What happens if my max demand meter has never been reset since installation?

Question

Three registers on my max demand meter read as follows: Max dem 1 = 13.81kw.
Max dem 2 = 10.86kw. Max dem 3 = 2.92 kvar. These settings do not alter - albeit my max demand meter has never been re-set. What do these settings mean and are these figures used to multiply average usage.

Since I've had this meter installed my consumption in kwh has increased by three times my previous historical kwh usage.

Answer 1

Is the electric utility billing you for a demand charge? Perhaps they have a demand meter installed, but never reset it since you are not on a demand rate.

Another possibility is that the physical meter has a demand register, but the utility is using Automated Meter Reading (AMR) technology that does not require them to physically visit the meter. Check your past few electric bills and look for varying demand usages. Hopefully these values vary.

The kVAr value is used to bill customers based on their power factor. Each utility has different tariffs regarding power factor.

It is possible that your previous electric meter was abnormally slow and incorrectly measuring your consumption. Mechanical meters had moving parts that rely on bearings. It is possible that there were worn parts causing the disk to rotate slower than it should. Compare your usage to similar buildings/customers and see if you're in the ballpark.

Feel free to e-mail me with details.