because i just got my bill for this past month's service and it's a whopping $160the month before, it was $65 and the month before that it was $54the highest mine has EVER been was the middle of summer, with the house set on 78°F and mid-90's every week...the total was $124considering this past month the temp's been set on 65°F almost exclusively, and i haven't been using appliances anymore than necessary, something seems wrong
12/4/2008 7:59:16 PM
It happens. They also could have read the wrong meter. Call the power co and have them come out and check it or reread it.[Edited on December 4, 2008 at 8:01 PM. Reason : .]
12/4/2008 8:00:50 PM
^ thanks...i didn't know if stuff like this ever really happened (i've heard of the water meters going bad or leaking, though)i'll call them tomorrow
12/4/2008 8:01:55 PM
u should be able to go out there and read your meter and see if it matches up with what they read. Their reading is printed on the bill.[Edited on December 4, 2008 at 8:27 PM. Reason : k]
12/4/2008 8:26:47 PM
It would be a rare malfunction that would cause the meter to run faster.
12/4/2008 8:40:21 PM
^I'm sure it's a malfunction that the company doesn't mind
12/4/2008 8:41:59 PM
12/4/2008 8:49:39 PM
usually the analog ones run slowthe digital ones are very accuratesomeone probably just screwed up the reading
12/4/2008 8:50:50 PM
here's hoping...i'll check it when i let the dog out for the last time before bed
12/4/2008 8:52:21 PM
Heat pump a lot less efficient than the AC?
12/4/2008 8:52:58 PM
heat pump is the a/c and the heat, reversing valvein fact, when on heat mode without aux. heat, you get a bit more out for each unit of energy in
[Edited on December 4, 2008 at 8:54 PM. Reason :
12/4/2008 8:54:20 PM
^^ i wouldn't think so...my understanding was that the A/C is the worst of the twoeven then, the majority of november (which this bill was for) was not that cold...certainly not the cold-weather equivalent of middle summer[Edited on December 4, 2008 at 8:56 PM. Reason : ^ oh]
12/4/2008 8:55:32 PM
i thought maybe your power meter did a bunch of drugs and went on a rampagepossibly in apex
12/4/2008 8:56:27 PM
its very rare that an analog power meter goes bad. and like ^someone said above, they typically slow down.
12/4/2008 8:57:06 PM
^^ ISWYDT [Edited on December 4, 2008 at 8:57 PM. Reason : .]
12/4/2008 8:57:19 PM
just going off what i saw on the meter's myspace page
12/4/2008 8:58:03 PM
lawl
12/4/2008 8:58:36 PM
they read the meter yesterday at 37047now it's at 37151so in one day, i've used 104 kWh? the stat's been set on 63°F for most of the day, and it was nearly 60 today...something's not right
12/4/2008 9:40:06 PM
Two things to check. 1) There are different rates for winter and summer. Check your bill. 2) We had a capacitor go bad in ours and shot the bill up a similar amount. Landlord had it fixed the next day.
12/4/2008 9:40:09 PM
12/4/2008 9:41:08 PM
yeah thats a huge increase for one day, I would get it checked out.
12/4/2008 9:44:12 PM
12/4/2008 9:46:16 PM
have you been using a space heater?
12/4/2008 9:50:32 PM
nope, just regular central heat with the vents closed in the rooms i don't use
12/4/2008 10:03:14 PM
[Edited on December 4, 2008 at 10:10 PM. Reason : .]
12/4/2008 10:09:37 PM
so i sent them an email last night with those numbers, and then called them this morning to discuss itthe guy was nice, but what it boiled down to was him saying that it probably isn't anything on their end, that since i haven't lived in the house for a winter, yet, that this is probably just the average...that, of course, is retarded...i refuse to believe that 104 kWh in 24 hours, on a day when the high was 60°F and my house was set to 63-65°F is "average"he did say that most of the time, these are problems on the customer's end (which makes sense)...maybe my water heater or heat pump is going bad? how could i even tell? i have no problem with quick, hot water for showers or at the sink (i only use cold for washing clothes), and i only heard the heat cut on twice in the 5 hours i was at home and awake last night (and then, it was only on for 3-4 minutes at a time)any suggestions? they're going to send me this form i have to fill out for them to come test the meter...in the meantime, i'm willing to admit that it could be something busted on my end...so how/what do i go about checking?[Edited on December 5, 2008 at 9:50 AM. Reason : grammar]
12/5/2008 9:50:02 AM
well you could start flipping breakers off and seeing how the meter respondsid start with the water heater, check how quickly the meter is running, go to the panel, flip it off, and check the meter again, repeat ad nauseam
12/5/2008 9:53:26 AM
Anything can go bad, but I'd bank on human error first.
12/5/2008 9:56:17 AM
^^ it's a digital meter...i assume, then, that the test would need to be a time-intensive one, to gauge the change? but then, wouldn't it really just jump back up once i turn it on due to the fact that it would need to heat the water back up to temp?^ me, too...the water heater, electrical, heat pump, etc. are all 8 years old (the house was moved and rewired in 2000)...which, i admit, is getting up there, but i would assume most of these units would last 12-15 years, not 8...but, since it's a digital meter, i don't know how much human error can be involved[Edited on December 5, 2008 at 9:58 AM. Reason : .]
12/5/2008 9:57:01 AM
mine is between 200-280 usually.
12/5/2008 9:57:38 AM
12/5/2008 10:00:07 AM
Turn off all your circuit breakers -- everything. Go spend the next 24 hours at a friend's place. Come back, see how much the meter changed.[Edited on December 5, 2008 at 10:05 AM. Reason : ]
12/5/2008 10:04:03 AM
^ what would that accomplish? determine whether or not the meter's running even when there's virtually no power being used?
12/5/2008 10:05:46 AM
Bingo. Now, I'm not an electrical engineer (might be better to get joe#'s to weigh in on this ) but I'm under the assumption that if you have your entire apartment totally turned off at the circuit breaker rather than things turned "off" (many devices leech electricity while they're "off") it could tell you that something is possibly wrong with the meter.For reference, this was my power bill for last month:
12/5/2008 10:09:37 AM
^ it's worth it to get them fixed or replaced....
12/5/2008 10:10:10 AM
12/5/2008 10:11:40 AM
Jesus, i use on average 2500 KWH a month. Im envious of your 375.
12/5/2008 10:13:10 AM
^ What the heck do you do to have it so high? I was bitching last month when we used 511, and about had a stroke when we used 853 the month before that. We moved in in late August (although in fairness, that 853 value was for more than our first month in the apartment). We also had a bunch of people over helping us move in, watching TV, taking showers, staying with us for a few days, etc.--My fiancee and I don't watch much TV -- she watches some occasionally; 99.999% of the time I don't watch any. I do spend a lot of time on my computer, however.--We don't usually play lots of music.--90% of the lights in our apartment use compact-fluorescent light bulbs. 13w-15w instead of 60w, for the same amount of light? Yes please. I have (3) 13w lights in my office putting out as much light at (3) 60w bulbs, but consuming 39w of power rather than 180w. Heck, I even replaced the normal bulb above our stove with a CFL. --If you live with your SO, shower together. (1) 20-minute shower is shorter than (2) 15-minute showers.--If you need light during the day, open the blinds or move somewhere for natural sunlight. If you absolutely have to use a light, use it.--If you need to use a light, only use it when you're in the room. When you leave, turn it off.--When you're away from your computer, put it to sleep or turn it off. If you're going to be gone for an extended period of time, unplug it or turn off the power strip.--Speaking of power strips/surge protectors, use them as much as possible. For example: Have your TV/stereo/gaming system all plugged into the same power strip. When you're done for the night, flip the switch so they don't leech electricity while you're sleeping.--Only use the AC/heat if you absolutely have to. If you're hot, use an overhead fan or a room fan, and wear lighter clothes. If you're freezing, put on heavier clothes. Buy an electric blanket for your bed, and turn the heat off at night -- very comfortable, probably saves power (can't swear to it though). If you can't afford an electric blanket, just buy several normal blankets.Most of this stuff is common sense. My apartment is 2 people and 3 cats. [Edited on December 5, 2008 at 10:34 AM. Reason : ]
12/5/2008 10:17:50 AM
my house was built in 1962 and moved in 2000...when it was moved, the appliances, electrical, water heater, and heat pump were all replaced and a second master bedroom was added...it is now 1620 square feet, with three of the four bedrooms being closed off (vents and doors closed all the time)the insulation in the ceiling and floor are NOT correct...the people who lived there before me installed wall insulation, not floor/ceiling, so it's about half the thickness it should be...i didn't sweat it too much, because once i got my temperature under control (78-80°F in the summer), my bill was around $90 at worst...i was willing to pay thati realize that the insulation issue can be problematic, and that just because i close off the rooms, it doesn't mean that they're not being heated/cooled (at least some)...but considering that it's harder (more expensive) to cool a house than to heat it, i figured that my electric bill in the winter shouldn't be too much more, at the worsti do cook/bake on a pretty regular basis, but i have two ovens - one is the POS hotpoint that was installed at the move and which i have never used, and the other is a smaller, 1962 original frigidaire ("a product of general motors company"!) that i use exclusively...i did just pick up a new HE front-loading washer/dryer set, but i've only used it for four loads since i got it a few weeks ago (i wash on cold, never hot/warm, and i use the low/no heat dry)i shower every other day and my showers last no more than 6-7 minutes...all of my windows/doors were replaced last year with those champion HE 3-pane (or whatever, i didn't put them in myself) unitsi do have an HTPC and plasma television (both of which generate some heat, but it's not unbearable, ESPECIALLY in the winter when the pump doesn't have to combat the heat with cool air)...i don't watch/use them for more than 1-2 hours every day, in the evenings when i'm working on schoolwork or something...they are turned off at nightALL of the lights are CFL and i use no space heatersthat's about all i can think of for my profile...the ONLY way my bill could be this high is if something's busted
12/5/2008 10:43:44 AM
sure
12/5/2008 11:07:41 AM
It's almost certainly your water heater or your heat pump. Nothing else in your house draws as much power on a regular basis. If you have a multi-meter you can troubleshoot this yourself. You just have to verify that the water heater's elements are working and you have to determine whether or not your heat pump is running in emergency heat mode (where it uses it's electric heating elements).
12/5/2008 11:23:46 AM
12/5/2008 11:36:56 AM
we're constantly using around 1100 kWh a month with heat on 69 and 3 people living in a 1200 sqft duplex. One of them is rarely ever around though.
12/5/2008 11:54:52 AM
12/5/2008 12:02:26 PM
12/5/2008 12:49:57 PM
12/5/2008 1:05:04 PM
12/5/2008 1:06:26 PM
^^ okay, i can (sort of) understand that...but what are the odds? i've got 4 vents (one for each bedroom plus one in the master bathroom) out of 11 total closed...also, the intake isn't in a room that's closed off, it's in a central location...my thermostat has a filter check on it, though i'm not sure if it actually does anything or just counts down a number of days before you're supposed to replace iti'm not really trying to argue...i'm just trying to gauge how much of a reality this isalso, i DO have a multimeter...how would i use it to test 1.) the water heater, and/or 2.) the heat pump?
12/5/2008 1:16:37 PM
^ Start with the water heater. http://www.chilipepperapp.com/troublee.htmA good way to check the elements is just to test the resistance.
12/5/2008 1:22:30 PM