Power company meter readers

[Lindaloo]

Is it legal for them to guesstimate your meter reading every month? The past 2 months my friends meter has not been read and she has a high power bill. Last months bill was only 2 dollars off from the previous month. They also came to her home to change out the meter because they claim to be updating them. She would not let them change it because she said hers is not broken why fix it.

The power company claims that this is not illegal for them to guess a meter reading every month. So, I am assuming they can charge the customer any price they want to??

[GalvestonDuck]

I'm sure it depends upon city and state regulations also. But maybe some of this will help?

http://www.wutc.wa.gov/webdocs.nsf/af56 ... enDocument

Estimated reading: When your energy bill is a calculated guess

Not all bills are what they seem. Gas and electric companies are allowed to bill customers based on an estimate of how much gas or electricity was used during a given billing period.

The most common reason for an estimated bill is that the meter reader found it impossible or hazardous to reach the meter. For instance, an intimidating dog in a yard, unusually foul weather or a locked gate may lead to an estimated bill. A company may estimate a bill if a meter has stopped functioning or is believed to be providing incorrect readings.

To estimate a bill, the company will typically look at the customer’s bill for the same billing period from the previous year. Although an estimated read may result in a consumer’s being billed an amount higher or lower than what was actually used, the account will balance out on the next actual read.

An estimated bill must be clearly identified as such. Puget Sound Energy, for instance, prints "Est'd" on the bill, right next to the space that says "present reading."

To avoid surprises, or to see the effects of cold weather on energy consumption, customers can read their own electric or gas meter(s). The gas or electric company can provide instructions on this relatively simple process. Consumers can also find out from their utility when their meter will be read so that they can take their own reading at the same time and compare it to their monthly bill.

Customers who suspect that a meter is malfunctioning can ask their utility to check the instrument for accuracy.

http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/Forum37/HTML/007936.html

[CaptinCrunch]

That is the kind of CRAP I have with TXU where I live, have only lived in the house for 6 months now. Have had them send out a tech and he did his little test and found nothing wrong with our meter however TXU said that our address has always had a high reading even though my neighbors nextdoor and across the street have lower electric bills than we do and they have the same # of people that live in the house as we do.

PS. I get upset everytime I find a light or tv left on by the kids or wife. I'm known as the house nazi

[tronbunny]

if you think your bill is high...
search for little "energy vampires".
power chargers for batteries, laptops, razors, cell phones, etc.. are made of transformers, that will continuously draw current when plugged into an outlet, even if what you are charging is not connected.
Many of today's modern appliances still draw power when switched off, due to the electronic circuitry that actually controls the "big" power switches.
I know they don't draw much, but every little bit helps.

[CaptinCrunch]

Top Five Energy Vampires living in your home

1. Central Heat & Air
2. Hot Water heater
3. Stove (oven)
4. Clothes Dryer
5. Fridge

[Lindaloo]

I have had this problem too. One month my bill was almost 300. The next month it was over 300. I called and complained. My bill the following month was 86. Go figure. IMO, it should be illegal. The meter is the perfect way for a company to make that extra buck at the customers expense.

[GalvestonDuck]

I agree. Never had it happen to me though.

Like it said in that one article, a customer can read their own meter also. Maybe if a customer called and demanded to only pay the metered amount, the company would change it and alter the bill?

[Yankeegirl]

My pet peeve with the electric companies is that when they come to shut off the power, I have been too late a few times, they have no problem getting in the backyard with my horse of a great dane... But when I pay the bill and tell them to turn it on, they say that someone has to be home and the dog needs to be put away before they will go back there and turn it on.. Makes NO sence to me!!! When I had my baby, I forgot to pay the bill, I had other things on my mind, they turned ot off, and it took them 4 days to turn it back on, cause I was in the hospital...I lost everything in my fridge and freezer... I should have reported them!

[coriolis]

Yeah, what GDuck said. One can read their own meter and call it in. If you under-report it, they catch up with you when they do the next reading.

When I moved, my first electric bill was $60, and the next month it was $300. Hopefully it will stabilize with the 3rd month. I'm not crazy about it, but in the long run, we get billed the right amount. If the bill is too high one month, you can pay part of it, if you anticipate that it will be less the next month. From personal experience here, it has to be 60 days overdue before they even start threatening to shut it off. And they give you opportunities to set up a budget plan too.

The electric meters are tamperproof, and I'm sure they are manufactured, tested, etc, with strict quality control and oversight. I wouldn't think that they'd get away with it for long if they tried to rip people off with inaccurate meters.

My beef is the local tv cable companies. No credit given for times when the service is out. At least with electric, when it's out, you don't use any and it doesn't register on the meter.

[Persepone]

Comments to various people:

If there were different tenants when the house experienced the "high energy" bills, the electric company needs to know the house now has different tenants living in it. My girlfriend and I have significantly different habits and significantly different power consumption for almost identical houses.

Some of those "power vampires"mentioned (especially things like TVs that have circuits that are "always on" actually use quite a bit of power. The thing you can do to track them is go around the house and UNPLUG stuff, item by item, and go outside and watch your meter turn itself around--and eventually, after you get stuff unplugged, it should stop almost completely (if you still have furnace, hot water heater, etc. on) or completely if you actually shut those off too. If you can't get your meter to "stop" you may have a real power vampire--like the people next door!!!

I actually had this situation. People next door ran their hot water heater on my electric meter! My cries fell on deaf ears at the power company, but a friend who was an HVAC engineer did the unplugging, etc. to "prove" that something was on the meter that should not be.

Also, do not discount the concept of a defective meter. Your friend should do two things: first she should write down the meter readings herself each month--and second, after writing down the meter reading, she should let them replace it immediately! It may well be defective. The law in CT requires that they change the meters every 10 years because meters do become inaccurate over time... You can--and should--go outside once a month--as close to the day your meter is allegedly read--and read it yourself--just copy down all the little numbers! For example, every first of the month, every 15th, every 20th, etc. You can then do the arithmetic--it is simple subtraction. Subtract last month's reading from this month's reading and you know how much electricity you used.

The "order of magnitude" should be right--if it is not, then you have an issue. Your kilowatt consumption from house, to house, for example should be pretty consistent if you have not changed any of your appliances, etc. (Note if the electric rates are different in the two houses, you bill may be different.) Of course if you dramatically change appliances, then that may explain some of the differences. However, you can read the ratings on each of your appliances and find out what each uses when it is on/on standby and do the arithmetic and figure out what you should be using... By the way, this exercise in figuring out what electricity stuff uses may prompt you to replace an appliance. It costs less for us to use our central air conditioning as a "dehumidifier" than it cost us to run our old dehumidifiers! We don't need the A/C for "cooling" but we DO need it to dehumidify... Replacing an electric hot water heater may have a quick payback even when you factor in the plumber, the gas line for it, etc. Even if there was "nothing wrong" with the old electric hot water heater.

And, yes, Yankee Girl, it is simply amazing how quick they are to cut you off and how quick they are to complain about the dog, etc. but how much of a pain they are about getting there to turn it back on. And yes, you should have reported them because I think it illegal to turn off power when there is a new baby, a person over 65, someone who is disabled in the house, etc. without notifying a third party and providing a longer time frame for the bill to get paid. It's about a 30 day grace period. I know that because we once were "landlords" and the power company notified us. As in your situation, the tenant was in the hospital--they paid the bill when they got out and that was the end of it--but the power co. could not just "shut them off."

[alicia-w]

you can guesstimate yourself what your usage is. by looking at your bill, you pretty much know what the billing cycle is. do they say what date the meter was "read"? if you scribble down the numbers, then you can compare it when you get the bill. better yet, take a digital photo, time/date stamp it, and save it as evidence for when you go down there and give them holy heck!

[CaptinCrunch]

I covered the glass meter cover with a thick coating of mud yesterday after it rained, it's suppost to be read this week sometime, well see if has been cleaned so it can be read.