Massive consumption spikes on smartmeter

[Rebel49]

Apologies if this is not strictly a DIY question but perhaps someone out there can throw some light, so to speak. I've just discovered that since having a smart-meter installed there have been a few occasions showing mind-bogglingly massive spikes in electricity usage, all occurring when the house has been unoccupied. The baseline daily usage is around 3.2kWh (fridge, freezer, a few timed LED lights) but during the spikes the daily usage goes up to 180kWh (yes really over 50 times normal), on one occasion for 3 days continuously! As I say, the house was unoccupied at those times and there are no other appliances switched on or on timers; but even if all our appliances were miraculously automatically switched on and running, it's almost impossible to imagine that amount of continuous usage. We have no high consumption appliances such as cooker or heaters. By the way, these spikes start quite suddenly, from 0.06kWh one half-hour to 3.9kWh the next, and back to normal just as suddenly after several hours or days.
Of course I have to think that there's a problem with the meter but my supplier insists that this can't be so and that there must be a problem with an appliance, which I find impossible to believe. So I really have no idea how to proceed with this. Does anyone have any similar experience or suggestions to offer? Could it be a meter problem? Many thanks.

 

[apprentice87]

The problem is that you were stupid enough to let them install a smart meter. They have had TERRIBLE problems with these things, [but they will not admit to it] Wait till your bill comes.. Try disputing it......

It is a ****ty smart meter problem. Biggest problem though, is that you are now stuck with it. Tory tossers changed the law so that even though, [despite the lies the supplier told you] am i right??] you CANNOT now have it removed..

Have you got it in writing that they think you had a 180Kwh consumption for three days??? because the fuse supplying the ENTIRE STREET would blow at about half that load [782 amps] never mind the little 60 or 80 amp fuse you have got...

john..

 

[Rebel49]

Thanks John...sorry if I was not clear about my units, I'm not an electrician and can only say what i can see on the bar graph of consumption in my online account. The figures it gives are all kWh but I guess it should be kW. So my normal consumption when away (fridge, freezer, a few LED lights) shows about 3.2kW per day (about 130W per hour). In the 'spikes' this jumps suddenly to 180kW per day (almost 8kW per hour continuously) for several hours or a few days, then suddenly reverts to 3.2 again. I guess that 8kW is possible without blowing a fuse? Doesn't make any sense though when the house is empty and everything switched off apart from fridge/freezer.

 

[Blue Duck]

Cannabis factory in your loft?

Please enlighten us with more details such as the type of property, how many people live there & wether you have high powered items like electric showers, induction hobs or welders???

Sounds like a faulty meter to me but I'm a duck what would I know?

 

[Tony S]

If you’re that worried about it, get an electrician to fit a check meter.

 

[Murdoch]

Are you 100% sure that the property is empty and nobody could be using power? Are there ANY patterns in the spikes? What are your bills like? Can you take "readings" on a weekly basis?

You do not have to have a smart meter and I advise people not to have them....

 

[Doc Hudson]

I've heard of someone finding a neighbour had used their outdoor garden socket while they were away. Do you have any external wiring with accessible outdoor sockets?

Doc H.

 

[pewter]

I had a customer who had one fitted to his business.

His bill trippled, eventuly the smart meter got removed as it was faulty and a non smart one was installed, the guy who changed it said he has had to remove loads of them.

What about getting another energy monitor to confirm how smart the meter is.

 

[Richard-the-Ninth]

For what its worth, if you google for smart meter problems, seems its quite a common thing for some of them to register power that was used............when it wasn't.

 

[apprentice87]

Smart meters are lettuced, end of. I was talking to a bloke from swalec that said they had no end of trouble with them. They were just starting to let them "do there thing" as for ages they were so lettuced that they were just reading them "manually" as normal.

Now, you are perfectly within your rights to refuse to have one, BUT, thyey very recently changed the lawe, so that now, once you DO have one, you CANNOT have it removed...

Now, why you suppose they changed the law?????

Yes, you got it, so the tories with their foreign friends can rob you blind..... You do realise that the smart meter "reading" will not even be done by the supplier, but so far as i can remember an american based "third party" They will swear blind that their meter is NOT faulty, how you going to prove it is......

No matter what lies and threats you recieve, DO NOT have one of these things fitted.. If they try to force you, just change supplier..

john..

 

[Evans Electric]

Two points to make :- 

1.  I have a customer who changes supplier on a regular basis, each one has fitted their own smart ass meter !! 

2. Anyone know which makes are causing problems . ?

 

[roys]

Do you have solar panels with a solar diverter fitted?

I don't have a smart meter but I do have an Efergy basic energy monitor and I have noticed that when the solar diverter is doing its stuff I get some strange readings on the Efergy meter which are not reflected on my normal consumption meter.

Apart from that it does sound as per above  rubbish not so smart meter or a "cannabis factory" expect your door to be opened with the big red key about 7 o'clock in the morning in the near future.

 

[Rebel49]

I don't have any high power appliances such as heating or cooker (one electric shower but that circuit is switched off at the fusebox), no outside sockets and no solar stuff. Just a fridge, freezer and 3 LED lights. I've had someone check and everything else in the house is unplugged or switched off. Nothing else on timers except the 3 lights. So i've asked my supplier if they'll do a meter check and, surprise surprise, they want to charge £90, which they'll refund if the meter's faulty. So here's the question now: if they check the meter, will they only find a fault if a 'spike' is happening at that time? The spikes have only occurred 3 times on the past 6 months, so that's unlikely. I don't want to pay £90 for nothing.

 

[Murdoch]

Could you empty the fridge and freezer and turn everything off?

£90 to check a meter is taking the P if you as me......

Do you have the "historic" bills showing consumption before the meter was changed?

 

[Rebel49]

Thanks...but not really practical to empty the freezer. Yes I do have statements going back 6 years with this supplier so it's easy to see that these spikes have never happened before.

 

[Murdoch]

Thanks...but not really practical to empty the freezer. Yes I do have statements going back 6 years with this supplier so it's easy to see that these spikes have never happened before.

Hum.... I think you should write to the supplier outlining the facts as you have articulated them on here and see how they respond - call centre staff, generally, are not trained to deal with the "unexpected" like this so I'm sure that are just toeing the company "training" line.........

 

[binky]

are the spikes translating to higher meter readings?