We currently use 40 units per day in Auckland, while limiting our kids shower time. Aircon and electric cooking/heating. Tumble dryer 1-2 times a day.
Check the aircon, if it is an older "on-off" type instead of inverter then it will use more power and especially down South it will run a defrost element on the outside unit more often. This drops the efficiency benefits of an aircon significantly.
18 DegC is the minimum recommended for a healthy home. In Auckland Winter we do 20 at night, 18 during the day, set to heating only. Summer it is set to either 23 of 25 cooling, depending on how bad the humidity is.
Check for drafts, this significantly affects the heating required. We have a 3 year old home and shocked that it could be built with a 10mm gap under the internal door leading to the uninsulated garage. Also often the draft stoppers are removed from bathroom/kitchen vents as they reduce extraction efficiency, but then you end up with a bad draft... On eBay I saw draft stoppers which are like a sock collapsing when the fan stops, blows open when the fan runs. This has much less resistance than a mechanical draft stopper (flap), and I'm looking at making myself a few (it is overpriced on eBay).
Regarding the LED lights, are they LED bulbs in down light fittings or are they LED down light fittings? The former likely leaks a lot of heat while the latter would be sealed.
Aredwood: I am having the same issue but in Auckland. Bills are around $150 month in Summer and around $250 month in Winter. Cooking is gas (both stovetop and oven) Heating is by my homemade oil boiler which also heats hot water in winter. Solar panels for hot water in Summer. Lighting is mixture of LED and fluro tubes. As part of my investigations I connected a (non smart) but digital electricity meter is series with the power company billing meter. Both recorded the same usage. Have got it measuring power to just the boiler system (uses power for pumps and a fan) Usage is about $100 per month. So this means Im using $150 per month on just lights, other electric motors, and electronic devices. Have already checked the fridges - used only 3 to 5 units per day (combined usage). Boiler is inline with what I was expecting. Next thing to check is the house water pump.
But my theory is that the electricity meters are over reading power that is drawn by electronic power supplies. (any device that has a power supply stage the rectifies the incoming mains then feeds in into a filter capacitor.) This would include all the computers, LED lighting, and various other electronic devices in the house. In other words billing me based on the KVA used by my house instead of the KW.
I have been doing some testing with the check meter. By connecting a light dimmer and some halogen lights to it. At some light dimmer settings the meter doesn't register any current flow even though the lights are still dimly glowing. Need to do some more testing including connecting my oscilloscope to the light dimmer output to confirm what conditions cause the meter to not read power used. My theory being that the smart meters are taking a current measurement at the peak of the AC waveform, Another measurement at the zero crossing point of the waveform (to measure reactive current) and a voltage measurement. This would mean they will correctly measure resistive loads, inductive loads (both lagging and leading) but not pulsed loads from electronic power supplies. As they are not taking current readings at other parts of the waveform. The meter will think that the load from a power supply is actually just a large resistive load. So it will over bill.
Wow, I thought you would have a well on that beet farm of yours? Haha Na...Thanks for your response. Interesting setup.
Niel: We currently use 40 units per day in Auckland, while limiting our kids shower time. Aircon and electric cooking/heating. Tumble dryer 1-2 times a day.
Check the aircon, if it is an older "on-off" type instead of inverter then it will use more power and especially down South it will run a defrost element on the outside unit more often. This drops the efficiency benefits of an aircon significantly.
18 DegC is the minimum recommended for a healthy home. In Auckland Winter we do 20 at night, 18 during the day, set to heating only. Summer it is set to either 23 of 25 cooling, depending on how bad the humidity is.
Check for drafts, this significantly affects the heating required. We have a 3 year old home and shocked that it could be built with a 10mm gap under the internal door leading to the uninsulated garage. Also often the draft stoppers are removed from bathroom/kitchen vents as they reduce extraction efficiency, but then you end up with a bad draft... On eBay I saw draft stoppers which are like a sock collapsing when the fan stops, blows open when the fan runs. This has much less resistance than a mechanical draft stopper (flap), and I'm looking at making myself a few (it is overpriced on eBay).
Regarding the LED lights, are they LED bulbs in down light fittings or are they LED down light fittings? The former likely leaks a lot of heat while the latter would be sealed.
Interesting ideas, the door to the garage does have quite a gap, so does the toilet and bathroom doors with windows inside open 24/7. With the wind down here draft stoppers could make a big difference.
40 units doesn't actually sound that bad with the electric cooking, kids showers, aircon and dryer. Thanks for your response!
We are fully electric in Invercargill (two heat pumps), we have averaged 34 units per day for the last month, (which will depend on the number of people home, and how much I turn the temperature up by) and around 8 units per day on hot water.
We have been happy with that since it has been quite a nice winter so far
$200 per month for a nice warm house isn't bad. In winter pay $260 - $320 a month in Wellington, an older house with two adults in it. Maybe the bill should've gone done, but poorly done insulation would probably explain it.
There are multiple variables that could be affecting this.
* Insulation difference between new and old house (Ceiling, walls and underfloor insulation) * The price you pay per KW * The daily rate for the meter (Fixed line charge I think its called.) * Thickness of glass in double glazing * Size of both houses, if new house if larger it will cost more to heat also the layout has a lot to do with it. * Is the new house getting as much sun as the old house?
The other thing to try would be turn off everything in the house that you are aware of and see if the meter keeps spinning, if it does theres something still using power.
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