Posted on 05/11/2009 3:25:17 PM PDT by easternsky
Mine is not either thats why I am asking the question. Utility Company says maybe old meter might have been wrong. Duh
Hmmm..., going up by $600 a month is drastic. I would cut off everything in the house and see if it is drawing power. Then I would turn things on, one at a time and see how it affects the power.
You’re bound to find out what is drawing about $600 a month, when it probably shouldn’t even be drawing $100 a month, maximum (if even that...).
You’ll have to experiment around to see what device is drawing that much power (as I said, but turning everything off and then turning things on one at a time and checking the power draw every time).
Maybe something wrong with the new meter. Ask for a replacement.
I’ve had just the opposite. I suspect my old meter was not accurate.
How does one bypass the meter?
You asked — How does one bypass the meter?
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Ummmm..., you better really know how to do it, or the results could be “shocking”... LOL...
By the way, check up on your life insurance, before you do it, too...
We are getting ready to try that. Thanks
The average cost of residential electricity was 11¢/kWh (DOE) in the U.S. in December 2008. The average household used 936 kWh/mo. in 2007 (DOE) and would pay about $100 for it based on the March 2009 average rate. DOE also has historical rates. http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/cost.html
936 eh. Well then that would be 31.2, close to your old meter rate. You said it went to 68. That is over a 100% increase in usage, even over the average household. That makes me think it is a problem with the meter and should be checked.
Yes, that’s really what I was getting at. However, I stopped short of stressing that point.
My electric bill is so cheap anyway, there is no way I would resort to such extreme measures. Even in August it will only go up to about $150.00, and that’s running the heck out of the AC.
Also, you can get a device that measures amperage being drawn on lines (it just clamps around and outside the wire, and doesn’t cut into wiring). You could get that or rent it or whatever, and check your circuit breaker box (take off the cover), and check the red and black wires (the “huge” ones) to see how many amps are being drawn. The wattage is going to be however many amps X the voltage on your line (if it’s 120, then multiply by 120).
Also, when you turn off everything in the house, if the meter is still running then obviously something else is drawing power. If you don’t know what else is doing it — if you want to find out if it’s inside the house or not, then switch off the master power switch in the breaker box (cuts the whole house power off, at once) to see if that stops the power draw.
Now, if *that* doesn’t stop the power draw, then you’ve really got a problem... LOL... (could be something really whacky there, or else someone has done something funny to your wiring or else the meter is plain whacko...).
I’ve given it a passing thought, a time or two, and I think I could do it, but then again, I’ve still got a few more years of life left... :-)
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A side note and thought on this... I remember a neighbor, one time in the long-distant past, told me how they drilled a little hole in the bottom of the glass meter and then they would put a pin (or a wire) which would extend up into the glass casing and stop the wheel from spinning around. They would do that for about half a month and then take it out again, when the meter was due to be read.... LOL...
They said it worked for them..., and I guess it would.
An electric water heater had a shorted element. 6 Amps was flowing through the cold water pipe! A clamp-on ammeter found the problem quickly.
Yikes! That’s a good reason for very good grounding for your water pipes, and also GFCIs in your place, too (which most people do have)... LOL...
They come faithully the last Friday of every month, ask my dog. I do appreciate the information thanks
I can’t tell you without seeing the meter and the A/C unit and I would also feel bad if you fried yourself.
It’s not the electric bill that gets you. It’s when they turn your A/C off for four hours during a blisteringly hot day. I think they might have changed methods so now they only cycle for maybe 1/2 hour out of every hour.
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