KWH from Electric comp=Weird Science

adas
adas Solar Expert Posts: 136 ✭✭✭✭✭
in General Solar Power Topics #1
Aloha, just looking at my electrical bill for my apartment and I see an average of 13 KWH per day usage. I am alone and never home and only have a fridge and modem running and once in awhile a CF light.
I calculated my electrical usage for my business with the panels, etc at 17KWH per day and I run 2 fridges, saws, fans, grinders, mig welder for 1 hour a day and lights left on in the supply room and probably several other things I cannot think of at the moment. Without calculating, there seems to be a large energy gap between apartment=13 KWH and business energy hog=17 KWH. Is this weird science where the eletric company has a different way of measuring the KWH used? Seem very disproportional.

Frank
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  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: KWH from Electric comp=Weird Science

    How old (inefficient) is your home fridge ? I also had a situation where a neighbor in the 70's, tapped my meter for a couple of months. Took a while to figure that one out, it was before I paid much attention to meters.
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,

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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,613 admin
    #3
    Re: KWH from Electric comp=Weird Science

    Properly running fridge (less than 10 years old?) should be 1-2 kWhrs per day... We run a family of 4 on ~8kWhrs per day (natural gas for heat/cook/hot water) in a moderate climate...

    Also, with your kill-a-watt meter--check various appliances for power usage... I have an old stereo (digital) that takes more power "turned off" than my laptop running (~40 watts)... But even then, if you find a couple more kWatts of standby stuff--that still does not make up your bill.

    If you have electric hot water/AC/stove--then all bets are off.

    Also, check--it is possible that the power company is reading the wrong meter or your meter is wired to other units/house lighting (by accident or on purpose)... You would not be the first, or will you be the last. Turn off all of your appliances and such inside the unit and see how fast the meter is spinning--if it is more than a very slow crawl--you have other usage going on).

    Take the Kh number on the face of the meter and:

    Kh * 3,600 sec/hour / (# of seconds for 1 revolution of meter "dial") = watts

    (Kh is the watt*hours per revolution)

    Example with Kh=12 WH/Rev and Time = 28 seconds per revolution

    12 wh/rev * 3,600 sec/hour / 28 second per 1 revolution = 1,543 Watts

    -Bill

    If you averaged 200 watts * 24x7 then for a month=144 kWhrs per month or 4.8 kWhrs per day...
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • adas
    adas Solar Expert Posts: 136 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: KWH from Electric comp=Weird Science

    Aloha, it is a high rise apt
    1: no A/C
    2: no stove or micro using
    3: Apt size fridge, about 8 yrs old
    4: no heaters (right) no hot water heater (from complex solar)
    5: will put the kill-a-watt on the fridge (mostly only thing running) and see

    frank
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,613 admin
    #5
    Re: KWH from Electric comp=Weird Science

    Frank,

    You have something else going on there--The fridge, if left open all day long (to cool your home :p ) with a poorly running motor, would only account for 2-3kWhrs per day...

    Turn off the breakers on your meter--make sure your lights go out. Also, you should be able to compare the Meter's serial number with your bill...

    Unplug your fridge and turn one breaker on at a time until you see the meter start spinning (probably faster than 180 seconds per revolution)--and see what is turned on in your unit.

    Leave turned off any breaker you cannot identify running things in your unit--and see if anyone complains or your outside hall lights don't come on--etc...

    And/or talk to your manager about your power bill. I had a friend (decades ago) that found out he was running the building's garage gate opener (among other things)--nobody could get in/out the garage when he flipped off the unknown breaker! Might tick somebody off if you end up defrosting somebody else's fridge (and tick the manager off too).

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • Solar Guppy
    Solar Guppy Solar Expert Posts: 1,989 ✭✭✭
    #6
    Re: KWH from Electric comp=Weird Science

    Maybe the apartments are not indivually metered? I know some apartment complexs in Massachusetts that the water department had a single meter for the whole building and billed all the units individually for there "usage". It was quite a scam for the local revenue collectors as they had a minumum usage which was MUCH more that the number of apartments divided by the actual usage ...
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  • adas
    adas Solar Expert Posts: 136 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #7
    Re: KWH from Electric comp=Weird Science

    Aloha, the meter for my apart is in another part of the building.

    Maybe the problem is....... Does the light REALLY go out when you close the fridge door? I may have to empty the fridge and crawl in and see!! (a joke..so pls no explanations of the light switch)


    Frank
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  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #8
    Re: KWH from Electric comp=Weird Science

    With a bill like that, you are running the pool pump and the club house !!
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,

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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #9
    Re: KWH from Electric comp=Weird Science

    i agree for you to shut them off with or without the manager's permission because you are paying for it. see what happens when you do and if they are tapping your meter, i think that's a lawsuit. check your lease to see if there are any references to the power usage going to such things as hall lights or whatever that they may have made you responcible for in the lease.
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