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holliesavage
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October 18, 2022
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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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Blastoise186
Super User
Blastoise186Super User
Super User
October 23, 2022

Close! :)

The electrical signatures are indeed part of the algorithm, but it’s based off of data directly from the electric meter rather than anything else.

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    juliamc
    Rank 20
    juliamc
    Rank 20
    October 23, 2022

    I wouldn’t take seriously anything that energy insights usage graph says. Seemingly I use most of my gas for ‘water heating’ when my only gas appliance is the hob.
    I would imagine your timer for the immersion is just not as accurate as you expected it to be. It may look like it’s set for 6am but it’s actually switching on at 3:45  You say you have enough hot water for the whole day by heating it as it is now, so no need to change anything.

      Tim_OVO
      OVO Staff
      Tim_OVO
      OVO Forum Legend
      October 26, 2022

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

       

      What’s the verdict, @holliesavage? Did this have an impact?

      Carbon neutral - we need a community to get there! My green tech: Aclara SGM 1411-B smart meter, Chameleon IHD6
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      Simon1D
      Rank 2
      October 26, 2022

      I wouldn’t take seriously anything that energy insights usage graph says. Seemingly I use most of my gas for ‘water heating’ when my only gas appliance is the hob.
      ...

      Spot on Julia. The idea of a useful “signature” coming from energy consumption data that has a resolution of 30 minutes, which is all the meter data used by energy insights has access to, is laughable. (It’s a shame that gas data is limited to that 30 minute resolution, unless you have a robot pressing buttons and reading the meter display - I have been that robot in the past…)

      There are devices that can remotely access and record the 10 second data which the electricity meter generates (and which is shown, fleetingly, on the In Home Display). At that level one really can distinguish the signatures of (non-modulating) fridges and freezers, security lights coming on briefly when triggered by leaves blowing in the wind, an immersion heater coming on solidly and then intermittently as the water temperature approaches the set value, etc.

      I don’t have one of those devices, but I can see equivalent information from my Open Energy Monitor set-up, which makes its own independent measurements of the supply voltage and total current drawn. It’s very revealing and, for instance, prompted me to replace an ageing lead-acid battery by a compatible lithium-iron phosphate battery. At a stroke, the home security system’s annual running cost (at the new “capped” tariff) dropped from just over £150 to about £20. The new battery will pay for itself inside 4 months.

      Simon
        H
        Rank 2
        holliesavageAuthor
        Rank 2
        October 30, 2022

        Hi everyone!

        So it is my water heater that’s causing all the electric usage I turned it off Friday night and I’ve checked my usage today and it’s less than what you t normally is! 

          BPLightlog
          Super User
          BPLightlogSuper User
          Super User
          October 30, 2022

          Hi everyone!

          So it is my water heater that’s causing all the electric usage I turned it off Friday night and I’ve checked my usage today and it’s less than what you t normally is! 

          That’s good news @holliesavage  at least you now know. You may want to adjust the on time or otherwise depending on your needs

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