Why is my electric bill so high?

Have you ever wondered ‘Why is my electric bill so high?’. Energy bills have been gradually rising for many years, so if your electricity bill is only slightly higher than it usually is, this might be solely down to rising prices, or perhaps due to a slight increase in your energy consumption.

If your electricity bill is far higher than it usually is, then your initial suspicion should be that your energy supplier has messed up your bill somehow. Contact your power company to ask them what has happened with your electricity bill and to investigate whether or not they have made a mistake. Use this opportunity to find out more about changing to a cheaper tariff or switching energy companies.

However, if your energy supplier insists that it has not made any errors and that you are liable to pay the full bill, then there may be something wrong with your power supply and you may require electrical repairs. Our home emergency cover experts have investigated some of the most common causes of skyrocketing electricity consumption.

Faulty Appliances

Domestic appliances can use a huge amount of electricity – dishwashers, washing machines and tumble dryers are some of the biggest household energy consumers. If you’ve been using your appliances just as regularly as you normally would, but your electricity bill is significantly higher than it should be, then there may be an electrical fault in one of these white goods.

Not only are faulty white goods likely to lead to an appliance breakdown, but they could also potentially set on fire or become electrically-charged. One day, you might touch a faulty appliance and receive a life-threatening electrical shock. If you suspect that one of your appliances is consuming too much electricity because of a defect or fault, do not use the appliance until it has been repaired or replaced.

Faulty Wiring

Faulty electrical wiring is also very dangerous and can easily lead to a home emergency. Electrical wires in your crawl space or elsewhere in your home can become loose and frayed and can connect with other wires or conductive objects. The wires and other electrified objects will then heat up and consume electricity. As well as costing you a fortune, this excessive heat can lead to a fire or an electric shock.

Faulty Meter

You can tell if your electricity meter is faulty by turning off all the circuits in your fuse box and monitoring the bill. Is the meter still going up when your mains electricity is turned off? Then there’s something wrong with it. Broken electricity meters are not particularly common, but they do occur.

An electrician can confirm that your electricity meter is broken, and you can use this confirmation as evidence when you appeal against your bill with your energy company. If you suspect that your meter is broken, contact your power supplier and they should send someone round to take a look at it.

Other Common Issues

There’s a good chance that your high electricity bills are not due to any electrical home emergency, but are instead down to additional energy consumption.

• Have you recently had guests over? Guests can frequently cause electricity bills to rise.
• Have you left any appliances switched on accidentally? Perhaps your electric oven was inadvertently left on overnight, or maybe you have neglected to put your television and computer on standby rather than turning it off at the wall.
• Have you purchased any new appliances? Even gas-fired appliances, such as gas cookers and ovens, can consume electricity.
• Have you been rolled over to a standard tariff? Energy companies frequently offer competitive prices to new customers, but charge their existing customers considerably more.
• Is your home inefficient? Do you have insulation, double-glazing, and efficient appliances? The most energy-efficient homes typically see far more consistent energy bills than the draughtiest and least-efficient properties.

Want to save money? No problem

If you’re having trouble with any aspect of your boiler, home appliances or if you’re suffering from a home emergency such as an electrical breakdown, plumbing problem or security issue then be sure to get in touch with us.

You can face a hefty bill if something goes wrong at home so eliminate the possibility and speak to us today.

Call us on 0345 3192 247 and one of our friendly technical team will go through some simple diagnostics to see if your problem can be resolved over the phone. If not, we’ll send an engineer to be with you as soon as possible to ensure you’re back up and running in no time.

247 Home Rescue accepts no liability for any injuries or damages you sustain following the advice on this website. If in doubt, seek professional assistance.