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holliesavage
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October 18, 2022
Solved

High energy usage in the early hours - what's the cause?

  • October 18, 2022
  • 26 replies
  • 22464 views

Hello

Everyday between the hours of 3am to 6am my electric usage is really high and I can’t seem to work out why?

 

Both me and my boyfriend are always asleep at this time and the earliest we get up on some days is 7am but our usage for every half hour between those times is between 1.33kwh to 1.54kwh but hardly any electricity is being used whilst we are asleep as we turn everything off before we go to bed the only thing that stays on is the fridge/freezer and our phone chargers our electric water heater comes on at 6am

 

Please could someone help as our electric is really high for 2 of us in a 1 bed apartment are usage is between £3.80 to £5.90 a day😩

 

Best answer by BPLightlog

Updated on 29/04/26 by Ben_OVO

 

@holliesavage yes. Your water heater will take quite a high kw when it is on. The reason I still think it may be that, is that your usage graph shows the high consumption for approx 3 hrs.

 

Once you’ve figured out if it is the water heater, it might be worth checking the thermostat which control how hot the water is and therefore how much power it takes as well. 

 

If you think your usage seems much higher than before, it may be that you have a faulty appliance or meter:

 

 

If the meter seems to be working correctly, or is a smart meter (which is unlikely to be clocking incorrectly) then it’s best to get an electrician to check if the wiring / appliances are set up properly.

26 replies

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nealmurphy
Newcomer
nealmurphy
Newcomer
October 18, 2022

We had our smart meter fixed in august as it had stopped working and they came to fix it then I was with SSE at this time.

we haven’t had any power cuts that we know of or any major electrical work done either.

My water heater timer goes on at 6am and goes off at 9am that’s enough hot water for us for the day as we are an all electric flat we have a tank for our hot water and no central heating.

Can we see your 30 minute usage graphs for 6am onwards please to see how much power is being drawn then?

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holliesavageAuthor
Rank 2
October 18, 2022

@nealmurphy this is the type of timer our hot water heater has if that’s any help?

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holliesavageAuthor
Rank 2
October 18, 2022

@nealmurphy i think this is what you wanted this is from Sundays usage

    nealmurphy
    Newcomer
    nealmurphy
    Newcomer
    October 18, 2022

    That's perfect @holliesavage 

    Can you confirm that the little triangle on the dial is pointing to the correct time? I reckon the dial has been knocked out of sync. If so, it just needs turning to the correct time. If it's not this we will move to plan B 

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    holliesavageAuthor
    Rank 2
    October 18, 2022

    @nealmurphy yeah it’s on the correct time the only time I’ve ever changed it is when the clocks go forward or back

    BPLightlog
    Super User
    BPLightlogSuper User
    Super User
    October 18, 2022

    @nealmurphy yeah it’s on the correct time the only time I’ve ever changed it is when the clocks go forward or back

    I think you need to start eliminating things .. if you can bear it @holliesavage turn the hot water heating off overnight. The next days result will show if that’s a cause. Given the time the higher power is recorded, it still seems the most possible cause. 

    Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
      H
      Rank 2
      holliesavageAuthor
      Rank 2
      October 19, 2022

      @BPLightlog 

      Thank you I’ll give that a go and see if that’s the cause of the high usage.

      I checked my usage this morning for yesterday and it was still the same timing and my hot water time is on from 6 til 9 still.

      can I ask if my heater comes on at 6am the usage is high then on the graph but is low at 9am is that because at 6 it starts kicking in?

       

        BPLightlog
        Super User
        BPLightlogSuper UserSolved
        Super User
        October 19, 2022

        Updated on 29/04/26 by Ben_OVO

         

        @holliesavage yes. Your water heater will take quite a high kw when it is on. The reason I still think it may be that, is that your usage graph shows the high consumption for approx 3 hrs.

         

        Once you’ve figured out if it is the water heater, it might be worth checking the thermostat which control how hot the water is and therefore how much power it takes as well. 

         

        If you think your usage seems much higher than before, it may be that you have a faulty appliance or meter:

         

         

        If the meter seems to be working correctly, or is a smart meter (which is unlikely to be clocking incorrectly) then it’s best to get an electrician to check if the wiring / appliances are set up properly.

        Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
          H
          Rank 2
          holliesavageAuthor
          Rank 2
          October 22, 2022

          So I’m planning on turning my water heater off tonight and seeing if that makes a change on my usage.

          I have looked on my OVO app at usage for yesterday and it has dropped but I haven’t done anything different! Also there is a section that says most of my electric is on entertainment and computing so I’m confused🤷🏻‍♀️

          BPLightlog
          Super User
          BPLightlogSuper User
          Super User
          October 22, 2022

          Hmm, ok @holliesavage 

          It looks like there is still a high level but for a shorter time. If this disappears altogether then that could still point to the water heater. Did you perhaps not use as much hot water during the previous day? 
          I’m not completely sure but I think that the usage type is pulled from an electrical ‘signature’ logged from the Wi-Fi connection on your system - also notice the date range which says 3rd to 9th October so I’m not sure it relates to the peak shown. 
          It will be really interesting to see the results as well as hopefully helping you understand/reduce your energy draw. 

          Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
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