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Electricity Meter faulty?

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kcyw on 07/04/2008 - 16:06

Just got the electricity bill and it’s 3-4 times compared to what we paid last bill, even though there were no significant change in appliance or usage in the house. Apart from turning all power off at the main switch, is there any way I can check whether the meter is faulty or not? If it is indeed faulty, what does it take to convince the power company to get it to correct the amount we need to pay? If someone could share similar experiences, that would be great. Thanks in advance.

Comments

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neil on 07/04/2008 - 20:37

Check to see what your meter reading is and compare it to the reading on your statement. You just have to round down the numbers on the meter, so if its between 2 & 3, its a 2.

If it is very different, then ask for another meter reading. If it is correct, do an isolation test, unplug everything and plug in things one by one and see whats using a lot of energy.

Mine was quite high and I found turning off appliances at the plug were helpful. Things such as TVs and even A/C/heating appliances use energy on standby. The computer definitely uses the most energy in the house. I find blowing all the dust out of the computer and fans reduced CPU/fan load.

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kcyw on 07/04/2008 - 21:05

Thanks neil. :)

I checked the reading off the meter and it seems right. But the dial seems to be moving very quickly and I’ve already “used” >100kWh in the one week it took for the bill to arrive.

I’ve sort of isolated the source of power usage to kitchen area and downstair lighting (when everything is idle. None of the appliances are turned on and it was still consuming power fairly quickly…

The thing is, our lifestyle and applicances have been the same as it was 3 months ago, so this is very strange. I think I will call TRU and see if they can come check on the meter.