Why am I using so much electricity?

pavb2

Hi all

I've just had my electricity bill 2 October to 8 Dec which shows I've used 2651 kW an increase of about €200 on my usual bill. From Aug to October I used 699 kW.

I appreciate it is winter and we have oil fired heating but for the same period last year I used 1099 kW. All readings are metered so not estimated.

The only thing I can think of is that I changed the central heating boiler pump in November this was like for like so shouldn't account for the 3 X increase. When the heating is on I'm using about 3 or 4 kW per hour.

Can anyone offer any opinions

Calahonda52

How are you measuring the usage of 3 or 4 kW per hour?

What about the immersion?
Outside halogen lights?

can u isolate the heating circuit and shut off all the other mcbs [during the day so as u don't need lights] ?

How old was the ( am presuming circulation) pump? the replacement should be more efficient and should have been more expensive than the original due to the EU regs on elec motors.

pavb2

I'm checking the meter every few hours and first thing in the morning. Overnight we used 11 kW heating only comes on at 0700 hrs. The old pump was about 5 years old. Yesterday we measured the daily use at 50 kW.

Immersion is off and only 1 halogen which works ok

joeysoap

Something seriously wrong there. I have oil heating, pump on maybe 10 hours a day (not all rads on all the time). The usual appliances and about 20/25 units a day, in the middle of winter, maybe 15 a day in summer (less cooking, less lights, less telly etc) Either your meter is faulty or more likely the new punp is faulty. There is no way a circulating water pump would use 11 kW of electricity overnight.

pavb2

Update

The new heating pump and increase in electricity usage could have been coincidental. I've now switched off the well water pump and that looks like it could have been the problem in that it was pumping all the time.

Calahonda52

pavb2 wrote: »

Update

The new heating pump and increase in electricity usage could have been coincidental. I've now switched off the well water pump and that looks like it could have been the problem in that it was pumping all the time.

no wonder it is raining!!

what nameplate data do u have for the well pump as a matter of interest

2011

What is you mean by "heating pump" ? Do you mean a heat pump (as in air source or ground source heat pump)? Heat pumps consume a lot of power.

Or do you me a circulation pump for a boiler? These use very little power but in post #1 you suggest that this is 3 or 4 kW which is enormous for a circulation pump and boiler combined.

Remember that kW is the power rating of a device.
1kW for 1 hour = 1 unit (or a kilowatt hour)

pavb2

2011 wrote: »

What is you mean by "heating pump" ? Do you mean a heat pump (as in air source or ground source heat pump)? Hey pumps consume a lot of power.

Or do you me a circulation pump for a boiler? These use very little power but in post #1 you suggest that this is 3 or 4 kW which is enormous for a circulation pump and boiler combined.

Remember that kW is the power rating of a device.
1kW for 1 hour = 1 unit (or a kilowatt hour)

To clarify yes the small circulation pump in the oil fired boiler but as posted this may be coincidental and not be the cause of the problem.

GMSA

pavb2 wrote: »

Update

The new heating pump and increase in electricity usage could have been coincidental. I've now switched off the well water pump and that looks like it could have been the problem in that it was pumping all the time.

Was going to ask if you had a well pump. ESB bill often the first indicator of well pump trouble.
Precharge pressure in pressure vessel after dropping or pressure switch clogged with crap. Usual culprits. Shake the vessel and if its heavy and full of water the bladder maybe punctured.

pavb2

I've got a feeling that the well pump is part of the problem I switched it off but still Overnight used 6 kW which is less than before but nothing on other than two fridges.

2011

pavb2 wrote: »

I've got a feeling that the well pump is part of the problem I switched it off but still Overnight used 6 kW which is less than before but nothing on other than two fridges.

Do you mean 6kW hours (6 units) ?
How did you measure this?

pavb2

2011 wrote: »

Do you mean 6kW hours (6 units) ?
How did you measure this?

Yes six units or kW/hrs we've been taking meter readings to measure usage

Bruthal

GMSA wrote: »

Was going to ask if you had a well pump. ESB bill often the first indicator of well pump trouble.
Precharge pressure in pressure vessel after dropping or pressure switch clogged with crap. Usual culprits. Shake the vessel and if its heavy and full of water the bladder maybe punctured.

Loss of pressure in vessel more causes short cycling when taps etc on, rather than continuous running. Pressure switch problem usually.

2011

pavb2 wrote: »

Yes six units or kW/hrs we've been taking meter readings to measure usage

ESB meter? This would measure the entire load of the installation.
A unit costs about €0.22 so total cost is about €1.32

Perhaps you should consider installing an Owl Energy meter on the pump circuit. This can be used to measure the power consumption of a single circuit. It can be moved around from circuit to circuit until you nail the problem down. You may need the assistance of an electrician. Google "Owl meter", they are quite reasonably priced.

pavb2

Update

I've been away for a few days but my wife called out a well engineer who replaced the well pump €839. He said we would be able to claim 75% of the cost back off the council.

2011

pavb2 wrote: »

Update

I've been away for a few days but my wife called out a well engineer who replaced the well pump €839. He said we would be able to claim 75% of the cost back off the council.

Let us know if that resolves the issue.

tedimc

E839 seems a little steep for a pump??

Did you keep the old one? My mum has had similar issues with her water connection - mains into a tank and then pumped up to the house using a pressure switch.

Pump itself was fine, just the switch usually goes - very small part. At least if you fixed the old one, you would have a spare.

alan partridge aha

I have a outside light wired into the pump, so it comes on when the pump is going, did this after a neighbour got a very high ESB bill. Light stays on a long time you know there is an issue with the pump/pressure vessel etc.