We seem to be having an unusually high electrical usage.
Our total meter reading for last 12 months is over 12,000 units as per our meter reading. This seems too high for a 3 people/4 bed house with gas heating system.
We want to identify the areas, appliances which are using max electricity.
We would like to get an electrician to do this but I wanted to find out if it is possible for them to identify this and how to go about this, as we don’t have a smart in-house unit to view our electricity usage. Although I’m told our electricity meter (in garage) is a smart meter.
Are you a tradesperson and able to answer this question?
I would recommend getting a smart monitor. Most electricity providers offer these free of charge. It’s normally a simple unit that can be DIY installed. You should be able to see usage live and then identify the energy hungry items. This to me would be a starting point and cost effective. If you have lots of down lights changing them to led type could save you a small fortune over a year. Check you don’t have an immersion heater on your water tank switched on.
You can check this yourself with relative ease; by unplugging everything and plugging it all back in one thing at a time. You could even do this at your consumer unit (if it is safe to do so) by turning off all the breakers and turning them back on one by one until the culprit is found. An electrician will be able to assess the issue with more in-depth testing and inspection, especially if the issue is something more sinister than a single appliance hogging the power, but starting with the easy stuff might save you a quick buck!
Answered13 April 2022
1
Anonymous user
You can get an electrician to fit a smart circuit monitor, which will record usage on every circuit on your property you can then break down what appliances are demanding the most usage
I will advise that appliances not in used should be switched off and if down light are halogen please change them to LED or even the normal light bulbs should be LED. And monitor your meter every now and then on the reading. If you rely on the service providers they will give you estimated reading which most of the time higher than your usual usage. I hope this helps.
