# Abnormally high KWH usage



## 220/221 (Oct 9, 2007)

I think your only course of action is to call the power company and have them check the meter.

A "leak" of some sort is possible but not likely. I suppose that your WH thermostat _could _be stuck on but you said you had it checked out. Did they cycle it on/off while reading amperage?

No heat strips in association with your heat pump?


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## luweee (Nov 15, 2007)

PVD

Yeah that seems high to me. I live in NEBRASKA real bad winter.. really cold. Have a heat pump. 4000 sf house. Gas water heater. My highest electric bill this witner has been $115.
Gas water and sewage ONE bill high was $174.


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## Joba Fett (Aug 14, 2007)

Someone has to be the profit margin for the utility .....


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## Leah Frances (Jan 13, 2008)

In all seriousness - I'd look out for any unexplained extension cords running to your neighbor's new hot tub. 

Back when I was practicing law (I finally came to my senses) I saw one case of electricity theft - some dude was using his neighbor's juice for his grow operation. Of course, if you have no neighbors or if you would have noticed if they ran an extension cord to your house, I'd talk to the power co.


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## pvd (Apr 3, 2008)

*Theft of electricity - not the answer*

My neighbors are a pretty good distance away, but I did walk around and check for "foreign" cables but all checked out fine. Something is drawing lots of electricity and I haven't figured out what. I wish there was a device, or multiple single devices, that can be clipped onto each circuit in the breaker box that monitors usage over time and provides a summary at the end. Once the culprit circuit is isolated I can then further examine what items are on that particular circuit and troubleshoot from there. Anyone familiar with that type of device?


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## jrclen (Feb 20, 2008)

Start by calling the power company. Explain the situation as you did here and I am sure they will assist you.


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## InPhase277 (Feb 9, 2008)

If your bill has gone up, and it isn't because of the utility has jacked the rates, then your meter should be spinning faster. Go out and count the number of revolutions it makes in say 30 seconds. Then turn circuits off one by one until you see which one is drawing the most. This will clue you in to where the drain is. Then turn everything back on except that one, and note the meter, just to make sure.

InPhase277


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## pvd (Apr 3, 2008)

*Utility company and meter*

My electric meter is one of the digital ones where you can't see the meter spinning since there is no meter that spins. It flashes about 10 different numbers - - I believe they call it a time-of-use meter. I tried calling the electric company - PEPCO - and they are pretty useless. They verified the meter is accurate and that's the extent of their responsibility, so it is up to me to find out what is going on. I talked with an electrician and he told me that the high KWH is caused by either the heat pump or the water heater as those are the only two really big draw type items. I just had those two items checked out and they are fine. Finding a solution is harder than I thought it would be for so common a question.


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

Do you have any underground wiring such as a light on post> If the wire is defective it could be leaking current to ground.


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## otto1939 (Mar 9, 2008)

*Kill A Watt (ebay is your friend) approx. $30*

There is a meter called 'Kill A Watt' that plugs in between an outlet and a plug. It shows the parameters of your power consumption (V,A,W).
However I think it works for 120 Volts only. There may be a similar gismo that takes 240V input.


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## pvd (Apr 3, 2008)

*"Kill-a-watt"*

That appears to be a handy device for measuring usage . . thank you for the tip. I wonder if there is something similar for those hard-wired large voltage items like the heat pump, water heater, etc . . maybe something that clips onto the individual circuits within the breaker panel that monitors usage over time . . .


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## warmsmeallup (Apr 3, 2008)

It's fairly easy actually. Just shut off everything and go to the meter and watch to see if it continues to grow. It should only take around 15 minuts at the rate you're using them up.


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## junkcollector (Nov 25, 2007)

pvd said:


> That appears to be a handy device for measuring usage . . thank you for the tip. I wonder if there is something similar for those hard-wired large voltage items like the heat pump, water heater, etc . . maybe something that clips onto the individual circuits within the breaker panel that monitors usage over time . . .



Well, I suppose you could buy a KWH meter like what a power company uses. (a non-digital one) You would have to wire up a meter socket and such, but it might be an option.


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## pvd (Apr 3, 2008)

*220V monitor does exist - Pricey though*

*looks like there is a 220v monitor as well . . . pretty pricey at $269.00*

*Brultech EML 2020 Portable Power Meter*

*http://www.mymeterstore.com/p4124/eml_2020.php*


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## bervin306 (Oct 21, 2007)

I know you said you had your heat pump checked. Was it buy an Hvac tech??
I have been on many calls for high electric bills and found the heat pump only working off of the electric elements. Just my 2 cents that;s where I would start.


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## pvd (Apr 3, 2008)

*HVAC Tech*

Yes, in fact I've had two different companies come out because I wanted to be sure - both companies sent hvac certified technicians. Thanks for the suggestion


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## LawnGuyLandSparky (Nov 18, 2007)

Are you turning your heat down and then back up often? Sometimes it's cheaper NOT to setback a heatpump in cold weather because increasing the temperature more than 3-5 degrees causes the backup electric elements to do the heating instead of the heat pump.


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## pvd (Apr 3, 2008)

*Set at a constant toasty 66 degrees during the day and . . .*

Set at a constant toasty 66 degrees during the day and 64 degrees at night . . even on weekends. The kids aren't too thrilled but I can't imagine what the KWH usage would be if I kept it at 70 degrees.


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## micromind (Mar 9, 2008)

I know this sounds incredibly stupid, but are the heat pump filters clean? There may be more than one set. Is the airflow out of the ducts the same as always? Reduced airflow will have very little effect on energy consumption of a gas or electric strip heat system, but will cause a heat pump to run alot more. 

Any possibility that the crawlspace or attic access was left open? Maybe even a window? If you have access to the heating ducts, turn the fan on and look for leaks. This includes the return air duct, if it's in an unheated space. 

This may be somewhat uncomfortable, but if you read the meter at a specific time one day, and read it again at the same time the next day, then turn the heat pump off for the next whole day, and read the meter at the specific time, you'll know just how much it's using. 

To check for hot water leaks, don't use any hot water for a few hours, then feel the pipe on the cold side of the water heater, about 6" from the tank. It should be warm. If it isn't, you very likely have a leak. 

Rob


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## pvd (Apr 3, 2008)

*Filters, etc . .*

Thanks Rob . . I'll give those suggestions a try - appreciate the response


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## orange (Feb 19, 2008)

pvd said:


> Thanks Rob . . I'll give those suggestions a try - appreciate the response


PVD,

Did you ever resolve/identify the underlying problem? I am curious as to what you found.


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## jesva (Jan 30, 2014)

Did you ever figure it out? I'm having the same exact problem and have tried everything.


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## IslandGuy (Jan 30, 2014)

Have any male adolescent(s) started taking abnormally long showers on a regular basis? Have you replaced any shower heads with water wasting full flow types? Has anyone new moved in? Has the utility replaced your meter with a more accurate one when possibly your prior meter was actually defective?


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## jesva (Jan 30, 2014)

Nothing has changed except that several months ago (right before this problem started) I had the panel replaced and service upgraded. I can't remember now whether they also replaced the meter at that time; it has been replaced since I moved in but I can't remember now exactly when.


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## Yoyizit (Jul 11, 2008)

Here's a good link
http://www.netl.doe.gov/energy-analyses/pubs/CA_US_elec_consumption_FINAL_July-29-2009.pdf
that may take some decoding to see how your particular case stacks up.
Their use of the phrase 'standard deviation' is promising.

To work this is piecemeal and tedious but it may give you some idea if your house is an 'outlier.' Post what you know of your house, its size, your occupancy, your appliances, your climate and how your neighbors are doing.

Or if your local PoCo is in a good mood they may help you but they have their own biases.


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## IslandGuy (Jan 30, 2014)

Look, stating NOW that right before the problem started you had a panel change and new service is rather signifigant and should have been "mentioned." That oftentimes entails a new meter because upgraded meter pans can accept the newer, RF meters because it has a 5-jaw meter plug. This points toward you original meter was NOT functioning properly and was grossly under registering your usage and that the current readings are correct, OR the old meter was more accurate and your new meter is over-registering your usage. Since you heat with a heat pump realize this: The electric elements kick in when the temperature difference between setpoint and actual varies by 5 degrees or more, and that heatpumps are extremely expensive to operate in higher Kwh areas, and that they're more expensive to run in colder climates. In addition, it's possible your utility has changed you to a time of use plan or some other billing plan when your old meter was swapped out for the new. How has your billed usage changed since this first became a problem? Understand that heat pumps, though efficient in and of themselves, cost way more to operate than a gas or oil fired heating system, and builders usually go with them so they have only one system to install that covers air-conditioning and heat. They profit more that way but leave the homeowner to deal with crushing winter time electric bills in the future. A nearby condo development of extremely high-end waterfront condos initially installed heat pumps in the late 1980's and every single owner has since replaced them with gas fired heating systems at great expense.


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## bernie963 (Dec 18, 2010)

hi, years ago I worked for an electric utility in cust. serv. at that time meters were mechanical and they were changed out every so many years and calibrated. the old mech meters did slow down over time, but never speed up.

with the upgrade and new meter you may have replaced an old, slow meter with a new calibrated one. to you that appears to be an increase in use, but really is an accurate meter showing true use.

ask the poco to do a meter test on your current meter.

by the way this thread is several years old. starting a new one next time might be in order.

bernie


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## LAM2504 (Nov 6, 2017)

Get an amp meter and turn everything off before you check the amperage going through the lines at the breaker panel. Check the largest breakers first as that's normally where the excess draw will be. If everything is off there should be zero amperage going through the lines. If that checks out ok, read your meter daily to see how many kWh's you're using and compare with power company.


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## CodeMatters (Aug 16, 2017)

Last post was Jan 2014, guess'n they've figured it out by now -)


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