Estimated bills...

**mombottoo** · 01-12-2010, 09:40 PM

I detest it when they estimate my light bill!!!! They always estimate it way high and it drives me bonkers! Last month we used 850 kwhs and this month the estimate is for 1629 kwhs...weather is the same, meaning cold as it was last month. Guess I'm going to have to pull out the boots & go read the darned meter myself!

**Greebo** · 01-13-2010, 05:57 AM

Do you have a budget billing option where you live? It at least stabilizes the monthly expense...

duva1080 · 01-13-2010, 06:23 AM

Do you own or rent?
Sometimes the estimate is based on the prior years bill.

I think it is based on the houses usage, not the account persons usage, but every electric company has different ways to handle it.

So if you used 1800 last year, that might be where they get there estimate from.

When I used to live in Plattsburgh NY I used to miss the call in usage every time, one month they would read it and the next we were supposed to call it in, and we forgot, they estimated it.

**mombottoo** · 01-13-2010, 09:06 AM

Yes, we have budget plans available in my area. But, my bills are usually $65-$85 per month depending on the season.

We own our home, and they are basing it on last years...but, that was also estimated! Wish they would take the bill due in January & the one from February & average them...then they would get a more accurate reading. February's bill is going to be substantially lower...last year it dropped by 651 kwhs from Jan-Feb. They are just idiots...

Last years kwhs...Dec. 850, Nov. 748, Oct. 970, Sept. 969, Aug. 996, July 817, June 575, May 759, Apr. 805, Mar. 858, Feb. 946 and Jan. 1597.

Now, this month they say it's 1629...we've never used that much juice...not ever and in the summer we have 3 portable air conditioners going! The usage for Sept. & Oct. is a little higher than it normally is because we had to turn on the darned furnace way early this season.

**McD** · 01-13-2010, 09:33 AM

Originally Posted by mombottoo

Yes, we have budget plans available in my area. But, my bills are usually $65-$85 per month depending on the season.

We own our home, and they are basing it on last years...but, that was also estimated! Wish they would take the bill due in January & the one from February & average them...then they would get a more accurate reading. February's bill is going to be substantially lower...last year it dropped by 651 kwhs from Jan-Feb. They are just idiots...

Last years kwhs...Dec. 850, Nov. 748, Oct. 970, Sept. 969, Aug. 996, July 817, June 575, May 759, Apr. 805, Mar. 858, Feb. 946 and Jan. 1597.

Now, this month they say it's 1629...we've never used that much juice...not ever and in the summer we have 3 portable air conditioners going! The usage for Sept. & Oct. is a little higher than it normally is because we had to turn on the darned furnace way early this season.

They aren't idiots. They are following a specific formula to calculate their estimate based on what their billing software needs. I work at a water utility and we get lots of nasty calls about stuff like this when people don't take the steps to correct it, so I am probably overly sensitive/compassionate to your electric company. (I'm not saying it's your fault at all--but here, we install and maintain automatic meter readers free and people insist on NOT getting them and NOT providing readings, then complaining when we have to estimate their bill.)

When our billing software estimate someone's bill (it's very rare that we as employees actually calculate it ourselves) it goes to the read from this time last year. If that read was estimated, then it goes to the next actual reading that they have. It then looks at the days in the billing cycle and pro-rates it based on that--then there is a specific formula it plugs the numbers into to base the estimate.

However, we did set it up to cap at a certain number because if someone's bill estimated for 6 months, then had a really high read because of a leak, pool fill or an under-estimate, we don't want it to estimate their bill super high based off that read, kwim?

I would suggest reading your meter, calling them and asking for a corrected bill. I would also see if they offer automatic meter readers that they install. The water company and gas/electric company install and maintain them at no cost to customers here.

Sorry--I know it's frustrating to open a bill and see way more than what you know it should be. The electric company should be able to rebill you.

**monkeywrangler71** · 01-13-2010, 09:40 AM

Our electric company estimates every second month based on the previous year. Of course, because there are an even number of months in a year, the estimated months are always the same. Which means this year's estimates are based on last years's estimates, which are based of the previous year's estimates, and on and on.

Our's were ridiculously out of whack with what we were actually using because the previous owners used so much more than us. In order to break the cycle, I had to read the meter and call it in on the estimated months for a year. Since then our estimates have been in line with our actual use.

**mombottoo** · 01-13-2010, 09:55 AM

Originally Posted by MrsMcDowell

They aren't idiots. They are following a specific formula to calculate their estimate based on what their billing software needs. ......

Sorry--I know it's frustrating to open a bill and see way more than what you know it should be. The electric company should be able to rebill you.

Then the program they are using is an idiot. I understand how estimating works, I just don't agree with estimating. I have a meter on the side of my house, they can come out and read it. Or, if they choose to estimate they can use actual usage figures to reach the estimate. Every year they estimate this particular month's bill, based on last years usage...which means they are basing it on inaccurate information. I know I can read the meter, call it in and get a new bill. But, if they averaged my usage it would be 908 kwh which is actually more in line with what our monthly usage is...kwim. It's just bugs me that they choose to estimate, rather than actually taking the time to read the meter when they charge like they do for electricity.

I don't open my bills anyway...do everything online...save a tree, postage & all that stuff.

**shortstack** · 01-22-2010, 02:46 PM

If you call in your readings for the estimates for a year, next year's estimates will be based on your actual readings from the year before. Does that make sense?
We got a new heating system one year and the estimates were way off so I read them every other month and called them in. The year after that I didn't have to read them because the estimates were closer to our actual use.

HTH
Andrea

**starsapphire** · 01-22-2010, 03:34 PM

DH and I live in the land of magical medical marijauna

We have a friend, lives in a little valley about 5-10 minutes from here. Most of his neighbors grow indoors, and the power company won't read the house meters. (prolly scared, I would be) so they estimate from the street pole and divide by how many houses on that line. He's been getting $500 bills all autumn and real angry about it, I don't blame him. He was ready to move because of it.

Haven't talked to him in a while, next time we see him I'll have to ask him whatever happened with that.

**frugalwarrior2** · 01-22-2010, 04:02 PM

My new meter reader is great but the last one-not so much...(insert uglies). If he would come he would complain my dogs were out. I would ask him to pop over when he did the other side of the street so I could get them in. I would get an estimate 3 out of 4 times. i have lived at my residence over 10 years,no new furnace, no pool and they always run it high. A nasty reader can skew the system too. Seeing he's gone I feel I may not have been the only not so happy resident.
I would call and request to have someone out.

**MTS04** · 01-30-2010, 02:54 AM

i hate estimated bills too. It's the nature of the beast, i guess.

**militlady** · 01-30-2010, 03:07 AM

we have estimated bills in the winter because there is just too much snow to get to the meter to actually read it. We have even pay and pay the same amount every month so estimating ours doesn't really matter. They do the same thing with our water bill too because the meter is in the ground and right now we have about 3 feet of snow on top of the meter. But they have been pretty accurate with our estimates.

I have to say that I would freak out if I got a bill for $500 every month for my electric bill. Wow

**ladytoysdream** · 01-30-2010, 07:34 AM

I been on the phone monthly now with the electric company on the day they are supposed to take a reading. I give them mine. I been tracking our daily readings of kwh for just over a year now, and I log into a book. So I will know what I use per month, what kind of weather that day was, etc, etc. I also make extra notes on the day a reading was supposed to be. I pity them if they try to tell me it was a snow storm on a day I wrote down was clear and calm. All they have to do is drive by and aim their little gadget. They have a clear shot of our meter. No ands ifs or buts. And in the winter, they actually drive by twice , because when they get about a 1/2 mile beyond us, the road goes seasonal and not plowed in the winter, and they HAVE to turn around.
One estimate they gave us over a year ago, was way too high. I just don't give them the chance any more to do it again. And no they won't adjust it either. You pay it....wrong or not.
And now they are asking for 2011 to add more delivery charge money to the bills . I hope they get denied, but I doubt that will happen. So much for trying to keep the bill down.