Are electric meters ever wrong? Or why am I using so much electricity.

[sudsmaster]

The local utility here has replaced both the gas and the electric meters with new electronic units that can send the usage information remotely to the utility without needed a meter reader to visit the property at all. Or so I gather. I could also go online and view my energy usage day by day, even hour by hour, or so I gather. Haven't tried to do that just yet.

The new electric meter would allow for time-of-use metering/charging, but I'm not sure if the rate system is set up for that as yet. I figure most of my consumption is 7x24, due to the pond pump, two fridges, and one chest freezer. So it might help to have a split rate; hard to say.

 

[qsd-dan]

My water, gas, and electric meters are all original from 1970 and seem to be accurate. No noticeable increase/decrease in usage, so if there are any inaccuracies, they must be pretty damn subtle. The electric meter will soon be replaced with a digital outfit. I wonder if the PG&E will let me keep the old original one?

 

[twintubdexter]

sudsmaster...

Even though I lived in the Bay Area for all but the last 7 years of my life, I don't recall anything about what PG&E's summer baseline was for electricity. You did say that last month's bill (June) had a 330 kWh base, but I would think it would be greater than that. Does the baseline differ between areas like San Francisco and San Jose. My hometown San Jose gets pretty warm and 330 kWh per month wouldn't get you very far, although many homes there don't have air conditioning.

Of course here in the desert air conditioning is as important as oxygen. Summer baseline from Edison is 47.6 kWh per day and I pay $.08 per kWh. Tier 2 is $.11 and tiers 3, 4 and 5 are all $.19 per kWh. There is no time-of-use billing. Of course there are several other charges added each month like nuclear waste disposal and a dozen other things that nobody can understand.

The two months I need to really watch are May and October which can be warm here but are winter rate months. The daily baseline during winter is a stingy 9.8 kWh per day. In order to help me get a constant idea of how much power my home is using I purchased one of those Black & Decker Energy Monitors for around $99. It appears to be fairly accurate, is wireless and gives me a good idea of my total energy usage. It keeps track of the tiers too. It helps to lessen the surprise element when opening the electric bill.

 

[sudsmaster]

Offhand I don't know what the baseline is for San Jose. Maybe Ralph can tell us, since he's down there.

There is a higher baseline for all-electric households, but as I recall it's not all that much greater than the regular baseline.

PG&E has a website where you can check the baseline amounts - but I think it's by a code on the bills, the locations may not be listed. But it's been a while since I looked at the tables, so maybe one could find out what the baseline is for different areas.

I figure PG&E believes that A/C is not necessary in the Bay Area. I know I can get by without it most of the summer. So far this year I haven't broken out the window units (they are stored in the garage) and hopefully I won't have to any time soon. Right now the weather is quite pleasant with the windows open during the days - even chilly in the morning. A/C is probably essential once you go over the east of the East Bay Hills. It's often 10 to 20 degrees warmer there. In San Francisco, it's definitely not needed in most of the city. Maybe in a large office or apartment building where internal heat can accumulate, but as I recall during the summers I lived there we'd leave the windows open most of the summer. If anything, it's cooler there than I'd like most of the summer.

 

[sudsmaster]

I spent the better part of this evening chasing down compressed air leaks in the workshop/garage. I've been noticing the compressor has been cycling on more often than it should. Found several culprits, and eventually had to shut the compressor down. Good thing, since I hadn't drained it for a while and with all the running it accumulated about a quart or two of water. No rust in it, though, which is good.

Armed with a spray bottle full of concentrated car wash and water, I eventually fixed all but the slightest of air leaks. The last one will require a bit more time but it's very slow. One brass fitting actually split up the side... cheap Chinese brass... Some older American stuff just needs to be renewed but in the meantime I simply replaced it with more cheap Chinese stuff (1/4" female quick connect stuff).

I figure the air compressor running unnecessarily was wasting electrical energy. How much, I don't know exactly, but the compressor motor is 3/4 HP, 5 amps 220v 1ph. Probably about 1200 watts for five or ten minutes several times a day. It all adds up!

 

[kenmoreforever]

Every once in a while my meter stops completly, i enjoy those days but its not long lived. Dont know if it needs oiling or what? haha for me.

 

[sudsmaster]

The other day I noticed that our new electric meters have a display that cycles between showing volts, total KWh, and current wattage being consumed. The last bit is very helpful, as I can shut major things off and on and determine how much juice they are consuming. Yes, I have a portable watt meter but stuff like the pond pump, and shop compressor are 220 and hard-wired into the circuit, so I can't use the watt meter on them. And the pond pump, while 110, is also hard-wired into the the circuit, so it's not convenient to use a plug-in watt meter on it, either.

Anyway, I was able to determine that the pond pump, at its usual flow setting and speed, uses about 130 watts 7x24. The well pump, about 950 watts when it's running. The air compressor has the same size motor so I'm guessing it uses about the same wattage.

Meanwhile I plugged everything in the home office desk into the watt meter. When the computer, DSL modem, router, printer, and router are all running, it uses about 200 watts. With the computer turned off but everything else on, about 55 watts (printer in sleep mode). For a while I was leaving the computer etc on 7x24, but have started switching power off to everything when I'm asleep, not home, or not intending to use it for an extended period when I am home.

I also cut back on the amount of time the well pump runs - no need to saturate the ground every day, esp. when the heat wave isn't on.

At $.25 per KWh, every bit helps.

 

[everythingold]

By various improvements I have dropped my 1893 Building's gas bill from a $750 peak to $325. The Gas company calls me and they want to install a new meter. OK. My meter is in my basement. I could steal all the gas I want. I don't. But a meter in the basement is basically a license to steal. They ask if there i any day I am available from 9-5. I say

"No."

"I am an appliance repair man."

"But your crew could call me anytime they might be near and I could work it out with them"

Gas company tele-clerk:

"That is not our policy."

"There is no day you are ever available?"

Me:

"No."

Gas company tele-clerk:

"OK. Ummm, I guess have a nice day."

Me:

"You too."

LOL