Smart Meters

[Undertoad]

More energy gets used by large appliances... maybe somebody did extra loads of laundry and left the fridge door open? The hot water left on?

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

More energy gets used by large appliances... maybe somebody did extra loads of laundry and left the fridge door open? The hot water left on?

Or it could be that the new meters are more accurate than the old ones. Or it could be that the new meters are less accurate than the old ones.

The previous month's usage was calculated after a rollover or meter replacement, which may have caused an error in his favor. A better test would be to look at the month prior to that.

[skysidhe]

Originally Posted by richlevy

Or it could be that the new meters are more accurate than the old ones. Or it could be that the new meters are less accurate than the old ones.

The previous month's usage was calculated after a rollover or meter replacement, which may have caused an error in his favor. A better test would be to look at the month prior to that.

May 277
June 299
July 270
August 258
Sept 358
Oct 308
Nov 358
Dec 660

Maybe UT.


These were for the months prior of course and November was a dark rainy month and there was a light left on all night all month and I do use the oven which may be the culprit?


I hope you are right rich and I've just been getting a deal. When the usage reports come out in 2010 it will be interesting to see where energy usage is coming from.

I have been calculating my daily usage and the way the meter is running I am using 19 kw per day which will be about 570.

B. What do you mean off peak for your water heater? How did you fix it?
I know that the electric company charge more for on peak times but I don't know what time of day that is. Probably the times of night when people like to turn on their holiday lights.

I'm a giv'n up on this .... I did report it to the electric company though so they know.

I do appreciate the comments so thanks .

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by skysidhe

May 277
June 299
July 270
August 258
Sept 358
Oct 308
Nov 358
Dec 660

Well, that blows my underreporting theory. If you suspect any specific device and it is a plug-in device, you might consider one of these

http://www.amazon.com/P3-Internation...0666577&sr=8-1 .

There are actually a few models from the same company. The cheapest is $20 and might give you some answers.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by skysidhe

B. What do you mean off peak for your water heater? How did you fix it?
I know that the electric company charge more for on peak times but I don't know what time of day that is. Probably the times of night when people like to turn on their holiday lights.

I fixed it by fixing the leaky faucet. The separate off-peak meter is on a timer that kills the power, to anything supplied by it, during the late afternoon and early evening when the demand for power is highest. I only have the water heater hooked to that meter, but the electric company will allow me to hook anything I want, as long as I tell them. High consuming appliances like a clothes dryer, or tools like a welder, that can usually be used avoiding the peak hours, are good candidates for the cheaper, by a third, rate.

Businesses are required to use a demand meter, which not only measures the total power used, but also the rate at which it's used. Say you had a lunch business that didn't total that much power for the month, but the business was only open for a couple hours a day, 5 days a week. But when it was open, you'd be using power at a hellacious rate for the deep fryers, grills and stuff. The demand meter tips off the electric company, and it only takes exceeding the demand limit for one hour, for them to bang you with a much higher rate for the entire month.
I can't help but wonder if that's where the smart meters are leading? After all, these new meters must be costing them a shitload of money, so they must think it's going to help them somehow.

[dar512]

Appliances that make heat use the most electricity. I'd guess if you have an electric oven that you've been doing some holiday cooking.

Electric space heaters, hair dryers, halogen lights, etc. might also be contributing.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by dar512

Appliances that make heat use the most electricity.

Appliances that make cold are pretty greedy too.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

More energy gets used by large appliances... maybe somebody did extra loads of laundry and left the fridge door open? The hot water left on?

I have a separate (off peak) meter for my water heater, and a couple bills ago, that meter reading doubled for a month. Sure enough, the hot water faucet down cellar was right on the line between a fast drip and a slow stream.