Help help help

[Matt8887]

Hi,

im needing some advice for my mother in law. She currently lives in a 5 bedroom farm house all run by electric, no gas. She has a kennels and cattery and stables on site too. Her last bill was £900 for 34 days. This is with minimal heating on, 2 hours in morning and 1 hour in the evening. She has solar panels installed which are fully paid for and she gets minimal back from the company. We worked out about £400 a year?!? We have just done a 24 hour test where we stopped or turned off all major using appliances. No heating all at all. Just general plugs, lights, tv, fridge, freezer etc. And after doing this for 24 hours We used 108kwh day 49kwh night. Rates are 15.960p day and night and 34.444 standing charge. We just need some advice as the supplier doesn’t want to help nor do the solar panel company think it’s anything to do with them. Please help. Thanks Matt 

 

[Murdoch]

108 + 49 = 157 which is more than 10 x the electricity we use per day

You need to get an "owl" meter and using this continue to switch items off - so you can find what is using the most power.

What heating do you have in the kennels, cattery and stables?

What outside lighting do you have?

Do these have meters too?

Far too many variables IMHO - where is she in the UK?

 

[Matt8887]

Kennels has heaters and lighting that goes on couple of hours in the morning and couple of hours in the evening. Cattery the same and stables the same. She lives in Derby. We have an owl but it seems to not produce the info we need as misses connection etc so can’t record anything. I will look into the owl more as it could help. She pays between £500-£900 during winter months and £100-£150 during summer months 

 

[Murdoch]

She pays between £500-£900 during winter months and £100-£150 during summer months 

And that is a huge clue - heating and lighting

Do the cattery, stables and kennels all come off the house supply?

 

[ProDave]

Turn off the kennel and cattery completely and repeat the 24 hour test.

SOMETHING is using a lot of electricity. a simple clamp meter will tell you what circuit is consuming so much and trace from there what is left on. then determine if it is essential or not.

I doubt the cattery and kennels need heat this time of year.

 

[Matt8887]

I got the clue with the times of the year but the heating is only on for 2 hours in the morning and 1 hour in the evening. But house is stone cold due too not being able to leave heating on any longer and she’s scared of running up massive bills. The kennels and cattery are only lights really. 

 

[kerching]

Well,if it's on for only three hours a day you must think it  is well,insulated then!

it will,be cooling down faster than it's  warming up,if not

turn ALL heating off

repeat test

 

[Matt8887]

The above test is with the heating off. The point is it’s only on for 3 hours a day because she’s scared of having a massive bill. Very confusing tbh. The owl isn’t connecting full stop. Iv just checked this so info isn’t being received to the owl? 

 

[Murdoch]

Turn off the kennel and cattery completely and repeat the 24 hour test.

SOMETHING is using a lot of electricity. a simple clamp meter will tell you what circuit is consuming so much and trace from there what is left on. then determine if it is essential or not.

I doubt the cattery and kennels need heat this time of year.

Unless each pen has the heated beds in them and they are on all the time .......... seen that.

The above test is with the heating off. The point is it’s only on for 3 hours a day because she’s scared of having a massive bill. Very confusing tbh. The owl isn’t connecting full stop. Iv just checked this so info isn’t being received to the owl? 

Only heating would really run a bill up like that.

 

[Matt8887]

No heated pens. Just a couple of gas fires which we have always had due too be able to track what’s used. Never had anything other than gas heaters 

 

[Murdoch]

Matt - do you live close to your mum? Is she on her own?

 

[Matt8887]

She has her daughter living their with her kids. I live not too far away. Honestly baffled by the whole thing. 

 

[Murdoch]

She has her daughter living their with her kids. 

I'd be looking more closely at what they are using in the way of heating ........... seen that too.

Do the stables, cattery and kennels come off the house?

 

[Matt8887]

3 phase system so all on the same meter. Heating is something iv been thinking but with it being off now I’m running test over the next 2 days to see what it reads while off then going to do the same with it on 

 

[Murdoch]

3 phase system so all on the same meter. Heating is something iv been thinking but with it being off now I’m running test over the next 2 days to see what it reads while off then going to do the same with it on 

So there is a 3 phase head in the house , you should strongly consider having a meter fitted on the supply(s) to the kennels, stables and cattery

 

[Matt8887]

Yeah maybe the option we have to look at. Going to ring solar company tomorrow too get them too asses the panels and system 

Thank you for all the helpful replies 

 

[Murdoch]

You’ve lost me. 

So are you reading the meter on the solar system ? This time of year you should get reasonable readings on sunny days ?

 

[ProDave]

It's not rocket science.  150kWh in a day is something on average consuming just over 6kW all the time.  That should be easy to find.

Why are your night and day rates the same?

 

[sparkytim]

Immersion heaters?

 

[Apache]

£50 will get you 3 clamp meters off Amazon/ebay. Get them on the tails and investigate.