Skeptical about my RI Energy monthly Usage

Submitted by GoGatorsMashedTaters t3_z875ps in RhodeIsland

Hi everyone,

While I’m sure everyone is being frugal this winter, I’ve been penny pinching to the point where I haven’t used A/C or heat since early September.

I’ve made a point to unplug every appliance in my apartment that I’m currently not using, and I don’t use lights…..

So how can my monthly usage be higher than it was last winter?!

For comparison, I live in a 1BR/1BA. Last November I used 340Kwh, this Nov I used 408…

Can someone explain how my monthly usage can be higher this year, when last November my chicken shit, Floridian ass was using both A/C AND heat throughout the month?

Edit: Last Dec I used 329 kWh.

Edit edit: Highest winter was Feb at 613 kWh. Highest summer was July at 802 kWh.

Last edit:

Thank you everyone for the advice and comments. I don’t believe RI Energy is doing anything nefarious, and the monthly usage is the actual reading. It’s boiling down to not turning my breakers off when I was out of town, along with the small chance i’m paying for some external lighting I shouldn’t be. Either way that’s not RI Energy’s fault.

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FieryVegetables t1_iya4t6o wrote

Me too. I have had everything looked at, including the meter, and called to speak with account supervisors multiple times. They assure me my usage is just higher. We did not use AC this year and don’t have electric heat or anything. Something is up - this started in September when I was not even here for a week, and had my water heater on vacation mode with just about everything turned off.

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GoGatorsMashedTaters OP t1_iya4yjt wrote

I was also out of state for an entire week in September!

Something doesn’t add up here.

Edit: this would have been late September, going to my October bill which read 405.

So apparently me being out of state an entire month saved me 3kwh. Lol

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FieryVegetables t1_iya57da wrote

I could not get anyone there to listen! I mean, usage should be like 1/4 lower if you are away for a week. I only had my fridge and well pump connected that week! I am looking into borrowing a kill-o-watt for the fridge, but I really doubt it’s using that much more than the remainder of the house. It’s Energy Star, as are all of my appliances.

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GoGatorsMashedTaters OP t1_iya5kvz wrote

I’m wondering if my landlord’s external lights count towards my usage. If they are I will lose my shit haha

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Yak54RC t1_iya6mhe wrote

Do you have a panel in your apartment or in basement ?

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GoGatorsMashedTaters OP t1_iya6t4z wrote

Yeah it’s in my apartment. Realizing I may need to start flipping breakers off. Thank you!

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Yak54RC t1_iya7g0k wrote

Find your meter and take a picture and before you leave the house shut the whole thing down except maybe your fridge circuit. Easy peasy

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[deleted] t1_iyaa0jo wrote

That’s what I was thinking too. The gas company could be using estimates instead of actually reading the thing.

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Nevvermind183 t1_iyb7r3d wrote

Do you live in a multi unit apartment?

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GoGatorsMashedTaters OP t1_iyb8835 wrote

Yes, so the fixtures shouldn’t go to my usage. It wouldn’t make sense, but I’m still paranoid about the lights that are specifically attached to my balcony. I’ll quickly find out when I turn off my breakers tomorrow to test everything out.

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FieryVegetables t1_iya4yf1 wrote

They told me some form letter stuff about using AC and having people home more than previous years. Nope, that is not the case here. 340 to 408 is not a giant jump, but it sounds like you should be lower than last year.

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anxiousinfotech t1_iyapems wrote

It's important to check your bills to see whether your meter reading is actual, or an estimate. If they have trouble reading your meter, or if the person they send (if they even send one) is feeling lazy, they'll just estimate a figure. Every time National Grid estimated mine it was been might higher than actual usage. I haven't seen an estimated reading with RI Energy yet.

Another thing to check on is the number of days on the bill. In my experience at least RI Energy is less consistent at reading meters and some bills may be 27-28 days and some may be 32-33. It'll make the reading seem inflated if one bill was 27 days and the next 33. It's also important to check year to year and adjust accordingly to get an accurate comparison.

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andylion t1_iyar6xz wrote

This. 100% This.

I had solar installed this summer, but I didn't see any change in my first two bills. At the time I thought that I was just paying for my previous usage before the panels were installed (I have found that my bill is a month or so behind my actual consumption). But then I got a bill that completely overlapped with after the panels were installed and it was so far off that I called RI Energy.

They said the bill was based on an estimate and that they'd send someone to read the meter. Come to find out I had overpaid the bast two bills by several hundred dollars! Between the credit and the solar panels I haven't had to pay my electric bill in months, but it's super shitty that they would have happily kept taking my money unless I had said something.

tl;dr - Read the fine print on your bill. If it says "estimated" give RI Energy a call. They may be ripping you off.

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FieryVegetables t1_iyavinm wrote

We have actual readings.

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FieryVegetables t1_iycmbxb wrote

And have had 2 energy audits, the last one a few years ago. We did very, very well, and swapped out the few non-LED fixtures for LEDs.

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ovary-achiever t1_iyafbhv wrote

I wonder if anyone audits these companies??? There has got to be some oversight. But this is RI so even that can get fishy.

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meeooww t1_iyb150w wrote

Your local elected official (if competent) can be a really good resource - they usually have offices for things like this

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nebuladrifting t1_iyaa02a wrote

I’m curious if anyone has any ideas. I’ve had no issues myself. In fact, my October (November bill) usage was over 40% less than last years at only 132 kWh and my gas was barely over the summer baseline. Small 2Br 1 Bath 1100sqft house. Your usage is about what I was using in the summer with at least one window AC on almost all the time.

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GoGatorsMashedTaters OP t1_iyax7g8 wrote

It’s boiling down to not turning my breakers off when I was out of town, along with the small chance i’m paying for some external lighting I shouldn’t be. Either way that’s not RI Energy’s fault.

Edit: forgot to add my A/V setup is on for far too long during the day and night. I’m going to have to cut my TV habit down.

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March_Latter t1_iyaj0lq wrote

If you complain long enough they will hook an auxiliary meter up showing the entire scale of what is going on. What times your power is being used and so on. So far and I have seen this discussion many times with great tricks and ideas on why the meter is wrong I can tell you that so far the meter has not been wrong. Its in your house.

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Swamp_yankee_ninja t1_iyavkr6 wrote

Ever since they installed these smart meters or wireless, I’ve had trust issues. I’m installing a energy meter on my side of the panel to figure out what’s what. Of course this winter we will be seeing a rate hike of what 47%? Something crazy like that. It’s totally out of control.

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Yogurtsamples t1_iyahrk0 wrote

I called them when my October bill was $200 over what it usually is and the usage was through the roof. At least in my situation, they said that they had been estimating and send someone out to read the meter and I owed them for the actual amount for past years. It then went back down November, but who knows what will come with the new rates.

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mittynuke t1_iyaxqed wrote

Read the meter yourself and verify that you are being billed properly. Look for the date they read the meter, if it doesn’t say then just read the meter on the first of each month, it should be close enough. If you have a meter that has the spinning disc and not a smart meter, and don’t know how to read it, take a picture of it and look up how to read it online.

Also you can install your own meter inside your circuit breaker box. I have one called emporia energy and it has an app that you can look at your daily or monthly electric usage.

Overall I think it’s ridiculous how much the prices have gone up. I know that’s not the crux of your issue here but still.

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Sweet-Ham t1_iyb5imw wrote

Same here. Currently in a 500 sqft 1 bedroom apartment, and our usage has been just as high as our previous place, a 1,000sqft 2 bedroom townhome with a basement!

Ever since they switched to RI all sorts of these things started happening. The hard part is it's on us to prove they're ripping us off before they'll even consider reimbursement.

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Wide_Television_7074 t1_iybsq7i wrote

40% of your bill could be your demand charges — try to reduce your PEAK usage and you’ll see real savings, but it only takes one mistake and you ruin the billing cycle. we handle this by doing laundry and dishwasher cycles after 11pm, and only using minimal lighting although with LEDs that’s not huge draw. Our bill is down $200 per month by shifting load.

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Opticalpopsicle1074 t1_iycbrmr wrote

I’m getting so fed up with RI Energy. Why do my paper bills never match the online balance? I can’t figure it out. So I pay the online one and then they tacked on $65 to the next bill because that was the difference between what the paper bill said and what the online said. I can’t figure it out. And also my usage was 100 higher than last year also but I just figured that that bill still had some AC usage on it.

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krikeynoname t1_iyat4ww wrote

do you have an electric hot water heater?

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FieryVegetables t1_iyavoy0 wrote

I have a <2 year old hybrid heat pump electric heater. It has continued to be set on the minimum safe level.

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RainbowJay t1_iyavabk wrote

Check: comparison of number of days on the bill, check the temperatures from the days in question compared to the prior year. The difference between years can be very substantial.

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FieryVegetables t1_iyavrf7 wrote

If you are not using heating or cooling, though, what makes the weather a factor?

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