Disputing high electricity bill with the Real Estate due to faulty/low quality air conditioning unit

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  nocure on 29/10/2015 - 09:37

  +3

  I would get an independent electrician to test the AC unit and make sure you get a written report.

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  holdenmg on 29/10/2015 - 09:52

  I don't see how if your consumption was 10 over 99 days you could be close to 1400.

  10*99 = 990

  I'd certainly have the tech look at it.

  Does you fridge run a lot? (check the door seals).

  What is the Brand/Capacity/kW of the Split A/C?

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    aspirepranesh on 29/10/2015 - 09:54

    Apologies. In the month of July, I was running a portable oil heater for about 2 hours a day. And some days, the usage was close to 25kwh a day.

    My fridge is a brand new one from Samsung which is highly energy efficient too.

    As for the AC unit, it is some unknown brand. I have never come across it before.

    • 

      error619 on 16/01/2017 - 11:41

      I would think it is the Hot water heater, a lot on Units do not separate main power from off peak Hot water. So to cut it short, it will be on as soon as it gets a little use. 25/7 I used to turn mine off when not at home. Saved me heaps.

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  the-mal on 29/10/2015 - 09:53

  Have you talked to the Real Estate / Property Manager yet?

  You don't actually mention that you have. Because that's the first step. Present them with your evidence and your proposed solution (that they chip in $X for the last bill or two so you can share the burden of the building fault).

  They may be quite reasonable in working out a solution with you.

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    aspirepranesh on 29/10/2015 - 09:58

    Yes. I have. I rang the Real estate immediately after I got my bill once I spoke with AGL. The Property Manager immediately accepted that few other tenants have complained to her about the high bills and she sent out an email to all the tenants in the building to try and turn off the AC units at the mains to see if it makes any difference. (PS. I suggested this as I have worked with electricians and air con specialists in the my prev job and she took my advice to talk to her electrician and then sent out an email to all the tenants).

    I have an online tracker with AGL that I have been using for the last 3 days to track the usage by switched off various devices at different times and it all relates back to the A/C unit.

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  DarkOz on 29/10/2015 - 11:12

  You probably need some sort of certifier to prove that the air conditioning unit is consuming the extra electricity while on standby mode and the approximate amount of energy used since you have moved in. Then make a claim against the landlord/re agent.

  The certification might cost about the same as the extra energy used though. Even when you are not at fault, I am not sure if you are going to come out on top.

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    aspirepranesh on 29/10/2015 - 11:54

    I agree mate. For me to get the landlord to reimburse it, I need to get this verified. Unless if I prove that I am right and get him to pay me back for the electrician's fee as well.

    I also have my doubts on the hot water unit. I have advised the Property Manager of this issue and she has sent out an email to all the other tenants to switch off their Air con units at the mains to see if that makes a difference to them.

    The problem I have here is, if they dont fix this, I will be getting higher than usual bills until I move out of this property.

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  Randxyz123 on 29/10/2015 - 11:53

  Get someone independent to look at the A/C units.

  If everyone in the block is getting high bills and complaining then it must be the A/C unit doing something if the OWNER owns all the apartments as rentals they have probably put really cheap A/C units in (maybe from Aldi?).

  The landlord should have to cover most of the bill they won't want to. Try and get some photos of the A/C unit. Maybe someone can identify it.

  I do NOT cook.

  Really at all??

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    aspirepranesh on 29/10/2015 - 11:58

    I'll update some pics of the A/C unit when I get home. But now I also have my doubts on the Hot Water unit. I am also talking to the neighbors to see if I can get hold of their daily usage for comparison.

    And yeah. Its a bit embarrassing to admit that I have no idea about cooking. (Unless making some eggs count as some real cooking :D )

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      Randxyz123 on 29/10/2015 - 12:01

      I am also talking to the neighbors to see if I can get hold of their daily usage for comparison.

      Excellent idea. If you can show it is everyone experiencing high usage then you have a much higher chance of getting out of paying.

      If the A/C units are new and someone has usage details from BEFORE and AFTER installation that will be useful as well.

      Since you just moved in you probably can't view old bills for privacy reasons.

      • 

        aspirepranesh on 29/10/2015 - 12:08

        Unfortunately, all the units have the same Hot water and A/C unit installed. So I cant do a before and after comparison.

        My options are:

        1 I do a trial and error on both the a/c and the hot water units to see which one is consuming more throughout the day at my place
        2 Get some of my neighbors to let me compare the daily usage
        3 Get a technician to test the hot water and a/c unit

        All of this is definitely time consuming, but I really cannot be at peace with myself especially when knowing that I am paying for something that I didnt use (I work in sales and I have to admit that I prefer to put my money where the value is)

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  onetrickpony on 29/10/2015 - 12:44

  What is the size (litres) and current rating of the HWS. It may be, given the size of the apartment, something like a 3.6kw, 50 litre. If its something similar, it wont be on a cheaper tariff and will suck electricity like a beast!

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    aspirepranesh on 29/10/2015 - 12:51

    I am going to get the Property Manager to give me the details on the HWS. Do you reckon it would suck electricity all through the day?

    What I am finding is , with the A/C and the HWS on, I am clocking .3Kwh . Turning both of em off, it comes down to almost .015Kwh

    I am going to turn off the A/C alone tomorrow to see if I can pick up any issues with the HWS

    • 

      onetrickpony on 29/10/2015 - 14:02

      Quite possibly does use it when theres no one home. Its a matter of the thermostat cutting in and out. Can give you some idea if you can give me some details on it and where its installed. The HWS will have some markings on it to tell you size in litres and either watts , Kw, or amps. I'm a sparky myself, so I may be able to offer some suggestions.

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        aspirepranesh on 29/10/2015 - 14:05

        Cheers mate. Appreciate that. I'll see if I can access it when I get home. There is a good chance that it could be covered in the kitchen cabinets under the bench top.

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  BuyoTheCat on 29/10/2015 - 12:59

  My case is a little different.

  I was charged for the WRONG meter. The meter that I was charged for was not even in the same block. It was the building across the road.

  • 

    aspirepranesh on 29/10/2015 - 14:06

    ouch! Thats pretty bad

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  mskeggs on 29/10/2015 - 13:56

  14kWh per day isn't that high usage. It is well below average.
  That said, you might have appliances that use a lot of electricity - certainly a hot water service heating a cold tank uses a lot. And aircon would likely use 2kW when on, but almost nothing when off.
  Based on the info you have given (which is a bit confusing) I would guess it is the HWS.
  It would be normal for one to use several kWh per day, maybe 5 or 6kWh.
  It should have a thermostat so it turns off once the water is heated. Perhaps it is set to too high temperature, or it could be faulty.

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  fuzzyslk on 30/10/2015 - 08:18

  mate, see if you can inspect the hot water system as well for leaks, because, I had a similar problem. my hot water system was leaking and kept coming on and off on its own even when no water was drawn and that ran my bill up. spoke to the real estate agency and got it replaced, solved quite a bit of my problem, but my biggest suckered of electricity was the wall mounted electric heater.

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    aspirepranesh on 30/10/2015 - 09:33

    This could be an issue for me as I cant access the HWS directly. from the feedback off you guys, I have my doubts on the HWS now over the A/C unit. I have had the A/C unit turned off at the mains but the HWS has been on since yesterday. I am waiting for yesterday's usage to pop up to see which one is the sucker here.

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  ramshead on 30/10/2015 - 09:14

  Most HWS have a relief valve. Manufacturers recommend testing the valve every 6 months. If you have a faulty valve you could be losing hot water through the overflow pipe continuously.This means your hot water heater is constantly heating water that is just being wasted. Can cause hefty bills.

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    aspirepranesh on 30/10/2015 - 09:34

    There's something I didnt know. Thanks very much for that. I'll get on to this over the weekend with the real estate agent. Cheers mate.

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  [Deactivated] on 30/10/2015 - 11:33

  Getting money back is unlikely. REA will just say ok, device was faulty, but your repsonsibility to tell us about it, else how could we know to fix it - so you're liable for the bill. Or they have to get the ok from the owner - and how likely is that to happen. And if you kick up too much of a fuss to repair/replace they - or the owner - will just evict. They can simply lie to the owner too, and say you gave notice.

  I live very similar to you, except I use hot water (on the cheapest off peak rate), and have all old appliances. Two computers and modem run 24/7. I eat takeaway or use gas BBQ to cook, microwave to reheat ready-made rubbish. I haven't used the stove or hotplates for over a year. One fridge, one box freezer. Only one light on at any one time. Have an airconditioner and electric fan heater.

  I'm with Dodo for electricity. Monthly bill = ~$65. But every 3/4 months the invoice goes to $0, because I'm in credit.

  May as well just pay for it to be fixed/replaced yourself. Or leave the switch off and get a portable (although they are rubbish), or one fitted in a window. You could also turn the hot water system completely off, use a kettle for dishes, and get one of those coleman camping water heaters for winter showers.

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  [Deactivated] on 30/10/2015 - 11:37

  While I was typing I forgot to say two things:

  1. Reason I said just to pay for it yourself - you have control then - you know it's fixed - no waiting and paying $$ in the meantime, stress, arguing, fighting with REA… All to get evicted in the end anyway. Or with the window rattler I suggested - you get to take it with you when you go.

  2. My fridge is nearly 20 years old - seals all torn.

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    aspirepranesh on 30/10/2015 - 12:22

    True that. I have a feel that the more I press them, it would only give them enough reasons to make up something to evict me. I have turned the A/C unit off completely.

    I have got a usage of .04 kwh for the whole day which doesnt make any sense. I definitely had the hot water unit running.

    I was expecting to pay around $70-$80 a month during winter. But $160+ a month just seems plain ridiculous.