Unusually high electricity bills from Stadtwerke

Hi all

Have a problem. Got an Abrechnung from Stadtwerke this year and had to pay an additional EUR 450,00!!! They then increased my 2-monthly payment from EUR 58,00 to EUR 150,00!! Last year I got some money back!!

My situation has not changed that much... I use the washer, espresso machine and dishwasher more and we have one more laptop - no special electricity guzzling devices. But everyone I speak to say that this is not enough to account for such an increase. We are only 2 people.

Spoke to all neighbours that are here more than 2 years and asked what they had to pay:

1) Family of 2: + EUR 70,00;
2) Family of 3: + EUR 10,00;
3) Family of 3: + EUR 68,00;
4) Family of 3: - EUR 270,00 (she paid every week and too much and so got loads back);

Family 4) had a usage of 2.127 kWh. We used supposedly 4.765 kWh!!! How is it possible that I use more than double that of a 3 person family in same size apartment using the same Tarif??

I called Stadtwerke and he was also shocked and said it is too high and even the last 2 Abrechnungen were a bit high. They suggested taking out the fuses and checking if the meter still runs - it doesn't. He gave me a device to measure the usage of the kettle (with all other devices unplugged) and then compare it to the meter reading to ensure the meter is not running fast (he said that it was replaced only 8 years ago so the chances of that are slim). Apart from that, all he suggested I can do is take meter readings twice a day for the next couple of weeks and see when the most is used. They said there is little they can (or have to) do - I am legally obliged to pay what is on the meter. I threatened to use another company but he said the usage would be the same.

I was also advised to ask them if I had the cheapest Tarif (which I didn't also) and they changed it to another which should cut the costs a bit.

Anyone had a similar problem? Anyone know what I can do?!? Anyone Leccy Techies know what could be wrong and how to check? Is there anyone I can contact?!? Should I change Leccy Company? Are there cheaper and better companies as Stadtwerke?

ARGHHH!!

Seems to me the man from the Stadtwerk gave you remarkably good advice. It your meter is not faulty and your are using the power, then you pay the bill. Prices have gone up quite a bit recently - 15-20% is not unusual. You would be surprised how much apparantly latent devices can use, even when not turned on - transformers powering low-voltage bulbs, VCR, TV, DVD, Sat-receiver in stand-by. 500W Halogen lamps suck power, as does your dishwasher and washer, which you admit you are using more. If you can't reduce your consumption look for a cheaper provider. With knowlege of your consumption (from your invoice) you can compare different providers - here for example

Take a meter reading now and then again in a month's time. Multiply by 12 and see if it comes out anywhere near what SWM reckon it was for the last year (I assume your heating isn't electric).

BTW, Espresso machine will draw a lot of current because it produces heat to boil water.

That I am aware of, but my situation hasn't changed. All other devices have been used exactly the same in standby mode.

We even switched to energy-saving bulbs and instead of having my server on day and night, have configured it to be off and wakeup-on-lan, so I should be saving energy too... :}

Also, when I compared how often we use the dishwasher and washer with our 3-person family downstairs, it is about the same. I also thought that my Ceramic Hob may be a problem, but I had that 6 months the previous year too and my neighbour also has one and cooks for 3 people. We also do not cook very often.


Thanks for the link, I will check it out.

But the point remains that if your meter is accurate you are using the power, and therefore have to pay. I assume, of course that the meter has been correctly read. Did you compare the numbers on the invoice with the numbers on the meter? if there was a mistake at the start (under-reading) or the end (over-reading) of the period, or if either were simply estimated, then your consumption has been wrongly calculated (but will balance out in the next invoice)

Well I took another reading 2 months later than the Abrechnung and he calculated it to be correct.

He did also say something about the possibility that I could be using electricity from somewhere else in the building if it wasn't installed correctly (which he said happens often), but I guess that can't be the case since when I take the fuses out, the meter stops.

A neighbour also said that old devices can also cause problems but I haven't any... Is it possible that something may be faulty and using too much?

I received at the weekend a 'rubbish' Rechnung from SWM which I am putting down - in the first instance - to what's recently been written in the local press about them ...

1. My bill is a reminder for a bill I never received
2. The bill is dated 08.03.2006 and demands payment by 07.03.2006
3. The bill is for 21 Euros less than I would normally pay

I would seriously question what they have sent you and go see them in person ...their Telephone Call Center has a tendency to fob you off and I for one don't wish to be a victim of their inefficiency !!

Does your grandmother suck eggs perchance? As the nice man from the Stadtwerk gave you a device to measure consumption, why don't you embark on an exercise of checking the consumption of each device in your apartment?
Of course, it is possible that neighbours are tapping into the supply without your knowlege. Are you using WEP or WPA security?

In case anyone needs more proof that the Stadtwerke München are not infallible. I wasn't informed that I had to pay electricity (it was included in my last apartment) so didn't register with them when I moved in. It took them 6 months to notice that they were providing me with free electricity.

No, my grandmother is dead.


I am using WEP security... is that problematic?

Apparently it can be a problem!

Whatever!

This could be your problem. On March 7 (WLAN problem) you pointed out yourself how easilly it could be hacked. Maybe this is where your electricity is going...

Whatever!!

Anyone with expertise as an electrician who can contribute something useful, or those with similar experiences, I would be interested in hearing from you...

I would go with YL6's advice further up in the thread. Use the doobry that the nice guy at SWM gave you and check your appliances to make sure nothing is using more than it should be. Then if you are feeling up to it, you can multiply them by the amound of time you use each device and add them all up to see what it turns out at.

But I guess you will have a problem with fitted units like your dishwasher. Look up the energy usage in the instructions that came with it and go from there if you cannot measure it directly.

I did all this last year and realised that running our portable AC unit 24*7 was the 200€-extra-a-month culprit.

I am a fully qualified Electrician

My advice...

Listen to YL6.

Yeah, I just started putting together a spreadsheet to estimate usage...

...also a fully qualified bullshitter

Why do you have to turn every posting you make into a mud-slinging match? - You asked a question. As part of your own question you already had the answer (from the Stadtwerk man). More than one person has re-confirmed the answer, and implied there is little more to say. It seems you want to wring every last cent out of knowlegable people in the hope for a more suitable answer when there is none. You sarcastically ask for "something useful", when that's what you have been getting all along.

They turn into "mud-slinging matches" because people like yourself insist on posting sarcastically.

Yes, I had some suggestions from Stadtwerke, and some from the likes of yourself, but I also wanted to know what other suggestions other qualified individuals have to say, and also whether others have had similar experiences.

If all you can do is post sarcastically and put others down, then please don't bother in future, as there are plenty of other individuals here perfectly willing to contribute something useful.

Perhaps the answer to your question lies within your own post.

But not to jerks like you, who constantly tries to belittle the people who actually have gone to the effort of helping you. I could find several examples of you doing this, but honestly, you aren't worth the time. Just want to post this response in case anyone else is deluded as yourself to think that you weren't getting good advice from the start.

@Showem, you do not even know me, so fuck off with the mud-slinging! If you want to attack me, do it as a PM and kindly not in a forum. I do not belittle others that supposedly "help" me - I retaliate when they attack me first! Read the posts and you will see!

Bring on the ketchup...it just seems tiring to continually re-inforce the same answers to the same questions...

No, I'll do it out here in the open, just like you do.

Whatever, get a fucking life!

I suggest that you should log off, think of your electricity bill.

I think Showems life is a league ahead of yours... if she got a life like yours then her 4974 responses in this forum (to date) would be wasted...

Nobody said you *have* to... You could go spend your time posting on another thread... You are not forced to post here

Funny you should say that, I was thinking just the same about you!

That's why I am now going away to do something useful and ignoring all this bollocks. I have better things to do with my time. Have fun girls!

Good, good. Make sure to turn off the lights when you leave.

More electricity saving Ideas from Showem!

It's a shame he went away, as I was just about to link to this site which has a useful overview of power consumption of typical domestic devices. Comparing the values on that chart with the actual values as determined from the SWM device would help to hunt out any errant or excess power usage...

Cool, thanks for the link - will check it out...

Humm, so it seems you could't find anything more useful to do, and the "bollocks" was not worth ignoring... it's clear you didn't really have anything better to do with your time. How shallow...

That is not shallow, I was subscribed for updates on topic posts, saw that you posted and wanted to see out of curiosity if it was something useful

Because you knew it would be, more like...

As the figures from the linked site suggest, if there's somethnig hiking your usage it is likely to be something that is on all the time like the fridge or freezer that is the guilty party. Either get an electrician out to have a look, or get an Energieberater (yes, I kid you not, such people do exist) to, err, berat you.

Thanks @OhFFS.