Why did my electric bill climb suddenly?

Question

So we had a little mishap a couple of months ago involving some flooding. We had some folks come in and "dehydrate" our house. It involved lots of fans running for a couple of weeks. We expected the electric bill to be very high that month. But it has continued to be high ever since (at least double) and I don't know why.

An electrician installed an outlet of sorts that hangs out of our fuse box during that whole process that was meant to add another needed outlet to plug in the basement fans to do some drying. I don't know if that has anything to do with it.

So I'm looking for some ideas on what I can do to try to track down the problem or, better yet, ideas of what the problem could be based on what little information I've given you (I know it's a long shot). I can update this question with any additional information you might need.

Answer 1

You might ask your electric utility if they have been getting meter readings every month or if they have been estimating. I used to live in a house where they only collected "true meter readings" once a quarter, the other two bills were estimations based on past values. If that high month was the last one they read, that might explain the high values.

Answer 2

Try using energy monitors to track the power consumption of all moveable devices. Add that up, and see where you are heading.

For lighting, you can guesstimate by looking at the power rating of the bulbs etc. In case of heating, things are more complicated. But then, heating elements probably will have been affected by the flooding.

The following requires you to have an accessible power meter that shows current consumption, if only by rotating speed.

You can disconnect all electrical devices you have access to. If the mains counter still moves, you have to search where the power is going by selectively disabling the fuses and see if usage stops. If it does stop, search in the apropriate area.

Answer 3

If you live in a housing or block of flats and suddenly your electricity either doubles of trebles with no apparent reason, so you check your meter and it's ok.

What is happening in many areas around the country is that with the rising cost of electricity and many people on low incomes, someone from your units has probably done a roof cavity wiring job so that they are getting most of their electricity free at the cost to other residents.

So for a small fee get together with your neighbours who are also receiving higher than normal bills, hire a qualified electrician to inspect the ceiling area for illegal wiring jobs. It may be possible you have been the target of electricity theft.