Hey everyone! I recently installed an energy monitoring device at my new house, but I haven't moved in yet due to some updates. I've noticed some curious power spikes: a little jump in electricity usage from about 150w to 300w at the top and bottom of every hour. I'm not quite sure what might be causing this. The only appliances I have are a gas boiler, gas hot water heater, an old fridge, an air filter, and an internet modem. I suspect the fridge might be the culprit, but I'd love to hear any thoughts or suggestions on how to narrow this down. Thanks!
3 Answers
You might want to consider getting a smart energy meter that can provide detailed usage for each breaker, but if you're suspecting it’s the fridge, try shutting off its breaker right before the time you see the spike. That way, you can pinpoint if it’s causing the issue. And just a heads up, do you have any UPS systems for your network gear? They sometimes run self-tests which could cause similar spikes.
One simple way to track down the source of the spikes is to unplug or turn off your devices one by one to see if the power draw drops. Your fridge can survive being unplugged for an hour if you don't open the door. If you have real-time data from your energy monitor, you could also listen for your fridge kicking on—just see if the usage spikes when it does.
It definitely sounds like your fridge could be powering up the compressor or fan for a little while. If the spike is noticeable every hour, that could be the case. Since you haven't moved in yet, you can try toggling the breakers for the different circuits. If the issue keeps occurring after that, maybe unplug the fridge for a couple of hours and see what happens.