Question about electrics

Off-topic
1

I have a question for anyone who might be able to shed some light.

I’m renting a 24ft studio on top of a workshop with the electricity supply downstairs in the workshop. The electricity meter has been broken, and the landlord took a year to get it replaced. I only use it for part of the week for about 3/4 of the year.

He gave me an estimate of £1,500 for the electricity bill. When I queried it, he wrote back suggesting that I had left appliances running.

So I started to record electricity meter readings when I’m not using the studio. I shut off everything; smoke alarm; water; lights; switches; unplug everything so that nothing is running.

Over a week, what surprises me is that there is still a positive current being drawn (around about 1 unit/12 hours). This unit usage increases and fluctuates when I am not in the studio. Over the bank holiday, I was away for 4 days, and 10 units of electricity was zapped.

I asked my landlord to explain this phenomenon and submitted photographs of the electricity meter readings, with the camera EXIF data to confirm the times and dates of the photographed meter readings.

His reply was ‘The photographs are irrelevant’. And he proceeded to ramble with predictable expressions of feeling insulted (yet he did not explain the data).

Now, I just throw the power switch and terminate all electricity to the studio when I leave, and photograph the meter reading.

The question it leaves me, is whether he is drawing current from my power supply. What else can explain the fluctuations?

I don’t want to make a mistake in accusing him falsely and taking him to court if there is a logical explanation. At the same time, he has offered no reason, and I’ve told him I will pay his ‘estimate’ in protest and given my 30 days notice.

Any thoughts appreciated. Sorry for this long winded irrelevant query. I’m just stuck and I don’t trust anyone local to ask questions to (he’s a well-connected guy with lots of connections, not just in terms of electricity).

2

he might be running the alarm system off it or the emergancy lighting?

tell him it’s not you and accuse him of theft. see what he does then.

3

Hi,

there is no alarm system. Nor is there emergency lighting rigged to my studio. Their mansion however, has external floodlighting…which they have liberally left on. I did wonder whether they had wired it into my circuit.

I don’t wish to accuse him of theft unless I have a higher degree of certainty, just like if I did something wrong, I’d like a chance to examine whether I did or not. I’ve just presented the photographic records of the electricity meter readings fluctuating in my absence and asked him to explain it.

4

£1500 electric bill !!! I hope that was for a couple years. Do you use electric heaters or what to heat the place?

1 unit is 1 kwh, that 1000 watts an hour… One 100watt lamp burning for ten hours…

If you suspect his external lighting when you see its on next time switch off your board and see if it kills his lights.

5

If you have access to the consumer unit (fuse box) you could trace by means of elimination what each set of fuses/ trips supplies and see if there is a rogue which supplies something else. Also try and identify any cables that seem to go off in a different direction, if they do, keep tracing them till you find the culprit. Your landlord may not be aware of it, but at least you will be able to prove you aren’t liable for the whole bill.

plus, without a meter, how can he possible give an accurate estimate? if you get on to the supplier you could give them a little info about the space, size and usage and they should be able to tell you what a typical usage for that kind of dwelling/commercial unit should be.

personally I would tell him to stuff his estimate without some additional information to back it up.