Apartment Still Using 50w Power with Everything Off, Suggestions as to Problem?

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blobert

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Hello,

Since moving into a new rental apartment our bills (gas and electricity) have been incredibly high, 4 times higher in the case of the gas and about twice as high with the electricity. I think there is a fault with the gas boiler which we are going to get the landlord to fix but I'm having more difficulty diagnosing the problem with the electricity.

I bought an OWL energy monitor and with everything switched off that I can (including fridge freezer etc) the place seems to be using 50-60w of power at all times. The only thing I can think of is the alarm but I doubt it would draw that much power. There is also a loud buzzing/humming sound from a grey plastic box beside the immersion which is also hot to touch; perhaps this is faulty and using a bit of power.

I think the one of the main draws of the power is that the fridge freezer is old and uses about 190w constantly, this alone is going to cost about €24 a month. Do you think it reasonable to ask the landlord to get a more efficient one? The problem is it is built into the cupboards and would be expensive to replace, the landlord is a nice man but seems to be very relaxed in terms of maintaining the place or getting repairs done. Hence I'd imagine the problems with the gas boiler, are due to the fact it has never been serviced.

Any advice re the background power usage would be much appreciated. I want to be able to identify what the problem is before contacting the landlord about this, as a vague complaint that my electricity bill is too high is not going to be much good.

Thanks
 
The background power usage could also be the clock/timer for the immersion or the boiler, it could be the doorbell or intercom. A phone charger, anything mains connected with a clock will draw some power too, like a cooker, microwave, clock/radio. There is possibly also a pump connected to your water tank which could draw some wattage even when not running.
 
I would be worried if the gas boiler was never or infrequently serviced... that could be dangerous. Check out the sticker that the service guy left on and see when it was last done..

The integrated fridge freezer may not be that expensive to replace... if you can find one that's a similar height.. also the doors on the new fridge would have to be a similar height to the ones on the old fridge. I would never have guessed that a fridge freezer could be so expensive to run.. 24 Euros / month seems very high to me.

60w doesn't seem like a huge amount to me.. maybe the alarm is using 15 or 20.. some other things may be on standby.. like you say though, if 190 W costs 24 Euro then 60W is costing nearly 8 Euro / month...

Cheers
 
Probably mains powered smoke detectors as well. How much enegy does the gadget use to calculate the power?
 
Yes, unplug everything, particularly things that have inline transformers like laptops, phone charging appliances.

Als unplug remotely operated devices - TV's, Sky Boxes and Phones - literally everying.

The standby facility on remote controlled applicances uses electricity and you only have to appreciate the mystery of a warm transformer connected to either a dormant appliance or to a charging console that has nothing in it to realise its drawing a current.
 
Pull down the main switch fuse to totally kill the power then take a reading. your owl energy meter should be zero. If it is go around and unplug everything.The alarm panel should have a fuse unit on it for isolation pull that out to, the battery will take over but you may need to put your code in. Pull all your mcbs down into the off position, you should still have a zero reading. Now with everthing plugged out start putting the mcbs on and keep an eye on the meter, if it rises take note what it is and bingo. If nothing happens put the fuse back into the alarm fuse unit and take its reading.
Then work on your plugs and any thing else that was plugged in.

I have one of those meters and the only thing that should be always on is your fridge. take note of what your fridge consumes or costs and if it is higher there is something else on. Please note the fridge does flucuate when the motor is in use or if the door is open.
 
redgap said:
Pull down the main switch fuse to totally kill the power then take a reading. your owl energy meter should be zero. If it is go around and unplug everything.The alarm panel should have a fuse unit on it for isolation pull that out to, the battery will take over but you may need to put your code in. Pull all your mcbs down into the off position, you should still have a zero reading. Now with everthing plugged out start putting the mcbs on and keep an eye on the meter, if it rises take note what it is and bingo. If nothing happens put the fuse back into the alarm fuse unit and take its reading.
Then work on your plugs and any thing else that was plugged in.
Click to expand...
mcbs? Just wondering, as I'd be interested to carry this out.
 
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