Multiple tank power consumption

[RD.]

Rita - you could always use Epcor's calculator.

http://www.epcor.ca/internet/applications/...citycalculator/

........ or their Home Energy Audit tool.

http://www.epcor.ca/Customers/HomeSmallBus...energyaudit.htm

Edited May 21, 2007 by RD.

[k9outfit]

Thanks for the latest RD! Well according to that, estimating 5000 watts at 24 hours a day (which cannot be anywhere NEAR what my tanks are actually drawing), that would still add only $216.00 to our bill! :tongue:

Time to get an electrician! So... any electricians in the house? :smokey:

[RD.]

A device such as this could help pin point which appliances are causing your bill to be so high.

http://www.enviro-energytech.com/p4400.htm

The chart below will give you a good idea what your typical home/yard appliances will draw.

http://www.oksolar.com/technical/consumption.html

Generally speaking older appliances will be far less efficient than newer appliances, which could be

a large part of your problem.

[Sam Chicklets]

If you are on well water or a systern don't forget to add the pump for your water. My friend is on a systern and the pump was passing causing it to run a lot to keep the pressure up.

[corrosionjerry]

Old freezers are energy gobblers... I was just thinking dont you live on an acerage or a farm... If you have livestock do you have a heater to keep water open in a trough through the winter... Those things take mega energy , I have a friend in Breton that has a trough for cattle that takes about 150 dollars in electricity a month during the winter... Also if you have a metal Halide yard light , they can be pigs as well.

[Qattarra]

One of our energy culprits was the second fridge, "beer fridge". It was an old model. Once I took that out, the monthly bill went down considerably.

How often are clothes washed/dried, dishwasher run (heater dry setting, use econo?), cars plugged in durring winter months, electric floor heater in basement or garage? These can all get cut back on and all draw much more power than the tanks.

For myself, I am considering heating the room for a month next year and unplugging the tank heaters, see if that brings my own consumption down. The other thing I was told is to use a slightly larger heater in my tank then what it "needs". The thought was that it would heat more efficiently and maintain temp without being on as much, gona have to test this theory. Sue

Edited May 22, 2007 by Qattarra

[k9outfit]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

We're ultra conservative with power; plug the vehicle in for only a few hours before use, yard light is a motion sensor which turns off after 5 minutes, no heating in garage, no livestock, lights off unless someone's in the room - and lights are usually small reading lights or flourescent lights, no lights on for my display tanks - metal halide or other, TV off unless someone's actually watching, no radio, mostly new appliances.... Guilty of leaving computers on, using a dry cycle in the dishwasher (though washer's only used when full, therefore not daily) and leaving landing light on for the kids to see if they need to come upstairs during the night. Have air compressor in garage, and plugged Semi in during the winter. Semi's power consumption has been assessed, checked, and taken into account.

In other words, "something"'s sucking massive quantities of power; something that's being used regularily, but instead of using what it needs, it's drawing possibly 10 times as much? A short circuit? Would faulty wiring cause this? Would it be possible to wire something incorrectly to have an insane draw, without burning the house down????? Don't know how this phenomenon could occur, therefore the need for a qualified electrician.

[RD.]

Rita - have you tried calling Epcor to get their take on this? Perhaps they would send out one of their people if you complained LOUD enough about your monthly bill?

[k9outfit]

-roll-

I've been questioning/asking for advice for almost a year, on a monthly basis (every day that our bill arrived, they'd get a call), and last month FINALLY, they admitted that we have some issues. :shock: That was AFTER I completely went off the deep end, when I was informed that they were prohibited from talking to me since my name wasn't on the bill... after I had been trying to staighten this out with them on a monthly basis, for almost 11 months!!!!! (During this time, somehow my name was removed from our bill (probably because of my monthly phone calls!), without us having noticed it.)

....Anyway, we won't go there.... :boom:

Basically, now that I know beyond any doubt our high power bill is due to some faulty electrical contraption, the only thing I can do is locate it, and replace or fix it; via an electrician. I suppose Epcore would be willing to send someone out (possibly even within this decade - providing they would consider speaking to me even if my name isn't on the bill), but I can't see it costing us less, or being a better option, than hiring an electrician on our own.

[seajays]

Demand your name be put back on the bill and keep going higher up the ladder until you get someone to address your problem. That is total B.S. This could be a meter problem.

[patrick]

I recall an article in The Edmonton Sun a few months ago about faulty meters, I think it was onTV even. If it turns out to be a faulty meter then you should be able to get a good chunk of money back.

[Qattarra]

You may need to remind them that they want to talk to you, as your other half may not be as kind and reasonable as you. This worked for us when hubby sat back in the chair behind me barking out profanities and wanting to yell at "whomever is in charge, wants to visit the managers during their off hours, wants to scream at all and any stake holders in the company. He wants everyone fired !". when they could hear him in the background losing his cool, they were much nicer to me

[Sam Chicklets]

I would suggest that you demand to have the meter checked, I went through something similar years ago, and they sheepishly replaced it after finding out it was reading high. Although not as bad as yours it was considerably higher than it should have been.

[k9outfit]

Thanks guys, but as per my 1st post, the edit says it all:

Edited to add that we have had a parallel meter installed to check for acuracy; the meter readings were the same....

Don't know if an electrical implement can be installed incorrectly, i.e. wired wrong, or something went all wonky with age and use/abuse, but I'm 99.9% positive that that's our problem. Now we just have to figure out what that "something" is - since it's obviously not my tanks that are drawing this kind of power. I've been vindicated...

[trixie]

After thinking about it i have seen the wire at the breaker shrank making a poor conection.All so maybe they were not

screwed in tight if all are like that you would lose a lot of power.