Smart meter reducing power bills - could this be why my power bills are so high?

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Smart meter reducing power bills - could this be why my power bills are so high?

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gordy7
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#1217465 19-Jan-2015 11:22

nickb800: IIRC with the old spinning disk type meters, they are more likely to under-record your consumption (i.e. you would expect an increased power bill shifting to a smart meter). The idea behind it was that friction builds up over time, slowing down the disc and other rotating bits thus under-recording. Can't remember where i read this (might have been GZ). Perhaps someone here knows for sure?

I read a report showing creepage occurs in spinning disk meters where the meters continue to rotate even with little or no power.

Gordy

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gordy7
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#1217481 19-Jan-2015 11:37

timmmay:
Gordy7: I did a calibration check on my old rotating disk meter and found I was being overcharged by 27%.
The meter was quickly replaced by the power company.
A further calibration check on the new meter showed usage to be within 1%.

How did you check the calibration?

alasta: I'd suggest that you firstly create a spreadsheet breaking down how much power you would theoretically expect each of your appliances to be consuming each month. If it's substantially different from your actual usage then you need to need to turn off all appliances, then turn on one at a time and observe how your meter reacts. If one particular appliance causes the meter to tick over faster than expected then the appliance is suspect - otherwise if all appliances cause the meter to tick over too fast then obviously the meter is suspect.

I would have thought meters would be failsafe, so I would imagine an over-reading meter would be rare but I'm not across the technical aspects of how they work.

Given the variable usage of devices like fridges and heat pumps I'm not sure that's practical. Probably a good idea in theory but not sure I could manage it with any accuracy.

Calibration checks were done with a 2kW resistive load (oven).
All other power devices were switched off.
Current and voltage was measured at the switch board with calibrated meters.
Same technique was used after the energy meter was replaced.

Gordy

My first ever AM radio network connection was with a 1MHz AM crystal(OA91) radio receiver.

MurrayM

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#1217495 19-Jan-2015 12:05

I live in Auckland and use Powershop.

Our house (two adults, renting) has basic insulation in the ceiling, nothing in the walls that I'm aware of, that polystyrene stuff under the floors of just the bedrooms, single-glazed windows.

Everything is electric, no gas. One shower each per day, she has a bath about once a week. Electric radiant heaters and electric blanket during winter, fans during summer. Water heater 6 years old and no extra wrapping. Energy-saver light bulbs in most sockets.

Our costs for the last year were:

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#1217500 19-Jan-2015 12:11

Interesting. Here's ours, in Johnsonville, WLG

Similar curve, but a bit higher usage (colder?)

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timmmay

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#1217517 19-Jan-2015 12:43

I can do a 2kw load but I don't have appropriate meters. I can use load and time to measure units though. Worth a shot perhaps, if I had a known exact load.

My usage is probably similar to Mauricio's, though I know he has more people in his household, though I know nothing about the house.

Behodar

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#1217522 19-Jan-2015 12:51

Echoing some of the other comments, my bill didn't change at all with the move to a smart meter.

On a more amusing note, when I first had the meter installed, one of the FAQs was around what happens if you change power company and whether the new company can access the metering data. The answer was yes. A while later I switched companies... and they send a reader around every month.

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lxsw20

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#1217524 19-Jan-2015 12:53

Ring your provider and ask them a method to test the meter is accurate. Or ring around some sparkies and get one in to do it.

pab

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#1217528 19-Jan-2015 13:00

Crikey Mauricio, that's a lot of power consumed.

For fun, our house: Christchurch, 2 adults, 2 preschool aged kids. All electric power no gas. Ceiling and floor insulation, single glazed 1960's era brick house. Heatpumps for heating/cooling. Energy saving bulbs in rooms and computers left on.

Your average per unit cost is way higher than mine. I wonder why.

muppet

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#1217530 19-Jan-2015 13:11

We just got a smartmeter installed last week. Will be vaguely interested to see if the bills goes up or down.

nakedmolerat

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#1217532 19-Jan-2015 13:16

Someone is trying to promote/sell smart meter!

nigelj

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#1217547 19-Jan-2015 13:42

timmmay: I asked Mercury about smart meters recently, they said no as they need infrastructure in place that isn't in my area yet.

I wonder if calibrating my old meter is possible and/or a good idea?

Mercury are pretty attached to their Mesh based network (which other providers can hook into) from what I can tell. I know Powershop seem to be able to do the GSM or Mesh ones - in Auckland at least), Genesis use the GSM meters too.

As far as the meter re-calibration/test methods go you will generally get charged a fee if they find the old meter/configuration to be within the accepted margins. (I thought our meter was low in it's counting prior to a smart meter, turns out the smart meter read essentially the same - although our usage is now lower because of Powershop's great time-of-day heat maps which helped us ID some pointless usage.)

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nigelj

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#1217558 19-Jan-2015 13:48

pab: Your average per unit cost is way higher than mine. I wonder why.

(sorry needed to bite).

For starters, Wellington vs Christchurch, so... you are closer to a fair chunk of NZ's generation points, and hence less pressure on the Cook Strait connection, in addition Enable(?) have had (still going?) for a long time a special Weekend residential tariff/rate which Powershop would put into (and hence lower) your composite rate.

Also people with 'controlled' vs 'uncontrolled' configurations will have different mileage in their tariffs, lastly a quick look at MF's usage (not doing the math) he may not qualify as a 'low user/primary residence' which can throw comparisons out.

nickb800

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#1217563 19-Jan-2015 13:54

Behodar: Echoing some of the other comments, my bill didn't change at all with the move to a smart meter.

On a more amusing note, when I first had the meter installed, one of the FAQs was around what happens if you change power company and whether the new company can access the metering data. The answer was yes. A while later I switched companies... and they send a reader around every month.

Well technically the reader is accessing the metering data...

But yes it's stupid, I don't understand why the lines company can't manage the meters and pass the data onto the appropriate retailer

richms

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#1217574 19-Jan-2015 13:57

nickb800:

But yes it's stupid, I don't understand why the lines company can't manage the meters and pass the data onto the appropriate retailer

Because the power market split was done before smart meters were an idea, and it was up to the retailers to read their customers meters. I dont think after the stink the socialists made last time with the changes to the market any govt will want to change it for the better again in the near future.

Richard rich.ms

timmmay

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#1217575 19-Jan-2015 13:58

Here's my recent usage - we changed power companies recently so I have limited data. Apparently we use 47% more power than most similar homes, and that may not take into account it's only two adults. We heat (or cool) our house when required, which not everyone does - don't like cold houses. Air conditioning is used a few times a week for an hour just before bed during summer, always on economy mode.

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