a new floor they would have ran it continuously for a few days to dry the screed which would have caused a massive spike.

Fight it all the way.... Deny....Deny.....Deny

GabC

Don't have underfloor heating. Had the heat pump checked out today too and everything looks good.

All bills and readings over the last two years make sense apart from that somewhere between 1 and 17 day period of 5490 units usage.

Just bizarre!

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, some great ideas.

The investigation continues!

kirk.

Check the meter accuracy anyhow

You can switch every breaker off at board except instantaneous shower maybe.

Isn't there a big change there between the oct-dec usage and the last 2 readings

kirk.

Was going to ask is there a well pump but it wouldn't explain the temporary usage , the fault would probably remain

As said above the heat pump coincided with the Issue plus factor in the cold weather

Need to 100% confirm it's not simple meter misreadings as others said

I can't see the meter jumping , doubt that happens with those somehow

GabC

No well pump.

Utility provider have asked for a photo of the latest reading, so I guess they'll check out the possibility of misreadings, but they would have had to have been misreading (or not reading) for years to accumulate such a spike and almost all readings in the last 2 years of bills are their actuals.

Heat pump consumption readings on the machine itself are all normal, unless it somehow can "hide" 5500 kWh from those recordings, and even if so, most of our cold days this past Winter were outside this period (I checked the Met Eireann monthly climate reports).

Just a mystery!

Alun

Are you absolutely 100% sure the previous provider readings were Actual and not Estimated ones? I only ask because, before I got a smart meter, in my area we'd be lucky if we got 1 actual reading a year, all others were estimated but luckily reasonably close to reality.

kirk.

5.5 kw ?

What are the heat pump readings

And nothing has tripped on the board ?

GabC

There's the heat pump consumed energy since it was installed in October 2022. It definitely did not consume anywhere close to 5500 kWh between 21 Dec and 7 Jan. It hasn't even consumed that since we got it put in six months ago.

No trips, no manifestation in the house of any sort of problem.

@Alun, we printed off all the bills for the last two years. There are occasional estimated (2 or 3 a year), but mostly they are actual reads by the utility company, including the two consecutive prior bills to the massive one.

Since getting the heat pump, our average daily usage, outside of the questionable units, has sat between 15 and 30 kWh throughout the whole six months, with fluctuations depending on cold weather, etc.

According to the utility firm's actual read on 21 Dec and our read on 7 Jan, the supposed spike that happened somewhere during that 17 day period works out at minimum 300 kWh a day. It's just not possible, unless we were lighting up the whole town for Christmas.

kirk.

Apologies think I was getting mixed up between the total and hourly with the 5.5