Help with elec bill!!!!!

**Lea** · 07-28-2006, 11:09 AM

We are in serious trouble!!!
Last year, in July, our average KWH usage was 54.7. Not super high for hot days, but not super low either.
Last month the average daily use was 137.8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My bill was $596!!!!!!!
When I recovered from my immediate stroke, I called the company. Apparently, the guy on the other end has not visited his own company website. He tried to convince me that three new Hunter ceiling fans and a pool pump used over $300 over the course of one month. Oh, okay! The website says it should cost $2-$4 per month for these combined!
Now,we have had a problem with our a/c, and just got it cleaned last weekend, at which point it started to actually put out without running all day long. So I expected an increased bill, but we have a raised ranch 1,300 sq. ft. home! How high can it possibly be? Also, our area did have a heat wave, and we also just had a rate increase. The KWHs used increased so much though! That has nothing to do with a rate increase! It almost tripled! We have one more child, but she is only 4 months old! We only had three children last year. I used my dishwasher and laundry just as much last year. In fact, I just replaced my inefficient appliances with new ones. We had a freezer go up, too.

I am just sick over this. I am trying to pay down debt, deal with my husband's unpredictable paychecks (construction job), and now we have this huge bill. I have already had to break a payment arrangement with them in the last month, so I am not sure if they will let me do one with this or not.
Should I start tracking our KWHs per day to make sure we don't have a short somewhere or something?

If this happens again, we may have to go Amish.

Any ideas or opinions?

(Oh, and we are keeping the a/c on 75 or above, all lights out when we don't need them, fans on to blow the cold air around, tv time limited, we use propane to cook, and we have almost all flourescent bulbs now.)

Leocea

**fernykins** · 07-28-2006, 11:30 AM

I would faint if my electric bill was that high.........Have them come out and read the meter again..........Have them check the the meter to see if its working right.........
Fern

**frugalfarmwife** · 07-28-2006, 11:34 AM

You've got something really sucking the energy. I'd find a way to check the appliances etc and see what is drawing so much, this just seems impossible for a home! That bill would make me just sick too!

Good luck!

kj

**Dixie** · 07-28-2006, 11:37 AM

Welcome to the Village, Lea.

I agree with Fernykins and I think it would be a good idea to track your kw usage everyday, too. I hope you can get this issue resolved.

**Buckeye5** · 07-28-2006, 01:11 PM

I know that my pool pump pulls alot of electric, do you have your pump on a timer? This has helped us tremendously.

**Michelle68** · 07-28-2006, 03:07 PM

Lea, welcome to Frugal Village. I know that when we had problems with A/C and it ran all day, our electricity bill was higher. I just don't see that it would be THAT much higher. (Especially for the size of your house which is just a little bigger than ours.) I also think it would be a good idea to track your daily kilowatt usage. Do you think the electricity company would let you split the bill up in payments?

--Michelle

**MOMMYDEAREST** · 07-28-2006, 03:10 PM

omg i would of died when i opened that bill!!! good luck!!!

**Lea** · 07-28-2006, 05:52 PM

I am hoping and praying that the electric company lets me pay in payments!
I have a distant cousin who is also an electrician coming tomorrow to figure this out.
I called the company again, and they said it sounds like our hot water heater, a/c unit or our well pump is either malfunctioning or going up.
I am so sick about this! I just finished putting some money aside for emergencies last month, but I hate to use it right away!
If I have to, I have to, but it is disheartening.
I am hoping that we can resolve this quickly.

Leocea

**LastDragonfly** · 07-28-2006, 06:29 PM

Lea,
Don't panic---yet. I have tenants that this happens to all the time. First I tell them to breathe.

Ok next call your electric company and ask for a re-read on your meter. Tell them that you need to know exactly why your bill is this way.

One of my tenants just got a bill for $6000.00 her bill last month was $119. The electric company came out and re-read the meter and of course it was their mistake not my tenants. My tenant did have to request the re-read and stay on top of if for a few days until it was done. But it all turned out ok in the end and they corrected their error.

We also had the same problem last summer at the end of the "averaging contract" and had to pay a lump sum to the electric company.

Good luck!

**Springer** · 07-31-2006, 09:27 AM

Wow, I would be sick also. As others have said, you either have a very malfunctioning appliance (AC) or a bad meter. I have 1200 SQ rancher with a heat pump and also run a pool filter 8-12 hours a day. My worst days can go as high as 70-75 in the summer, but never 137! I have fought the electric co for 15 years, so I know pretty much when something is not right. If you know how to read your meter, go out and do it pronto. I have had rounding errors i.e. the meter reader types in 800 for 300, but that would only amount to about 17KW per day. In those cases it would wash when they read it correctly the next month, but I would read it and call the company and they normally will take my read, which is several days later and send a new bill. In 2000 I realized my bill was high (maybe 200-300KW per month) and I began reading the meter again. I am on Time of Day so my meter has on time, off time and total. Anyway my 2 times were not adding up to the total. I alerted the co. and was told these two will not add up, but since I had read the meter since 1991 I knew the guy was full of it. I knew more than the Cust. service person, unfortunately. They checked the meter and found it to be faulty and installed a new one. I could not recoup what I considered excess usage not by me, but the problem was fixed. In 2003 I noticed an increase in usage and found that my frig was going etc. Moral is, huge mistakes by the electric co. are probably rare, but you have to arm yourself with knowledge (read the meter, know your usage) and do not take company customer service at their word. Many have no idea what is really happening, but just do their best to answer. Of course many customers don't know a thing either. Good luck and I hope you get this straightened out.

**miss_thrifty** · 07-31-2006, 03:05 PM

get them right away to check where its coming from, something is soaking up the elec.!!! OmG, i would faint if i git that bill!!!

**baxjul** · 07-31-2006, 04:22 PM

Check the meter in the morning and write down the KWH, then check it again in 24 hours and see what you come up with. There has to be some mistake!

**frugalvegan** · 07-31-2006, 04:36 PM

where do you live? do you need the AC on? seriously, we're in florida and doing fine with some fans. a little sweat never hurt anyone!

**PrairieRose** · 07-31-2006, 05:12 PM

Lea, we have a pool and a pump can use a good bit of electricty. You may need to be just running it part of the time or get a timer for the outlet for it.