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| Thread ID: 122790 | 2012-01-13 00:12:00 | Daughters power bill keeps gonig up - What to do ? | Digby (677) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 1253726 | 2012-01-13 00:12:00 | Hi guys My daughter lives in a small cottage with her daughter and her power bill keeps going up and up. It hit $290 in December which is the start of summer. Is there any way to get a comparison of other peoples unit used ? Or to get an electrician to see where the power use is going ? She has the usual number of showers and baths. |
Digby (677) | ||
| 1253727 | 2012-01-13 00:35:00 | That is incredibly high usage. You can get a general comparison of what you'd pay with different companies at powerswitch.org.nz but I'd be looknig at how much they're actually using. Perhaps they have a hot water pipe leaking somewhere and the hot water cylinder is constantly on, or leaving heaters/aircon/heat pumps etc going all the time? Maybe a seal problem on the fridge/freezer causing it to work over time? We have 3 adults and an under-5 and our bill is rarely over $200. | inphinity (7274) | ||
| 1253728 | 2012-01-13 00:36:00 | Yeh, I would be getting that looked at, our last bill was $157 and my home office uses about 1/3 of that with all the electrical equipment running constantly. 2 TV's going most evenings (1 all night long), 2 computers at least (mine is on about 18 hours a day), 2 showers a day, heat pump (running on cold) most evenings, large separate stand-alone units - fridge and freezer. Several lights running from dark to about 2am. Hot water cylinder heating etc etc. $290 seems a lot for summer time when only a Mum and daughter in my opinion. | Iantech (16386) | ||
| 1253729 | 2012-01-13 00:48:00 | If the hot water cylinder vent pipe is overflowing, the power consumption can be horrendous. A dripping hot tap can do the same thing. For a fairly easy check , turn off the water supply to the hot water cylinder (while nobody is using hot water) using the valve under the cylinder for half an hour or so. Turn the supply back on slowly, if you hear water running into the cylinder, hot water is going to waste somewhere. |
R2x1 (4628) | ||
| 1253730 | 2012-01-13 02:10:00 | We use around 550 units a month. Pricing can depend for that, on who you are with. With EnergyOnline it's around $140. Friend with same number of people and similar appliances etc at present seems to be using 772 units, and her price is a bit higher, although she'd got the cheapest group for the Sth Island. We were comparing last night, all I can think of, is someone turns the shower on full blast or her light bulbs. But you'd need to look at the units used first...and then see what she does use as far as appliances and stuff go. |
pctek (84) | ||
| 1253731 | 2012-01-13 02:23:00 | Get your supplier to change the meter. Brother in law (retired sparky) says this is usually the problem. Ken |
kenj (9738) | ||
| 1253732 | 2012-01-13 02:26:00 | Hot water is definitely the first thing to check - this can be anywhere from 50% - 70% of a household's energy consumption. Don't just check for the overflow of water, check the thermostat is set to no more than 50 degrees (from a safety point of view as well as a consumption viewpoint).... | johcar (6283) | ||
| 1253733 | 2012-01-13 02:34:00 | We are around $90 family of 4, we dont have a clothes dryer and hot water is heated by fire in winter and solar in summer. | prefect (6291) | ||
| 1253734 | 2012-01-13 03:29:00 | It could be the meter or maybe the hot water. Follow the advice of johcar and R2x1 and check those ideas out. Does she, by any chance, have an old fridge, freezer or combination? Maybe borrow or buy a power usage meter and check those out. Is the cottage on a shared property? I have heard of a situation where an electrian was working at one property, when he finished he accidentally changed over the connection to the wrong meter. His mistake was discovered when one occupant was away for several weeks. Incidentally, some old meters are actually slower than normal. Was her previous power bill estimated or actually read? |
Marnie (4574) | ||
| 1253735 | 2012-01-13 04:02:00 | Low power can affect it iirc, has to work harder to make up the current. Mine is around $150/2 months year round. Moving next week though to probably the end of that. I would say look at the hot water first |
Gobe1 (6290) | ||
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