Omg This Can't Be Right?

[VickiandKev]

We have a 6ft tank situated on a internal wall, heated by 2 x 200W thermostat heaters, filtered currently by a Fluval U4 and a Fluval U2 (previously had an Eheim wet n dry on it also for about 3 weeks). It also had a twin air pump running, and 2 x 36W T8 light bulbs running 8 hours per day.

We recently moved into a new place and stupidly left it to the woman who did the inventory to take our meter reading, so it's been a month and we've just checked our meter - the reading was supposedly 40064 when we moved in and is now 45304, a month later

Surely, a 6ft tank does not use that much energy? That's like way over what the average household uses per year.

Please tell me that there's a mistake here somewhere and our tank hasn't cost us that much over just one month.

I am absolutely freaking out here, I would really appreciate any kind of advice or just someone telling me whether my tank could have used this much electricity or whether there's no way on this earth that's possible.

My OH and I are panicking and think we might have to sell our beloved tank and fish if there's no mistake.

 

[ian]

i'd be ringing Powergen first thing tomorrow!

 

[OohFeeshy]

400W heater, on for probably a few hours per day.
U4, 10W, 24 hours per day.
U2, 5W, ditto
72W lighting for 8 hours per day
Air pump, guesstimate 5W, 24 hours per day?

U4 7.2 KWh per month
U2 3.6 KWh per month
Lighting 17.28 KWh per month
Air pump 3.6 KWh per month
Heaters... I have no idea. If they're on for one hour per day, that's 12KWh per month. But really it depends on room temperature and stuff.

 

[Truck]

I'll work this out.
72 watts *8*31 for the month = 17.856KW (units)
400 watts of heater, on from anywhere between 4-18 hours a day, I'll a realistic value which is 8 hours so 8*400*31= 99.2KW
and the filter is 25 watts* 24*31=18.6KW so all in all you're at about 135.565 KWH which is the same number of units.

 

[ian]

and that averages about 8p a unit an hour.

 

[VickiandKev]

Thanks guys for your help. 135kWh sounds more like what I thought it would be.

I'm going to have to phone up our supplier in the morning and see if I can this all sorted. Am feeling a little less panicked but still quite anxious about this. Have heard all sorts of horror stories about people being forced to pay for energy they haven't used because they can't prove they haven't used it.

 

[Truck]

What other electronic appliances are you using?

 

[VickiandKev]

In the house, we have a fridge freezer, a washing machine and an electric shower that we rarely used. We've been out of the house for the past nearly 3 weeks too so the washing machine and lights etc haven't been used for that time out of the month.
We also have energy efficient light bulbs in every fitting.

I feel like we've done everything we could to keep our energy usage down which is what makes this such a shock

We don't have a TV either so never have anything like that left on standby, we don't even have a microwave, just a kettle and toaster.

If the meter was misread and it should have been 45064 a month ago, that would mean we've used 240kWh in the month, which makes more sense to me ... but then this is the first time I've had to directly sort out my own electricity bills so I don't know much.

 

[Truck]

it's probably a mistake, ring them up.

 

[talisker]

it definatly won't cost that much to run i've got a energy meter attached to my tank at the moment it's a 220ltr with a 300watt heater a external filter using 20 watts and 30 watt lights on for 10 hours a day and it's working out at just under £4.00 a month to run.
i know yours is a bigger tank but i wouldn't have thought it would cost a lot more to run.

 

[Mikaila31]

Thats definetly not from the tank. Either something is burning up your electricity, meter malfunction, or reading error, ect. I would call the power company and talk with them.

My parents house probably eats that amount of energy though. IDK the exact amount, but we run a daycare and have 2 full kitchens along w/ a chest freezer. The hotub too. I'm glad I don't pay those power bills . In winter a outdoor hot tub eats about $100 a month. My 55gal high tech eats $100 a year...

 

[ian]

let us know how you get on!

 

[angelfishguy]

Mikaila31 what fish is in your pic, its gorgeous....sorry off topic

 

[coldcazzie]

Am feeling a little less panicked but still quite anxious about this. Have heard all sorts of horror stories about people being forced to pay for energy they haven't used because they can't prove they haven't used it.

When we moved into this house we moved out of an all electric flat. It was on a prepayment meter, but after we moved we got a final bill of nearly £200 and they said that unless we could provide receipts for all the electric we'd bought then we'd have to pay it. I was fuming who keeps 2 years worth of leccy receipts for a PRE payment meter so that they can prove they've paid for it?! If you don't pay for the electric, you don't get any electric!!

*goes to have a cuppa before she pops a blood vessel*

I really hope they don't try to get you for it. If you don't mind, who's your energy supplier?

 

[VickiandKev]

Am feeling a little less panicked but still quite anxious about this. Have heard all sorts of horror stories about people being forced to pay for energy they haven't used because they can't prove they haven't used it.

When we moved into this house we moved out of an all electric flat. It was on a prepayment meter, but after we moved we got a final bill of nearly £200 and they said that unless we could provide receipts for all the electric we'd bought then we'd have to pay it. I was fuming who keeps 2 years worth of leccy receipts for a PRE payment meter so that they can prove they've paid for it?! If you don't pay for the electric, you don't get any electric!!

*goes to have a cuppa before she pops a blood vessel*

I really hope they don't try to get you for it. If you don't mind, who's your energy supplier?

That is stupid!! My Mum advised me to get a prepayment meter for both gas and electric but don't think I will now ...

We're with Southern Electric and Gas, luckily I phoned up and they were really good about it. Took the reading on Friday and then took one again yesterday and used it to get an estimate of how much we might have used over the last month and it was next to nothing.
It's a huge weight off my mind but found out we're paying a standing charge of something silly like 13p per day on each meter so I think I'm going to find a deal that has no standing charge. Sound ridiculous to pay for the meter being there even if you're not really using any leccy or gas!

Thank God we don't have to get rid of our tank though - that would have been gutting.