Electric meter reading 2.4 times what it usually is for a month

[debodun]

My usage is usually around 240 kwh. The reading a month ago was 79387. When I read it today it looked like it was 80066. That means 678 kwh of usage if I read it correctly (see photo). Could the dehumidifiers be using that much?

 

[HoneyNut]

Can you compare it to what you used in the same period last year?

Does your power company show details in your account, when I log into my account with my power company it has lots of details, such as a breakdown of how much of my last month's bill was for cooling, electronics, refrigerator, laundry, etc., and there is also a graph of daily usage.

 

[debodun]

Can you compare it to what you used in the same period last year?

Does your power company show details in your account, when I log into my account with my power company it has lots of details, such as a breakdown of how much of my last month's bill was for cooling, electronics, refrigerator, laundry, etc., and there is also a graph of daily usage.

Yes to both. There's a bar graph showing usage on my bill. From last August to September I used 239 kwh.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I’m surprised that your dehumidifiers didn’t come with some sort of energy label, similar to this one, that would give you an idea of what to expect.

 

[debodun]

Since my neighbor brought the over, I know nothing about them except what brand they are. They may be older models. One is an Emerson Quiet Kool (no model# that I could readily see) and the other is a Maytag model M7DH45B2A.

 

[StarSong]

Does your utility company actually come out and read the meter each month or do they sometimes estimate usage based on the house's power history?

Do you personally check the meter each month?

 

[debodun]

Does your utility company actually come out and read the meter each month or do they sometimes estimate usage based on the house's power history?

They actually come to read the meter 3 times a year in April, August and December. Otherwise, it's up to the customer to send in a reading. If the company doesn't receive the customer reading, they estimate usage.

Do you personally check the meter each month?

Yes! I like to keep track of it.

 

[StarSong]

They actually come to read the meter 3 times a year in April, August and December. Otherwise, it's up to the customer to send in a reading. If the company doesn't receive the customer reading, they estimate usage.

That's interesting. Can't recall ever being asked to read my meter, though I've done so occasionally.

Did you run the AC a lot last month? That's when our bill goes through the roof.

 

[againstthegrain]

Could the dehumidifiers be using that much?

Yes.

 

[debodun]

Did you run the AC a lot last month? That's when our bill goes through the roof.

I have two dehumidifiers going 24/7 in the basement since the flood incident.

The bill includes a graph of energy usage over the past year or so. You can see how it shot up this month. My bill is usually around $50. This month it's $136!

 

[againstthegrain]

I have two dehumidifiers going 24/7 in the basement since the flood incident.

Just the maytag DH running 50% of the time is an extra 200kWh/month.

 

[Don M.]

Since my neighbor brought the over, I know nothing about them except what brand they are. They may be older models. One is an Emerson Quiet Kool (no model# that I could readily see) and the other is a Maytag model M7DH45B2A.

Looking up info on the Maytag unit, it appears that there are almost NO parts available for that model....A good indicator that this dehumidifier is a rather old unit that is NOT "energy efficient". If you continue to use these, it will not take long for your increased energy use to equal the cost of a new "energy efficient" dehumidifier. Sometimes, "A penny saved can be a dollar wasted"

 

[debodun]

He already had to come over and fix the Emerson because some tab or something broke inside and the catch basin wasn't sitting flush with something and it was leaking out.

 

[debodun]

The dehumidifiers

 

[JBR]

Had a similar situation once. Didn't make any sense to us. Contacted the power provider, they sent out a technician who checked out the meter & its readings. It was a glitch, and the power company rectified the bill

 

[debodun]

I tried to send the meter reading for this month and found out I now have a device that sends it electronically to the company. I wonder when they did this switch? I don't remember seeing a utility company truck here.