If you have been wondering why your neighbour’s electricity units last longer than yours, even when you recharge the same electricity units and use almost the same home appliances like them, search no further because we are going to show you different reasons why it happens like that.
There are many reasons why your neighbour’s electricity units last longer than yours. Some of the reasons are different energy consumption patterns, meter type and tariff band differences, shared power load in compounds, etc. When your neighbour consumes less energy than you do, is in a lower tariff plan, etc., their electricity units are likely to last longer than yours.
Nevertheless, apart from these factors, there are other factors that may also cause your neighbour’s electricity units to last longer than yours. We are going to discuss them in detail in the subsequent sections.
Reasons Why Your Neighbour’s Electricity Units Last Longer Than Yours
The major reasons why your neighbour’s electricity units last longer than yours are detailed below. Kindly go through it.
1. Different energy consumption patterns
The number one reason why your neighbour’s electricity units may last longer than yours is if both of you have different energy consumption patterns. For instance, if your neighbour is using energy-efficient appliances, adopts energy-efficient behaviours like unplugging devices when not in use, and cooks with gas instead of electric cookers, while you don’t do any of those things, your electricity units are going to finish faster than your neighbour’s because they don’t waste their electricity units.
2. Meter Type and Tariff Band Differences
Another reason that may cause your electricity units to finish faster than your neighbour’s own is due to the type of prepaid meter that you are using and tariff band differences. All prepaid meters are not created equal, and in addition to that, if you and your neighbour are on different tariff bands, like say you are in Band A while your neighbour is in Band B, your electricity will be finished faster than your neighbour’s.
Electricity consumers in Band A pay more for electricity than those in Bands C & D. In the same vein, those using a three-phase prepaid meter may likely pay more for electricity than those using a single-phase meter. So, if your neighbor is using a single-phase meter and in Band C, while you are using three-phase meter type and you are in Band A, your electricity units will finish faster than your neighbour’s.
3. Shared Power Load in Compounds or Apartments
If you live in a flat or a multi-tenant compound, where there are many tenants, you might be powering many apartments or other tenants unknowingly. For instance, if the pumping machine serving the entire compound is wired to your meter, shared security lights or electric fences are linked to your unit, or another flat’s wiring might be wrongly connected to yours, it can cause your electricity units to finish faster than your neighbour’s.
4. Electricity Theft or Illegal Connections
Your neighbour’s electricity units may also last longer than yours if someone is tapping your electricity illegally. Once another person is using your electricity without your knowledge, your electricity will definitely finish faster than your neighbours who are only using theirs independently.
5. Faulty Prepaid Meter
If your prepaid meter is faulty or wrongly calibrated, poorly installed, or misconfigured, your units may finish faster than your neighbours because it might be recording more units than it should.
6. Tampered Meter by Previous Tenants
The last reason on our list that may cause your electricity units to finish faster than your neighbours is that your meter was tampered with by previous tenants. If your meter was tampered with by a previous tenant, your units might finish faster than your neighbours.
How to Make Your Electricity Units Last Longer than Your Neighbour’s Own
There are different measures that you can take to make your electricity units last longer. Those measures include but are not limited to:
- Start using energy-saving appliances.
- Switch off your household appliances when not in use
- Avoid using energy-consuming appliances regularly
- Maintain your household appliances regularly.
Conclusion
From our discussion so far, we have seen that there are different reasons why your neighbour’s electricity units may last longer than yours, like different energy consumption patterns, meter type and tariff band differences, shared power load in compounds, tampered meters by previous tenants, etc. However, you can make your electricity units last longer by using energy-saving appliances, switching off household appliances when not in use, avoiding using energy-consuming appliances regularly, etc. With these measures, your electricity units will last longer.