Hello Clare

I would say that you are on a two rate system one for peak times and another rate at night/early morning. Also sometimes called economy 7.

To calculate your usage just subtract one day from another in the same rate band. For example on 04 Oct your readings were 12276 for rate 1 and 05 Oct your readings for rate 1 were 12285. This is a difference of 12285 minus 12276 or 9 kwh (kilowatt hours) (units of billing for electricity). For rate 4 during this same period your readings were 12377 and 12379 with the usage being the difference of 2 kwh.

So for this period 04 Oct to 05 Oct (1 day) you used 9 kwh for rate one, plus 2 kwh for rate four equals a total of 9 kwh for that day.

I did a quick calculation using your numbers and came to a total usage during the period of 03 Oct to 09 Oct of 76 kwh (50 Rate 1) and 26 (Rate 4). Average of 12.66 kwh per day.

I am not familiar with your meter but I would say the reason it says 'NOW' is because that is the rate you are being charged at the time you are looking at the meter. I would say that if you went to read the meter at like 2 in the morning it might say something like rate 4 NOW.

A search on your electric company's website or a phone call to them to find out the cost per kwh of each rate and the times of day the rates are in force. That information would be helpful for you to calculate your daily bill and manage your costs. You will also need to know the daily rate for any service charge that they add on. Hint: ask them for the kwh cost and service charge cost including VAT (approx 5%). Otherwise you won't come up with the correct amount in your calculations.

Hope this helps.

RJG

Hiya, just a quick update for my silly electricity problem...I took a series of readings over the week from 3/10 to 9/10...they were all around 9am each morning

3/10 rate 4 - 12371

rate 1 NOW - 12268

4/10 rate 4 - 12377

rate 1 NOW - 12276

5/10 rate 4 - 12379

rate 1 NOW - 12285

6/10 rate 4 - 12388

rate 1 NOW - 12291

7/10 rate 4 - 12387

rate 1 NOW - 12297

8/10 rate 4 - 12390

rate 1 NOW - 12308

9/10 rate 4 - 12397

rate 1 NOW - 12318

Bearing in mind, N Power says ive been using 18.03kWh per day...i really cant see how i am, since the readings were taken from a normal week, where someone was in all day at least once a week with the Tv, computer etc on. Is there anything anyone would suggest that i do? Also, does anyone know how to read the readings...what is rate 4 and what is rate 1 NOW?

Thanks, Clare

hi scott just a quick update spoke to n-power today spoke to 5 different people gave my readings for 6 days all but 1 seams to think that it is excessive the last person i spoke to seams to think that it is accurate but give me another test to do she also said that to have my meter tested if found to have no fault would cost me £75.00 she also seames to think the bill is for 13 mths not 6 when asked why i have had no statements she could not answer and when i asked why all but 1 reading was an estimate she said that the law says that they are only required to read the meter every 2 yrs but customers can ring them with a reading themselves every quarter (no wonder theres so much dept) i didnt have a clue what she was on about the bill shows the from and to dates i cant try this test till the weekend as it involves turning the power off for half an hour boiling 7 litres of water in the kettle then turning off for a further half hour then taking a reading

i must say i didnt find thier customer services to be helpfull at all just got pushed from pillar to post six times

will keep you informed

lee

hi adi thanks for that yours readings are more realistic ive taken 3 days readings day 1 =35 units day 2 =25 units day 3 =45 units i do have 3 lcd screens 46" 26" (for my computor) 20" in kitchen but only really used at nights computor on most of the time your highest for a week im useing in a couple of days with n-power demanding £1,744 i will get to the bottom of this bearing in mind ive already paid nearly £300 to them by dd crazy

regards lee

hi adi thanks for that yours readings are more realistic ive taken 3 days readings day 1 =35 units day 2 =25 units day 3 =45 units i do have 3 lcd screens 46" 26" (for my computor) 20" in kitchen but only really used at nights computor on most of the time your highest for a week im useing in a couple of days with n-power demanding £1,744 i will get to the bottom of this bearing in mind ive already paid nearly £300 to themby dd crazy

regards lee

lees68

Hope this helps. I have a 3 bedroom house wife & 2 kids, gas central heating. The only appliances left on permanent are the two fridge freezers, fish tank pump, central heating clock and computer on standby. Washing machine every other day and dryer maybe once a week. Everything else usual usage.

Here are my meter readings which I take every Saturday morning and keep a log which i then send to my supplier.

A period of 4 weeks-

Reading Kwh Usage

2221 -

2319 98

2404 85

2474 70

2578 104

Hope this helps give a rough guide.

Adi

oh right, i always thought that it would be too expensive to run the heaters, hence the reason i havnt.

i do have the general household items such as, fridge/freezer, washer, cooker, 2 tv's, computer and xbox on alot..but i still canot see how that would use up 18.03kWh for 2 people.

but once i have a week or so worth of meter readings, im sure ill find out what the problem is.

clarey88,

If you have storage heaters then i'd advise you to use them. Not sure if you are aware of the ins and outs of an E7 meter but I'll explain anyway just incase.

An Economy 7 meter is built to charge users two sets of rates - day and night. The day rates are higher than average but the night rates are really low. The reason being that during the E7 hours (usually 1am - 8am), not much energy is used yet it is still generated and available. The meter therefore enables users to acquire this "cheap energy" and use it to their benefit. The meters are usually hooked up to storage heaters which can be set to kick-in during the E7 hours. They then store the heat/hot water, and dispurse it through the day when it is required.

If you have an E7 meter but don't use it for atleast 20% of your energy consumption, then they are not necessarily the most viable option.

What to do next?

Once we have a collection of readings, it should identify whether there is a potential fault with the meter. From there, you will need to speak to the supplier/landlord to get them to check it's not faulty.

I'm on economy 7..but i dont use my storage heaters..havnt done since early January. All of my house is electric...but i still don't use all that much of it.

I've just managed to get into the meter cupboard and done a reading...I've noticed that all flats have different electric meters...Mine had 2 buttons..one green, one red..i pressed the red one and it gave me my reading..

RATE 4 = 12371

RATE 1 NOW = 12268

I'll continue to do a reading around this time of day for the next 7 days to see how much the meter goes up. What would you suggest for me to do after that?

Thanks, Clare

clarey88,

The 9kwh per day is taken from the average usage in the UK but this is classed as medium consumption. In terms of heating a small property it might be feasible (obviously dependent on whether you've got a 50" plasma and sun bed) that you are a low user. The average figure for low users is 1,650kwh per annum which would be 4.5kwh per day.

However, before we can comit to using that figure as a guide, we need to look at whether you have a gas supply or whether all your energy comes from electric?

Do you know what type of meter you have i.e. standard or economy 7?

If you have an E7 meter then you may have storage heaters and the meter will show a day and night unit rate.

They didnt give me a timescale to pay the debt off. I live in a block of 6 flats...and the electric meter is in a cupboard downstairs where no one has the key to it..so its extremely difficult to get into..so i cant keep a daily reading of my meter. I can definately try again to open it and ill keep all the unpluggable items unplugged. I've read that the average daily consumption is around 9kWh..is that for a average household of 3-4 people?

Thanks, Clare

clarey88,

Do you know what period was agreed for the amount of debt to be paid off?

I agree that yes it's understandable the amount has increased, if you are in debt and also due to the increased cost of energy, but it is a concern that your consumption has increased unexpectedly.

The best thing to do is make sure everything that doesn't need to be plug in is unplugged and then keep a daily reading at the same time each day for about a week. If the readings are high then speak to the supplier and ask them to check the meter is not faulty.

I live in a one bed flat with my partner and when i received the bill, i got quite a shock..they have decided to put my montly bill up from £50 p/m to £110 p/m. Another concern is that they say that my day usage has went from 5.03kWh to 18.01kWh...during this quarter compared to last years quarter. I dont understand how, theres only 2 people living in a small flat, i havnt had my heating on since January this year and we both dont leave things on for the sake of it, i got rid of my tumble dryer nearly a year ago since it was too expensive....last year both myself and my partner were in nearly everyday over the summer break...but this year we've both been working.

I can understand them putting my monthly balance up to clear the debt on the account...but i cant figure out how on earth my daily usage has nearly quadrupled...

I would love for someone to explain this or help me out with this crazy matter,

Thanks, Clare

lees68,

The best guide to use is that the average UK consumption is 3,300kwh per annum.

If we do a simple calculation that equates to 9kwh per day (3,300kwh / 365).

However, it's feasible to say that in the winter, when lights are switched on for longer periods of time, consumption will increase.

hi scott thanks for you quick responce i borrowed a meter clamp off of our works sparkie to do my own test but i did ask for the meter to be tested tuesday but was told to do 7 days of readings first bit silly really if the meters faulty but hey they know best will let you know the outcome one thing i was wondering what the average daily usage of a 3 bed house??

regards lee