Electricity Usage

Yep, if you want to see instantaneously or averaged over time for stuff that varies like that I also recommend the owl meter. What I did was make a custom extension cord that is only about 30cm long but has an exposed loop live wire to latch the sensor around. Then if I want to measure how much energy an appliance that has variable draw uses I use that extension on it. So for instance washing machines and dishwashers vary their power during the cycles. With that extension it became easier to measure how much power a single cycle uses and hence costs me. Could also compare different dishwasher cycles such as eco mode verses normal mode for example.
 
I have applied for a conversion to prepaid precisely because I believe the meter readers are screwing me. With no option to submit my own readings, prepaid is the only option.
 
Prepaid about 23kwh per day so total 690 a month.

Single person, swimming pool pump 5 hours a day, 4 x LED garden lights 9 hours per day, gas stove.

When I was on holiday the pool pump, 4 x garden lights, fridge and one lamp used 10kwh per day which seems high but it must have been the fridge.
 
600kwh per month for a single person in a flat seems extremely high.
Your PC not running all day, or perhaps you mining coins?
Next thing would be your geyser.
Underfloor heating perhaps?
 
Using 800kwh in these winter months. Mostly it's because the geyser. 2 people, gas stove, house with swimming pool etc.
 
Yea so something is definitely eating my power.

Isn't Owl Meter similar to what I have though?

I'll check a little more in depth (I can see instantaneous too) and see what the major issue is.

I just read that my amplifier is 70w and that's on constantly - so that's 10% of my power right there.
 
Cius said:
Yep, if you want to see instantaneously or averaged over time for stuff that varies like that I also recommend the owl meter. What I did was make a custom extension cord that is only about 30cm long but has an exposed loop live wire to latch the sensor around. Then if I want to measure how much energy an appliance that has variable draw uses I use that extension on it. So for instance washing machines and dishwashers vary their power during the cycles. With that extension it became easier to measure how much power a single cycle uses and hence costs me. Could also compare different dishwasher cycles such as eco mode verses normal mode for example.
Click to expand...

Im using the efergy models. they work quite well
 
720 kWh for a family home of 4 adults.

Usage for one person should be in the range of about 350 - 400 kWh.
 
750 units? for a single person... jirre.

We spend around that much and we're a family of 2 adults 4 kids. Which included pumping our water about once a week (only borehole water)
 
Well that's winter - the average is 550ish it seems - but still high
 
Dolby said:
Well that's winter - the average is 550ish it seems - but still high
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Individual meter? No "allocations" going on by a body corporate?

550 kWh is not bad but could be trimmed once you understand what appliances are responsible for what usage.
 
geyser_01.jpg


Hi Dolby, for a single person your electricity consumption is far too high. I use less than 300 kWh in summer, and say 360 kWh in winter when I use my heater.

Turn the thermostat on your geyser down from 65 to 45 degrees Celsius. The only difference is, when you shower, don’t open the cold water, not so much, your water might still be slightly too hot.
 
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beesboertjie said:
geyser_01.jpg


Hi Dolby, for a single person your electricity consumption is far too high. I use less than 300 kWh in summer, and say 360 kWh in winter when I use my heater.

Turn the thermostat on your geyser down from 65 to 45 degrees Celsius. The only difference is, when you shower, don’t open the cold water, not so much, your water might still be slightly too hot.
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Turning down the thermostat to that level, is illegal because you are now creating the perfect environment for Legionnaires Disease bacteria to grow. Also increases water usage. There is now a Occupational Health and Safety ruling out stating that the minimum temperature a geyser needs to be set to is 60°C in SA.

Another way would be to make use of a geyser control system that will ensure the geyser temperature is cycled up to 60°C at regular intervals such as once every 24 hours. Then you could safely lower the temperature.

All this depends on the size of the geyser (volume). For a small family or a single person,a small geyser of 150L will work fine. Where there is actually a low demand for hot water, the geyser temperature could be lowered as suggested, as long as it cycles up to 60°C regularly.

What you need to check on is that the geyser thermostat IS actually switching the power off! It is not unknown for the thermostat to fail permanently on. Then depending on the water pressure in your area, the excess pressure will lead to excessive water leaking out of the geyser when the safety valve opens.

And as to turning the geyser off when not in use? Well contrary to what the article says, it CAN WORK and save energy, PROVIDED it goes hand in hand with a complete review of how and when you use hot water, AND that measures are taken to insulate ALL the exposed water pipes leading to and from the geyser (cold AND hot), as well as checking on the geyser grading. Using a geyser blanket is still one of the best ways of reducing losses. Most geysers installed in SA are low grade geysers. There is however no fixed solution for every single installation.
 
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320kwH here. I have 8 PV panels and 8 105 a/h batteries which takes care of everything during the day, and the lights and hifi. Cost of the PV panels, inverter and stuff was R22k. It has been in since January 2015 and has saved R8950 in electricity up to now
 
Family of 4, plus 2 live out domestic staff 3 x a week who cook breakfast & lunch for themselves.

Average consumption is between 30 and 35 kWh a day.

June, July & August it goes up to about 90kWh a day as the underfloor heating is on & apparently every f*%king person in the house except me is born in a stable, so all windows & doors are left open.......

Our geysers are on timers. 100 litre feeds into 150 litre. They are on for 1 hour twice a day. Saw an immediate measured difference in consumption by between 8 & 12kWh a day once the timers were installed. Measured over 4 months(April to July), so no matter what google or anyone else says it does save electricity to switch the geysers off. Makes even more of a difference if you have mixer taps as people tend to leave the tap in the centre, meaning every time they run the tap they use hot water. So geyser switches on/off more often.
 
Trompie67 said:
Family of 4, plus 2 live out domestic staff 3 x a week who cook breakfast & lunch for themselves.

Average consumption is between 30 and 35 kWh a day.

June, July & August it goes up to about 90kWh a day as the underfloor heating is on & apparently every f*%king person in the house except me is born in a stable, so all windows & doors are left open.......

Our geysers are on timers. 100 litre feeds into 150 litre. They are on for 1 hour twice a day. Saw an immediate measured difference in consumption by between 8 & 12kWh a day once the timers were installed. Measured over 4 months(April to July), so no matter what google or anyone else says it does save electricity to switch the geysers off. Makes even more of a difference if you have mixer taps as people tend to leave the tap in the centre, meaning every time they run the tap they use hot water. So geyser switches on/off more often.
Click to expand...

I agree. Timers do and have always worked. Timers are a neat way to force persons in the home to use the existing hot water availability sparingly and only when it is available. The smaller the geyser the more effective the measure is.
 
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