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4runnr t1_j580zvl wrote

Reply to comment by dupattaluella in Electricity Bill by dupattaluella

That’s equal to 1094W of electricity running 24/7 for 30 days. That’s a lot of power. 60x led bulbs running, a 1000W microwave running, 30 bathroom vent fans running, or 2 blenders running.

Something is wrong here. Buy a kill a watt and test everything you can!

We have the same set up as you (nat gas heat water and dryer) and at 1500sqft we use half the electricity and also keep probably 7 led bulbs on 24/7.

How old is your furnace blower fan? It may be time for a replacement.

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dupattaluella OP t1_j58co37 wrote

I've already been thinking our meter is wrong and we have the odd one from when they did the different rates at different times of the day. I called and complained for months when our usage was over 1000 kwh/month and it suddenly decreased. But, I called again and demanded they replace our meter with one I can actually read and they're coming out next week to make the swap. So, that may be more of the issue than I thought.

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techorules t1_j5exzj3 wrote

Weird. I didn't go through whole thread so someone else may have already suggested there but a very important test when you find you used a shit ton of power and like you did is to turn everything off. I mean everything. Then see if you're still spinning. If you are then power theft or something similarity serious is happening. It's a quick but important step.... And next is to buy a kill-o-watt on amazon or eBay. Great to have to find out if some our appliance is inefficient. Pretty important if you gotta pay almost 40 cents per kWh which is so brutal.

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dupattaluella OP t1_j5ey72r wrote

>but a very important test when you find you used a shit ton of power and like you did is to turn everything off

Never even thought of this! Thank you for the suggestion. I really appreciate it.

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dupattaluella OP t1_j5yipuw wrote

We got our new meter yesterday. In 18 hours, we've used 9 kwh. Using that, we should use about 12 kwh per day and 360 every 30 days. Obviously that can fluctuate depending on what we're doing, but that's still less than half of what we were charged for last month.

I think NG was ripping us off with the old meter we had that we didn't know how to read and no one could explain how to read.

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4runnr t1_j5ypt0a wrote

Hey that is great news!

Once you get your next bill with the lower usage post meter change I would ask them for a credit. You have a reasonable case for it.

Good luck!

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dupattaluella OP t1_j5ys5fa wrote

I'm definitely going to be asking them about credits. From my discussions with them a few months back when my usage was over 1000 kwh then suddenly dropped after months of me calling in an complaining, sounds like they won't give credits. But, I'll be trying and going through more than just NG if needed. They need to be stopped from stealing people's money.

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4runnr t1_j61bi61 wrote

“Misunderstandings and lethargy perhaps produce more wrong in the world than deceit and malice do. At least the latter two are certainly rarer.”

I advise that you are not quick to assign malicious intent, but that you read your contract with National Grid and see what your rights are to correct this obvious error for your time and money wasted. If you cannot resolve with customer service I would contact a lawyer who works for a percentage of the winnings.

The contract may state that you are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of the meter, after which you would have no recourse.

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dupattaluella OP t1_j61e1ow wrote

I've already asked them. My rights are that it has to be proved and even then I wouldn't get credits. I'd have to go above them.

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4runnr t1_j61e5y6 wrote

Well I hope that you kept the old meter then!

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dupattaluella OP t1_j61e82k wrote

Nope. Didn't know that was an option.

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4runnr t1_j61erdz wrote

Either way read the contract, don’t trust what customer service says.

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