KW Usage tripled !!

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mivey said:
You are looking for 130 to 150 watts of continuous use.
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If it is a light, it could be 300 watts of lights that have a bad photo cell (normally a 50% duty cycle is now 100% duty cycle). Got some security lights on a photo cell?
 
mivey said:
If it is a light, it could be 300 watts of lights that have a bad photo cell (normally a 50% duty cycle is now 100% duty cycle). Got some security lights on a photo cell?
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Yes, I do. I haven't noticed any abnormal light, but will check.
 
100204-2124 EST

duke70:

You need to be more complete in the information provided.

My utility bill doubled last month, and my usage tripled.
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Is there some fixed cost, or variation in the cost per KWH based on usage?

What is your usage per month and then calculated from that per day? There seems to be inconsistency in the data you provided.

Once place
typically 30-35 days
high reading 42 days
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Another
norm 95 KwH
high 264 KwH
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Did you only consume 264 KWH in 42 days. or 6.3 KWH/day, and even less 95 KWH in maybe 35 days or 2.7 KWH/day. 2.7 KWH/day is a mere 0.123 KW continuous load.

None of this is consistent with current levels of 30 A even for moderately short time periods.

If you were 95 KWH/day then it would be high usage for a residence.

You need to put a recording power monitor on your system. An example is the TED System. About $200 for hardware and software. Plus you need a Windows computer.

You can do it manually, but something is fishy in your data. Is nobody ever home and nothing is on and thus little electricity is used?

More complete facts are needed.

.
 
If It Is A Grounding Problem:

Current clamp around the link between the panel ground and the neutral bar.You may need to temporarily install a bridging wire between these 2 points to be able to take this measurement.If the current is not zero ,start turning off the breakers until the defective circuit is identified.:)
 
Check your attic lights! I had a customer a while ago with a spike in the bill and it turned out to be 6 100 watt lamps burning in the attic for over a month!
 
hunt4679 said:
Check your attic lights! I had a customer a while ago with a spike in the bill and it turned out to be 6 100 watt lamps burning in the attic for over a month!
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Good point. I forgot about the attic & crawl space lighting. Same would go for any non-frequented space like a storage building.
 
LawnGuyLandSparky said:
Is there a strange RV parked nearby?
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Too funny!

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Check your windows. I peered out my window a few weeks ago at something and noticed a draft. The top pane of my double-hung window had dropped about an 1/8". Just enough to let the 10?F air in. Upon further inspection there was another window in the house with the same issue.

I have electric heat. My bill for this time of year is generally about $150 ... it was $230 last month! That sure taught me to make sure the windows are locked!

Now ... even if you have gas heat the blower would probably be running almost continuously.

Just a thought.
 
you really need to think about what your usage habits may have been like during period in question. think about the following:

was there a change in outdoor temperature at this time.
were there guests staying over during this time.
was the normal occupants home longer than usual during this time.
was there more cooking or laundry done than normal during this time.
have you added something new that may increase consumption
have you turned on a seasonal device that will increase consumption

around my place in past few years there have been increases that I usually can find a change in load to account for it. like use of hot tub, pond heater, college kid coming home, college kid doing lots of laundry when coming home,
people taking longer showers or baths when it is cold outside, more cooking or baking for holidays.
 
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