My electric meter wheel still moves even when I switch my electric off!

[Mr Bloke]

Good grief, what sort of waffle is that?..The meter has a memory of usage? So it remembers how much you've been using (note the past tense) and carries on churning away...Just in case it forgets?

 

My car does that too! It remembers I was doing 60mph and when I park up, it remembers what I was doing and uses another half gallon of fuel!

Have you tried switching the engine off when you park up Mr Pete?

[PeteMorris]

Have you tried switching the engine off when you park up Mr Pete?

 

Yep...I usually do that when I park...Unless on occasions I don't...But I suspect, if I did that, it wouldn't be where I parked it when I come to use it next...hahaha

[Mr Bloke]

Yep...I usually do that when I park...Unless on occasions I don't...But I suspect, if I did that, it wouldn't be where I parked it when I come to use it next...hahaha

Dunno then...

 

... unless it's a dodgy flux capacitor?

[spilldig]

What with 5p for a plastic bag,where will it all end?

 

It is quite a serious matter though davyboy, because the meter flywheel should not be moving when nothing is switched on and it indicates that the insulation on the wiring is breaking down.

[izzzzzz6]

Well sorry to revive this old thread.

I had the Electric company around today but they didn't actually change the meter. In France they have a limit on how much power you can draw at any one time. And as i had explained earlier you pay a monthly fee depending on your limit. SO mine was 12KW and today i had it reduced to 6KW so i can save €10/month on monthly fees. But this cost me about €37 to have the guy come out. Anyway they didn't change the meter the limiter is in the breaker box, he just spent two minutes to set the breaker to a different position and he was gone again. I pointed out the moving disc on the meter and he said it was not worth bothering about, which i tend to agree with but its more about the principle. If a whole country is being overcharged the power companies could be making millions extra a day. Makes you wonder what they really make per day before tax!

I quizzed the electrical engineer as to why the relay that controls the off peak and peak rate hours would be connected on my side of the meter suggesting that it was that that was consuming the energy. This is what i believe it is, i doubt it is damp in the wiring as it is super dry on that wall and the breaker is only 2 meters away from the meter.

It makes no sense to me that waiting half an hour would cause the meter to stop, it virtually comes to a straight stop when you turn any device off, so it can't be deceleration. Could it be capacitance?

I'm fairly sure it's the relay that controls the peak/off peak switch or the receiver for the device. The device works from a frequency that is sent down the electrical lines, then when this signal is sensed it switches a relay and the off peak counter starts to work rather than the peak rate counter. I'm fairly sure this is why the wheel is spinning (very slowly, probably one turn every 5 mins). But should that be wired in before the meter or after the meter? I don't see why i should have to pay for electricity even if my breaker is turned off.

 

I'm surprised i can't find more information, it also leads me to believe there might be a slight chance that since it is already moving in the bad direction then perhaps it spins too easily when i am using power, increasing the amount i am actually consuming. I feel i should go and buy a watt meter to make comparisons. But that would just use even more power running that device

It's like you can't win with these guys. My plan is to Have 6KW of solar in the next few years. I plan to only sell electricity to EDF. And not to buy electricity from anyone. If we can sell 3Kw to EDF and keep 3Kw for our own daytime usage and battery charging then i will have enough battery power for evening lights computers etc. And will do laundry & washing when it is sunny. I'm installing a hot water on demand gas boiler, two wood stoves and eventually solar heated hot water.

Since i'm a new customer, the electrical company sent me an estimate today of €1100 for the next 8 months. I'm expecting to spend about €600.

This is another scam the electric companies are running here. If people are ok with overpaying until they have their meter checked once or twice a year then it means the electrical companies are holding a lot of money in their banks or investing it elsewhere.

Lets say 1,000,000 households payed the estimate, lets say it was €1500 for one year but when the bill gets adjusted it comes out to €1000 for the year.

That means that by the end of the year they could have held up to €500 of each households money until they get refunded on the next bill. Well so they would only be holding the full extra €500 just before you make the last payment before the meter is checked (i think it gets checked twice a year probably so this is by no means accurate but in a worst case scenario (best for them)) They could have taken an extra €500,000,000 which was never theirs before they credit it to your next bill.

Now i only mentioned 1,000,000 households. If they were taking an extra 500mill and used that money to invest with no payback, well that just doesn't seem right to me.

Perhaps it's just my situation right now as i'm a new customer but that is what is happening to me here (not the best impression for a new customer). I think i can get them to re-adjust the bill by doing it online but would most people bother?

The fact is that we get ripped off every way possible by the electrical companies and i urge as many of you as possible to try to go off grid, make your own energy if you can and free yourselves from the bills if you are able to.

I also plan to make my 2nd bicycle generator, perfect for topping up the batteries at night or when you need a little extra power.