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albalfa t1_j0r64gi wrote

That seems exceptionally high for a small apartment kept at 68.

How long has she lived there? Can she check with the utility for the history of the KWh used monthly for the past couple years? My national grid bill shows the past 12 months I believe.

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ManagerPug t1_j0srvtt wrote

It really doesnt seem exceptionally high for electric heat

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New-Vegetable-1274 OP t1_j0rmi8g wrote

Yeah that's what we told her but she called the utility company and they said the bill is correct. She's in an apartment complex and all of the units are the same, we told her to check with her neighbors and the complex management.

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kiki4531 t1_j0szwyz wrote

I’m a property manager and we can’t really help with electric bills any more than we could a cell phone bill. For keeping the apartment at 68 and for the huge rate increase, that bill doesn’t seem so crazy to me- but if she lived on my property, I’d suggest she call National Grid and have them check her meter to make sure all is in order and check her bill to make sure it was an a actual read and not an estimated read. Good luck!

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albalfa t1_j0rst9y wrote

> we told her to check with her neighbors and the complex management

Excellent advice, was going to suggest the same. This will give her the best insight as to if it's normal or out of whack.

So the bill may be "correct", insofar as the meter reading was accurate (let's assume it was), but there may be other things happening here. If it were me, I'd want to ensure that the trend over time is consistent--so, did the apartment in the winter months last year and the year prior have similar bills? If it did, then we know that nothing is suddenly awry here and it may be a matter of drafts, leaks, windows, doors, etc. needing some sealing/insulation attention.

If the $400 just doesn't line up though, you should put on the detective hat and start investigating and eliminating possibilities. Is a neighbor using her electricity (either intentionally or not--like recent electrical work and a circuit was wired wrong and is pulling from her apt's meter but feeding another apt.)?

Is something else jacking the usage up? Space heater? Significantly higher usage of an appliance like the oven or dryer? The fridge old and constantly running?

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New-Vegetable-1274 OP t1_j0s9krc wrote

Yeah, it's a mystery for sure. I'm an old Worcester kid who grew up in three deckers in main south and we had some shady neighbors who would jump gas and electric meters. That's what this feels like to me and the first thing I thought of when she told me.

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TreeCommercial44 t1_j0rxpm2 wrote

She's not at the grid, is she? I didn't spend a single day in my apartment over the summer, and the electricity was off and still got a 60 dollar electric bill.

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New-Vegetable-1274 OP t1_j0s8mex wrote

No, I think it might be something like there's something shady going on or outdoor lighting is be charged to her. There was a major reno there before she moved in and something might have gone amok who knows.

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