What to do if the electric meter shakes a lot of electricity

Residents of city apartments and owners of private real estate have to face the problem when the electricity meter shakes a lot. At the same time, the number of consumers did not increase, and the intensity of their operation remained at the same level. Accident in such coincidences is excluded, all events have reasons and technical grounds. To understand why the electric meter shakes a lot, you need to study the causes of this phenomenon and ways to eliminate them. This will avoid large bills for energy that people are not using.

The reasons for the distortion of real readings of the electric meter

The growth in electricity consumption may have objective and subjective prerequisites.

Conditionally, the reasons for overspending can be divided into the following groups:

• Seasonal. These include a longer period of operation of lighting fixtures in winter, more time is spent on heating cold water in a boiler. In an effort to keep warm, the person drinks more tea and takes hot baths. In the summer heat, air conditioners are turned on, freezers and refrigerators are often started.
• Replacement of equipment. Devices with disks do not respond to light loads. In contrast, electronic devices count all types of consumption that are in the room. The difference can be up to 20-30%.
• Counter quality. Energy companies purchase both domestic and foreign equipment made in China. In the second case, the consumer deals with low quality products, which are characterized by unstable parameters.

There are a number of factors that negatively affect the correct operation of the meter. They are conditioned by intent, which has its own specific goals.

Changes in readings when trying to influence the meter

When the electricity meter winds up a lot, it may not be properly calibrated. It is produced on the basis of an energy company after receiving a batch of products or before installing it at consumers. Incorrect values ​​can be set, accidentally by personnel error, or deliberately in order to obtain additional profit. This is illegal, but also unprovable, since the device can only be checked by the supplier's specialists. It is forbidden to break the seal on your own and hand over the meter to an independent laboratory.

In turn, a private person is trying to turn the situation in his favor by means of various options for influencing the meter:

• Installing a magnet. This device does not always give the desired effect, since it must be correctly installed on the case. In addition, if a fake is used, the counter can wind up twice or three times its nominal value and even fail. All this is fraught with large material damage.
• Wheel braking in an inductive device. To do this, a thin hole is drilled in its body into which a wire, needle or awl is inserted. Before the visit of the inspector, the insert is removed, the hole is sealed with plasticine and masked with dust. The method is effective, but dangerous in all respects.

All attempts to influence the metering device are a violation of the contract concluded by the parties and the current legislation. If they are identified, a large fine is imposed on the property owner.

In what cases the electricity meter overestimates the readings

The main feature of electronic metering devices is their sensitivity. Unlike induction analogs, they record the operation of all indicators installed in household appliances. Since it does not disconnect from the network, up to 50 kW can run up per month, even if no one lives in the apartment.

Another factor influencing the increase in readings is the parameters of the supplied energy. Calibration of devices is carried out according to the level of electricity, which is indicated in the product passport.

The electric meter shoots more when one of the following indicators changes:

1. Voltage. The electrical circuit of the device is rated for 230 V. This is an ideal that is rarely observed. In most cases, the signal varies within 180-210 V. Because of this, the consumers of the active load (elements of boilers and stoves) heat up much worse, it takes more time. The difference in energy expended can be fivefold.
2. Frequency. Here everything is similar to voltage - the higher the frequency, the lower the reading. However, not always - with strong deviations, a software failure may occur, which leads to errors in the calculations upwards.
3. Power. In the apartments, devices are used that produce reactive power during operation, as a result of which part of the counted electricity goes back to the network.

A modern anti-magnetic counter is an accurate device programmed for certain indicators. Any deviations lead to failures in its work.

Features of electricity meters

According to the principle of operation, the products are divided into the following categories:

1. Mechanical (induction). Current and voltage coils are installed in the housing. When current passes through them, a magnetic field is created that rotates the disk, connected to a digital sensor by means of gears. The rotation speed is proportional to the power consumption. The advantage of devices is their reliability and affordable price. The disadvantage is that they do not record low consumption.
2. Electronic. The parameters of the passing current are measured directly, storing them in memory. Then the sensor is wound up. They are small in size, highly accurate and protected from outside interference. The disadvantages are sensitivity to electricity parameters and high cost.

To avoid losses, energy companies are conducting large-scale purchases and replacement of mechanical devices with electronic ones.

The most common causes of failures

The most common causes of meter failures are as follows:

• depreciation of equipment;
• incorrect wiring made in the lead-in panel;
• failure of some parts, due to exposure to low or high voltage;
• long-term operation with increased load, which leads to overheating and combustion of some elements;
• an attempt to independently influence the device with a strong magnetic field, causing a violation of the correctness of its circuit.

If none of these events happened, the source of the problem may lie in a manufacturing defect or outside influence.

What to do if the readings are too high

If there is an increase in normal electricity consumption readings, follow these steps:

• turn off household appliances that are used sporadically from the network;
• descale heating elements in the boiler and washing machine;
• check the common shield for illegal connections;
• disassemble and inspect for the same purpose the sockets located on adjacent walls;
• install a counter that takes into account reactive power.

To make sure that the device really overestimates the amount of energy used, you need to turn off all consumers and note how much it will be spent to operate the source for a certain period of time. As a load, you can use a 100 W lamp, a boiler, a hotplate or a boiler. If the indicators diverge by more than 20%, the device is malfunctioning. In this case, you should buy a new one, check it in an independent laboratory, apply for a meter replacement to the management company. Within the time limit set by the law, its employees must respond to the appeal.