The problem when the electricity meter shakes a lot, you have to face, residents of urban apartments and owners of private real estate. At the same time, the number of consumers did not increase, and the intensity of their operation remained unchanged. 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 how to eliminate them. This will avoid large bills for energy that people did not use.
Causes of distortion of real meter readings
An increase in electricity consumption can 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 devices in the winter, more time is spent on heating cold water in the boiler. In an effort to keep warm, a person drinks more tea and collects hot baths. In the summer heat, air conditioners turn on, more often freezing chests and refrigerators are launched.
- Replacement of equipment. Disk devices do not respond to light loads. In contrast, electronic devices consider all types of consumption that are in the room. The difference can reach up to 20-30%.
- Quality counter. Energy companies purchase both domestic and foreign equipment manufactured in China. In the second case, the consumer is dealing 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 determined by intent, which has its own specific goals.
Changes in indications when trying to influence the meter
When the power meter winds up a lot, the reason for this may be its incorrect calibration. It is produced on the basis of an energy company after receiving a batch of products or before installing it with consumers. Incorrect values can be set, either accidentally by mistake of staff or intentionally in order to obtain additional profit. This is illegal, but also unprovable, since it is possible to carry out a device check only with the supplier’s specialists. It is forbidden to independently break the seal and take the meter to an independent laboratory.
In turn, a private person tries to turn the situation in his favor by means of various options for influencing the meter:
- Magnet installation. 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 twice or three times the face value and even fail. All this is fraught with major 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 controller’s visit, 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 meter are a violation of the contract concluded by the parties and the current legislation. When they are identified, a large fine is imposed on the owner of the property.
In what cases does the electricity meter overestimate
The main feature of electronic metering devices is their sensitivity. Unlike induction analogues, 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 in a month, even if no one lives in the apartment.
Another factor influencing the growth of 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.
An electric meter shakes more when one of the following indicators changes:
- Voltage. The electrical circuit of the device is designed for 230 V. This is an ideal that is rarely respected. In most cases, the signal varies between 180-210 V. Because of this, consumers of active load (elements of boilers and stoves) heat up much worse, it takes longer. The difference in energy spent can be five times.
- Frequency. Here, everything is similar to voltage - the higher the frequency, the less readings. However, not always - with severe deviations, a software failure can occur, which leads to large errors in the calculations.
- Power. The apartments use appliances that produce reactive power during operation, as a result of which part of the recorded electricity goes back into the network.
The modern antimagnetic counter is an accurate instrument programmed for specific indicators. Any deviations lead to failures in his work.
Features of electricity meters
According to the principle of operation of the product are divided into the following categories:
- Mechanical (induction). Coils of current and voltage are installed in the housing. When current passes through them, a magnetic field is created, which rotates the disk, through gears connected to a digital sensor. Rotational speed is proportional to power consumption. The advantage of devices in their reliability and affordable price. The disadvantage is that they do not record low consumption.
- Electronic. The parameters of the passing current are measured directly, entering them into the memory. Then the sensor winds up. They are small in size, characterized by high accuracy and protection from outside interference. Cons are sensitivity to the parameters of electricity and high cost.
To avoid losses, energy companies conduct large-scale purchases and replace mechanical devices with electronic ones.
Most common causes of failures
The most common causes of meter failures are as follows:
- depreciation of equipment;
- improper wiring made in the input shield;
- failure of some parts due to low or high voltage;
- long work 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 occurred, the source of the problem may lie in a manufacturing defect or external exposure.
What to do with high readings
If there is an increase in the usual readings of electricity consumption, you must perform the following steps:
- disconnect from the network household appliances that are used occasionally;
- descale heating elements in the boiler and washing machine;
- check the common shield for illegal connections;
- disassemble and inspect for the same purpose sockets located on adjacent walls;
- install a meter 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 detect 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, boiler, burner or boiler. If the indicators diverge by more than 20%, there is a malfunction of the device. In this case, you should buy a new one, check it in an independent laboratory, apply for a replacement meter to the management company. Within the statutory period, its employees must respond to the appeal.
