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TheBap
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Dec 4, 2024 11:18 AM UTC
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Electricity usage fluctuating even when nothing changes - why?

Hi, I’m new to the forum and was wondering why electricity usage would fluctuate through the day from 0.0 to 0.32 when no one is in the house and there are only 3 applliances plugged in, 2 x freezer 1 x fridge?  All other sockets were off.

Blastoise186
Blastoise186Best Answer
Super User
Dec 4, 2024 11:21 AM UTC

Updated on 26/10/26 by Abby_OVO

 

Hi ​@TheBap ,

 

Fridges and freezers don’t run continuously as that would be wasteful - they tend to turn on and off periodically to maintain the appropriate temperature. They’ll only run continuously when you first power them up so that they can cool themselves down from room temperature to the desired level - after that it flips to just periodical operation.

 

That’s what I suspect is happening here and is considered normal behavior.

 

As mentioned by Blastoise186, this is a fairly normal amount of fluctuation for things like fridges and freezers where the power is used in small burst and not completely constantly. If you’re seeing larger or more irregular fluctuations, it might be worth checking out the topics below:

 

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
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3 replies

Blastoise186
Super User
Blastoise186Super UserBest Answer
Super User
Dec 4, 2024 11:21 AM UTC

Updated on 26/10/26 by Abby_OVO

 

Hi ​@TheBap ,

 

Fridges and freezers don’t run continuously as that would be wasteful - they tend to turn on and off periodically to maintain the appropriate temperature. They’ll only run continuously when you first power them up so that they can cool themselves down from room temperature to the desired level - after that it flips to just periodical operation.

 

That’s what I suspect is happening here and is considered normal behavior.

 

As mentioned by Blastoise186, this is a fairly normal amount of fluctuation for things like fridges and freezers where the power is used in small burst and not completely constantly. If you’re seeing larger or more irregular fluctuations, it might be worth checking out the topics below:

 

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
    Rank 1
    TheBapAuthor
    Rank 1
    Dec 4, 2024 11:32 AM UTC

    Hi Blastoise 186

     

    Ahhhhh, thank you for clearing that up.

      Emmanuelle_OVO
      Retired Moderator
      Emmanuelle_OVO
      Retired Moderator
      Dec 5, 2024 10:25 AM UTC

      I can Blastoise has already given some helpful advice here ​@TheBap. Just popping by to add this topic which you might find helpful:
       

       

       

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