Electrical usage way up

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
When I read my electric meter for December, it was over 2 times the usual usage reading. I don't have any lighted holiday decorations and haven't used any electrical appliances more than usual. When I averaged the meter readings from last January through this November, I averaged 177 KWH per month. December's reading was 380 KWH. What could be happening to increase the reading?
 

Are you running heat with a blower-fan? If so, was it warmer last year for this time period so didn't use much? You'd have to look at your appliances too. Does your fridge seem to be running more? Do you have any 'hidden' lights left on in a garage or a crawl space that you might not notice? New appliances that you're using that you didn't have before like a PC? Lot of factors to look at.
 
Check your Electric companies web-site. Many now have an application where you can track your daily/monthly usage. Our supplier even breaks our usage down to hourly. Awhile back, as I recall, you were posting about having refrigerator troubles. If that appliance is running far more than normal, that would easily account for such an increase.

I would LOVE to see 380 KWH....our place is total electric, and almost 4500 sq. ft with the basement/garage. Our annual consumption is more in the 1500KWH/month range, and a monthly bill of about $150 on average. If it weren't for my big outdoor wood furnace, we would have Winter electric bills approaching $400/mo.
 

It might be your reading.

Sometimes if the dials, on the meter, are between numbers and you give them the higher number it boosts the bill for the month and then next month when you give the new reading it will give a you a lower bill and it all balances out.
 
Sounds like you have a loose wire, maybe in an outlet, that is letting a lot of electricity leak out undetected. You should call an electrician to check everything out.
 
Aunt Bea said:
It might be your reading.

Sometimes if the dials, on the meter, are between numbers and you give them the higher number it boosts the bill for the month and then next month when you give the new reading it will give a you a lower bill and it all balances out.
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Another thought.

If the last couple of bills were based on estimated readings and the current bill is from an actual reading the power company may be bringing your usage up to date.
 
debodun said:
When I read my electric meter for December, it was over 2 times the usual usage reading. I don't have any lighted holiday decorations and haven't used any electrical appliances more than usual. When I averaged the meter readings from last January through this November, I averaged 177 KWH per month. December's reading was 380 KWH. What could be happening to increase the reading?
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Something is wrong with your numbers. Using Only 177 KWH per month would indicate that you have virtually no electric appliances, almost never watch TV, and use candles for lighting. Did you get those numbers from your electric bill statements? If your usage is that low, I certainly wouldn't call the electric company....as they would probably find that you have a defective meter which is giving incorrect low readings. I would expect a typical house to have average monthly usage readings somewhere in the 1000 KWH range....under the best of conditions.
 
Don M. said:
Something is wrong with your numbers. Using Only 177 KWH per month would indicate that you have virtually no electric appliances, almost never watch TV, and use candles for lighting. Did you get those numbers from your electric bill statements? If your usage is that low, I certainly wouldn't call the electric company....as they would probably find that you have a defective meter which is giving incorrect low readings. I would expect a typical house to have average monthly usage readings somewhere in the 1000 KWH range....under the best of conditions.
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I assumed the reading on the meter is KWH. My electric bill per month averaged $35.30 in 2017.
 
debodun said:
I assumed the reading on the meter is KWH. My electric bill per month averaged $35.30 in 2017.
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Based upon your numbers, it looks like you are paying 19.9 cents/KWH....which sounds about right, because NY, and most of the NorthEast have the highest rates in the nation. You should be able to find how much you are paying, per KWH, listed on your monthly statement. Unless you use almost NO electricity, I would BET that your meter is miscalibrated, or going bad. If you were using anywhere near a more normal 900-1000 KWH, your monthly electric bill should be close to $200/month. According to the Internet, the average cost in NY is 18.76 cents/KWH....and that number varies slightly depending upon your locale, and provider.

Check with a couple of your neighbors, and ask how much they are paying....if they are paying substantially more than you, I would strongly suspect you have a bad meter, and if you call the electric company, and that turns out to be the problem, be prepared to see your costs skyrocket.

Our local rates are 8.3 cents/KWH, and we often use 2000 KWH/Month, especially during the heat of Summer and the depths of Winter.
 
retiredtraveler said:
Are you running heat with a blower-fan? If so, was it warmer last year for this time period so didn't use much? You'd have to look at your appliances too. Does your fridge seem to be running more? Do you have any 'hidden' lights left on in a garage or a crawl space that you might not notice? New appliances that you're using that you didn't have before like a PC? Lot of factors to look at.
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That's what I'm thinking. Especially the fridge. Also even those portable heaters(if you are using one) are small they are energy hogs. A lot of tv watching? Did try recharging alot of stuff. Bad batteries take forever to recharge. Running a humidifier or air filter? Were you vacation last year or have unusual weather that didn't require AC or heat?
 
debodun said:
No heating enhancements and my TV watching is not excessively over what it usually is.
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I'd bet money that your electric meter is giving bad readings...you should be using 5 or 6 times what your bill is showing, if you are just an "average" user. Count your blessings with these low bills....some day your electric company is going to catch the problem, and then your bills will go Waaay Up. Ask around to others in your neighborhood, to get an idea of what you Should be paying.
 
My usage is similar to Deb's. Last month I used 146 KWH at a cost of $6.75 and 2 additional therms of gas at a cost of $0.71 for a total of 5 therms, 3 therms are included in the basic service. The basic service and delivery charges are $46.78. The cost of electricity and gas $7.46 coupled with the delivery charge is a total of $54.24. This does not include the cost of heat and hot water which is provided by the landlord.

I think the problem is with the meter reading or the billing and not due to a change in usage.
 
Aunt Bea said:
My usage is similar to Deb's. Last month I used 146 KWH at a cost of $6.75 and 2 additional therms of gas at a cost of $0.71 for a total of 5 therms, 3 therms are included in the basic service. The basic service and delivery charges are $46.78. The cost of electricity and gas $7.46 coupled with the delivery charge is a total of $54.24. This does not include the cost of heat and hot water which is provided by the landlord.

I think the problem is with the meter reading or the billing and not due to a change in usage.
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But you don't live in a big old two story house like Deb, do you? Aren't you in an apartment?
 
Don M. said:
I'd bet money that your electric meter is giving bad readings...you should be using 5 or 6 times what your bill is showing, if you are just an "average" user. Count your blessings with these low bills....some day your electric company is going to catch the problem, and then your bills will go Waaay Up. Ask around to others in your neighborhood, to get an idea of what you Should be paying.
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Sounds right to me. I've noticed my meter spins in both directions, sometimes clockwise, sometimes counter clockwise. But I'm not complaining since my last electric bill was $14.71

Used 162 kwh in 34 day billing cycle
 

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