I am renting a townhome in San Antonio, TX. I have looked for a cutoff valve for the water because my electric bill shows my water heating is my major reason for an extremely high bill. When I looked for the cutoff, there isn't one near the unit. The hot and cold pipes are short and go into the wall. The pressure relief valve has a hose attached and that goes into the wall also. I have never had a high electric bill because it is just me, and I only use lighting, cooling, and water that's necessary. I was even gone for 2 1/2 weeks last month to come back to a bill that was only 30 dollars cheaper, even though I unplugged items and turned the A/C to 80 degrees. I believe I am paying for others to use my water heater, but not sure how to prove it. Can anybody help?
-
Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been [moved to chat](https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/138491/discussion-on-question-by-concerned-renter-could-my-water-heater-in-a-4-unit-tow). There also appeared to be material posted in the comments that should actually have been posted as answers. – Michael Karas Aug 13 '22 at 16:11
-
1Has your rate ($/kWh) changed? As a result of the winter storm last year utilities across Texas lost a lot of money and have increased their rates to compensate. – LShaver Aug 13 '22 at 19:19
7 Answers
If you are paying for electricity, there must be an electric meter somewhere. The electric meter has wires (possibly inside a pipe) that feeds an equipment panel which has circuit breakers in it.
If you pay the meter, you have ABSOLUTE control of every circuit breaker fed by that meter.
You can even throw a lock on it. That is your right. (the fire department can get into it regardless.)
So. You are welcome to do some studying and actual testing, and find out what is powered by each of those circuit breakers. The worst thing that will happen if you shut a breaker off temporarily is you'll have to reset the clock on your microwave, or lose any work you forgot to save in the computer.
The number on the breaker indicates the maximum current it allows for safety, not necessarily what you are paying for.
When you see a breaker that is double-width or has dual handles, the current is what it says, but the voltage is double. These are the ones which use the most power. Water heater, A/C, range and dryer. Not surprisingly, things which make (or remove) heat.
- The range takes power only when you use it, and in proportion to how many burners or ovens you have on, and how hard you are running them.
- The dryer takes power only when you use it
- The A/C takes power only when the outside unit is going "Bzzzzzz".
- A tanked water heater uses a lot of power after you use hot water. It runs for 3-5 minutes for every minute of hot water you used. Once it has warmed the water back up, it runs a minute or two an hour, just to keep the water hot. This is not severe, unless the insulation is really bad.
Identify what each breaker powers.
Take special care to look out for smoke detectors, radon system, alarm system and the like. You don't want to turn those off.
Many are marked, but turn them off anyway and see what loses power. You may find breakers that you can't connect to any use in your home. That might be a theft breaker, especially if it's a 2-pole.
Also, your electric meter will have either a spinning disc, or a selectable screen, or a little icon with 3 dots that moves like a marquee. It shows how fast you're using electricity right now. You can watch that while turning off breakers, and see how much power is going through that breaker at that moment.
For 2-pole breakers, turn them off if you're not actively using them.
Others can't steal power from a breaker if it's off.
Check your electric plan
You may have found yourself on a time-of-use plan that rewards late night loads and punishes peak/daytime loads (because there's a glut of midnight power, and a shortage of peak summer afternoon power, one guess why). If you are, you can either get on a different plan or learn to "game" the plan you have.
Managing A/C costs.
Somebody started some fake news that you need to run your A/C all the time, even when you're not there. That's not true! What's actually true is *those people don't like coming home to a hot house, so they made up some poppycock, so they could rationalize running the A/C all the time. Fine. They can do them. But you don't need to buy into that crud. If you're not home, feel free to turn the A/C off.
"Oh no, but that means when I get home from work, the house will be 110°F (43°C)! So? Find a programmable thermostat you like, and ask your landlord for permission to install it. Then you can program your 'stat to automatically turn the A/C on an hour before getting-home time.
"But I want to show up whenever I want" - fine, Net-connected smart 'stat. Then you can kick the A/C on from your phone.
"But humidity gets out of control! I need to run A/C all the time for dehumidification!" Not all the time, you don't. Occasional runs a couple of times a day will take care of that at sane cost. You can get a better programmable 'stat that will let you lower the temperature from 2:00 to 2:15, which will cause the A/C to start and run for 15 minutes, which will provide the dehumidification you want. If you have a 5000 watt A/C, 15 minutes of running will be about 20 cents most places.
By the way, A/C doesn't really start cooling until it dehumidifies. Dehumidification steals 1050 BTU per pound of water collected*, because of the way enthalpy works. So the first 15 minutes of running with humid air will be mostly just collecting water.
If you're the top floor in a multi-unit building, you're getting all the sun.
The sun is blasting your roof, and the A/C has to work overtime to fight that heat, and you're paying for that. Which means the lower apartments are "free riders" on your A/C. Even if you "raise it to 80°F (26°C)", that's barely going to make a difference since the heat source is so intense... and your neighbors are still free riders. So if at all possible, turn it off entirely when you're not there, and let the space be 110°F (43°C). That will force the neighbors to run their A/C harder... "boo hoo".
If you need A/C in one room for a pet or delicate instrument, close it in a room and get a small 5000 BTU** window unit so you are only A/Cing that room. (Never a portable, because those have huge humidity problems from all the hot wet air they suck into the rest of the house).
CONTROL the hot water heater
As you well know, a tanked water heater does not keep up with demand. You get 10-20 minutes of hot water and then it's empty, and you have to wait an hour or so for the tank to recover heat.
The water heater isn't nearly powerful enough to heat the water as you use it. That would take like 20,000 watts, and your water heater is only 4500 watts. So it heats the tank of water slowly, over time. And you are using that already-heated hot water, until it runs out. (the heater is desperately trying to heat it, but it just can't make it more than half tepid).
So here's a funny fact: If you turned the water heater OFF at the circuit breaker panel, the water in the tank is still hot. You could take a shower with it, and not notice a thing. It would "run out and go cold" about the same time it normally does.
So that's exactly what you can do! A 30-gallon (140 liter) tank should warm up in 45 minutes give or take. So leave the circuit breaker switched off. About an hour before you plan to use it, switch the circuit breaker ON. Then right before you use it, switch it off. Take your shower with the hot water in the tank (that you just heated) and you finish with tank full of cold water you didn't have to pay to heat.
If someone is stealing your hot water, they will be in for a rude surprise.
Most likely they have simply taken the hot water for granted, and have never thought about where it comes from. When they find the hot water is dead, they will search the building for a circuit breaker. If they find yours, they will switch it back on.
The second time it happens, they will go back to that breaker and switch it on again. And if they then find a lock on that door, there will be a heck of a fight. Get it?
So your best bet is to put a lock on that door first. If they can't open it, they won't find the breaker, and they will have the landlord call a plumber. The plumber will come out and see "well, this apartment is coming off that other apartment's hot water!" and will recommend that be corrected by giving that apartment its own heater. The landlord will be in a pickle, because telling the plumber to leave it that way is admitting they are allowing tenants to steal each other's water.
* AKA 2300 BTU per kg/litre of water collected, aka 0.68kWh per kg/litre.
** or 2.2kW if that's how they sell it in your market.
- 276,940
- 24
- 257
- 671
-
3
-
3I kinda disagree with your "worst that could happen". Yes, its very unlikely that you damage anything but repeated flipping of the breaker isn't that great for sensitive electronics. If you aren't testing something's power draw I'd recommend unplugging it. – Borgh Aug 12 '22 at 13:30
-
A tankless heater for an apartment can be in the 10-15 kW range (in fact that's exactly what my apartment has). I have also seen (in EU) small tankless water heaters installed for a single specific tap which plug into a regular socket, which means they're around 2 kW. And that's enough for washing hands. – jaskij Aug 12 '22 at 15:22
-
3In managing A/C costs, you can add night cycling; if temperatures drop below 25°C or so at night, open the windows to let cool air in. Then close the windows and blinds as soon as the outdoor temperature rises above the indoor temperature. You could even install a system that does this automatically (my workplace does, although admittedly the climate is less hot than in Texas, it does get regularly above 35°C nowadays due to climate change). We manage to keep indoor temperatures below 27°C on days it's 39°C outside — we don't have A/C and use about 1 MWh (3.6 GJ) of electricity per year. – gerrit Aug 12 '22 at 15:35
-
@gerrit edit altered. Doing literal translation of metric units doesn't always work. For instance "0.46kWh per 0.45 kg" should be factored out. 5000 BTU is not convertible since it is a *trade size* like 1/2 NPT or a "ten gallon hat". – Harper - Reinstate Monica Aug 12 '22 at 21:31
-
@jaskij tankless are even bigger than that. A UK "electric shower" is 8.5-9.5KW, and they must be limiting shower flow to 1 to 1.25 GPM assuming typical supply temperature and rise. That's just math, 3.41 BTU per watt-hour. Efforts to scrimp it down to 10-15kw is the cause of many *failures* of tankless installations. The water goes tepid at full flow, and the other family members will not accept "reduce flow". So the unit must be ripped out and rolled back to tanked. – Harper - Reinstate Monica Aug 12 '22 at 22:26
-
@Borgh I didn't propose *repeated* flipping of the breaker, and I don't agree with your assessment that "delicate" electronics can't survive breaker cuts. That is no different than unplugging them – Harper - Reinstate Monica Aug 12 '22 at 22:31
-
@Harper-ReinstateMonica speaking from experience, we have, if memory serves, a 12 or 15 kW unit, and it works just fine. That said, we have low water pressure, so drawing water while someone takes a shower is a problem. Those little 2 kW units I have mostly seen in places like club/pub toilets, to heat the water for the tap to wash hands with. – jaskij Aug 12 '22 at 23:04
-
Another point is, the unit is electronically controlled. Our previous unit was pressure-controlled, and it sometimes took me five minutes to get the temperature just right (no thermostat in the shower itself). Buying an electronically controlled unit is a big help. – jaskij Aug 12 '22 at 23:06
-
@jaskij that didn't happen by accident. It only works because it was part of an overall design strategy, which included low-flow faucets and showerheads. Otherwise it would have failed. And that may not be a pressure issue, even if pressure was tip top, full draw from 2 faucets would be difficult. But that's nothing new, every house I've ever lived in created consequences for the shower user if a faucet was used. – Harper - Reinstate Monica Aug 12 '22 at 23:22
-
@Harper-ReinstateMonica nah, it's simply an apartment in an old house on the top of the hill. I think we're one of the few highest placed houses in the whole town. And I picked the new tankless heater simply by googling and matching to our previous one (although the old one *was* picked by a pro). – jaskij Aug 12 '22 at 23:24
-
My 2-hose portable AC vents collected water to the outside. I have never emptied it in the 5+ years I've operated it, nor does it have a drain hose. It is also pressure-neutral because of the dual vents. – Lawnmower Man Aug 13 '22 at 21:43
-
is there a source for your claim that "If you pay the meter, you have ABSOLUTE control of every circuit breaker fed by that meter."? does this depend on jurisdiction and/or local laws? – Developer_ACE Aug 14 '22 at 15:14
-
@Developer_ACE -- at least in the US, it's true as a function of the NEC rules for access to breakers – ThreePhaseEel Aug 14 '22 at 19:46
-
2@Developer_ACE notwithstanding a contractual commitment to the contrary, but it would have to be spelled out, not implicit in "you rent here, therefore you must put up with the wiring as-is". Per NEC, a building will not get a permit if non-tenant loads are placed on a tenant meter. That is serious business with commons loads. – Harper - Reinstate Monica Aug 14 '22 at 20:06
-
1@Harper-ReinstateMonica maybe this is now off topic but does the NEC differentiate which tenant (i.e the one paying that meter vs their cohabitants vs a different tenant/leaseholder in another room of the same building)? "non-tenant loads" seems to clearly rule out loads from landlord stuff (such as lighting in common spaces) but what about a situation where one tenants oven, for example, is hooked up to a different tenants panel? – Developer_ACE Aug 14 '22 at 23:01
-
1@Developer_ACE that's what I meant... a tenant's panel can't power commons loads or other tenants' loads. Places wired prior to that rule's enactment would be grandfathered *if* the work done was legal at the time the permit was pulled. Illegal-when-done work is never grandfathered. I suspect the reason for the rule is that unfair tapping is usually *unsafe* tapping. – Harper - Reinstate Monica Aug 15 '22 at 01:29
Everything so far is guessing. Unless you have both abnormally high water bills to go with the high electricity bills, there is no reason to assume it is the water heater. You need to narrow things down a bit.
- Get a Kill a Watt:
and use that to monitor any significant 120V plug-in devices. That won't help for your A/C, water heater, dryer or other 240V appliances. But it will tell you what your refrigerator and a lot of other things are using.
Consider other differences. Did you previously have gas hot water or dryer? Any other significant usage changes?
How old is the air conditioner? Any idea how efficient it is?
Try turning off every breaker in your panel. Then turn things on one at a time until everything you use is working. If you have any breakers left over, leave them off and see if anyone complains.
Check the rates on your old and new bills. Your previous locations (even if nearby) may have had significantly lower rates per kWh and/or fewer taxes/surcharges/etc.
How big is this house compared to your previous houses? Not just square feet, but also tall ceilings. Are the windows and doors in good shape (single vs. double pane, weatherstripping, etc.) A lot of cold air can be lost through old windows and doors, even when you're not home.
- 94,107
- 9
- 116
- 276
-
3Strongly seconded on measuring. If you don't want to buy several of those things, you can measure your high consumption devices one full weekday and one full weekend day, and multiply these with 5 and 2 respectively to get a representative week's usage. And it helps getting an idea of what your neighbours are using (if you're on friendly terms you can tell them you're trying to figure out your energy bill and want some comparative data, without mentioning your suspicions). Considering the global effects of the war in Ukraine, I'm sure they understand and are willling to help. – MiG Aug 11 '22 at 13:14
-
How do you determine air conditioner actual efficiency (not from labels) – Ruskes Aug 11 '22 at 17:45
-
Mostly it is from labels. The labels are based on everything working properly, but basically SEER comes from BTUs (which is a standard measure of an air conditioner's capacity) and power usage (which should be on the label). The efficiency is not in terms of "exactly how well is it doing today" which will vary depending on everything from dirty filters to motors wearing out to improperly set up ductwork. It is an "ideal" efficiency based on when the unit was new and (assumes) properly installed - which can be compared to available new units to evaluate replacement. – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact Aug 11 '22 at 18:07
-
Depends on the unit, but higher end models will have a data port (IR or otherwise) that you can get readouts from. This should include the COP at that time, energy consumption (electricity or gas) and the heat output. – MiG Aug 11 '22 at 19:31
It needn't be the hot water. A friend and I once rented adjacent apartments. His power bill was notably higher than mine. It was later determined that the outside lighting on the building was all fed from his meter, and he negotiated a rent reduction to compensate.
- 91
- 1
-
5In most jurisdictions that's a blatantly illegal (not to say all that uncommon, slumlords do have their habits) arrangement. – Ecnerwal Aug 12 '22 at 17:41
If you want to properly rule out the water heater then turn it off using the electrical panel and go away for 2 1/2 weeks again. If your bill is only $30 cheaper again then it's not the water heater.
Assuming that you're a normal person who cannot simply go away for 2 1/2 weeks without notice then try sitting near the water heater during times when you'd expect a neighbor to be showering or using hot water in general. You should be able to hear water rushing through the pipes.
Additionally, check what you're paying per KWh. If it keeps varying wildly then that would explain the unprecedented bills. Since you're in Texas you should keep an eye out for price gouging.
- 15,488
- 2
- 21
- 57
-
3If you turn it off and go away for 2 1/2 weeks, you'll find out pretty quickly if your neighbors are sharing it! – gbronner Aug 11 '22 at 18:05
-
10You don't have to go anywhere and it doesn't take two weeks. Shut of the heater and you will find out in a couple of hours who no longer has hot water. – Pilothead Aug 11 '22 at 23:56
XY problem here.
The real problem: your electricity bill is high.
Your proposed solution: find who leeches the hot water.
If someone steals your hot water, chances are that at least once in a while you will be surprised with a cold water instead of hot one - unless your daily schedule has a very strong pattern and the thief knows it very well.
Your water bill will suffer as well.
The utility company may recommend you something about the water heater based on the electricity usage patterns. Then again, depending on the time granularity of their measurement, a lot of things can mimic a water heater.
...or they just give you a generic recommendation instead of a personalized advice on your bill.
There are other, more probable reasons why your bill is high:
Your electricity meter is broken. Yes, this does happen sometimes.
You are paying at unexpectedly high rate. I don't know how the US energy market is regulated, but are you paying your bill to the utility company or to your landlord?
You are using some profoundly inefficient appliance and/or in a profoundly inefficient manner. The A/C is the first suspect. How old is it? Central, split, window or portable (with an air hose) type? Open (even slightly) windows or doors?
Aquariums?
Gaming computer?
- You are "sharing" your metered electricity and not your hot water. Electricity is much easier to steal compared to the hot water.
@Harper answer deals with this possibility very well.
I personally researched like 10 cases of unexpectedly high electricity bills. Out of 10, it was only 2 of them with a real stealing (and one of them a result of a misguided attempt to steal from the utility company that the previous inhabitants did).
- 2,821
- 5
- 11
-
Texas is *infamously* unregulated on power rates, as seen in both cold and hot incidents over the past couple of years where rates have gone to absurd levels, leading to news coverage but no actual changes, for reasons suitable only to the politics stack – Ecnerwal Aug 12 '22 at 17:39
-
-
@Ecnerwal the *rates* are set by a formula that is quite straightforward, all based around the concept of the value of lost load "VOLL" (i.e. people are willing to pay more for power as it becomes more scarce). What's political is how the VOLL number is set, and the entire rate structure itself. – LShaver Aug 13 '22 at 19:23
Another thing you could do to monitor the usage from your electrical panel is to use a contactless home energy monitor, such as sense (cheaper versions are probably also available, you can also DIY it).
These work by clipping around the cables in your electrical panel and take advantage of the small magnetic fields generated by power running through a wire to allow you to measure that power. Depending on how your panel was installed, you may or may not be able to see these wires coming out the top. Commercial versions like sense may also have guides on how to install this by removing the cover of your panel.
If you suspect the water heater is being used by neighbors, put the meter on that wire and start monitoring power use. Maybe take a shower to get a baseline for what the power use looks like before, during and after, and then see if this pattern is repeated at times of day where you aren't taking a shower.
- 111
- 1
Ok this is on the UK ..but same everywhere. I fitted meters electric and gas for major suppliers and it’s not that uncommon for someone to be tapping into your supplies. This especially happens in multiple housing complexes. I’ve fitted a smart meter which showed heavy use even though our process was to turn off customers sockets and appliances. I told her to contact an electrician to find the connection. This woman had been paying over the top for 15 + years. I thought it may have been the tenant above as he had a lot of interest in what I was doing
Innocent mistake by the builders that flat plot numbers are not going to be the flat number for tenants . Seen a lot of crossed meters where people are paying for each other’s meter consumption. One young guy was paying for a family above him and was delighted to find out the supplier owed him some thousands in overpayments …likewise the family were in for a shock to receive the proper bill.
You would be surprised on how often these type scenarios happen.
Do turn off your consumer unit at peak time ……maybe a Saturday night and see if your usage goes up on the meter.
As for your water heater you could have fitted a water meter to the supply to see if you have unauthorised use.
- 1
- 1