Hi there,
I'm hoping someone might be able to give me some advice on the power consumption in our house.
In March this year we moved houses and noticed an instant increase in our power bills. It wasn't 'so' bad up until now but this latest one has just been huge.
I have thought about what has changed since last year and outside of us moving properties these are the things that altered our energy.
There were four of us living in the old house. Now, there are 3 and I typically shower at the gym in the morning so that should save power.
We used to have a oil fin heater but that broke so we replaced it with a small 1200W fan heater from the warehouse. It is just for the bedroom so while it doesn't put out much heat it is enough.
I bought my wife a electric blanket for this house as it is chilly. It's not the type that goes under your sheets but more like a throw : It's actually the Sunbeam heated throw from Noel Leemings.
Apart from that our appliances are all the same. I checked the how water cylinder and made sure it was turned down to 55. If anything there seems to be a shortage of hot water here rather than too much.
Last year July Reading (Actual) 555kWh $178
This year July Reading (Actual) 1311kWh $382.46
I'm sure from those number you can see my alarm. When we moved in here our bill jumped from $180 to $220, then next month was $250, then the previous one was $280 - but this latest jump is huge and more than double our bill from last year!
Any advice? I tried to get one of those Belkin power meters tonight but Noels, DSE and JB Hifi all told me they didn't sell them :(