My electric bill jumped

[shotgun]

December's bill was $160, January's was $254 and February's is $240. The electric company is telling us that is because of the cold weather, but we've never had usage this high. How do we convince them to check our meter to make sure it's working right?

[pedalphile]

So, not as simple as axing them to do just that? Have the tariffs risen btw? That's usually why my bills rise.

[shotgun]

My wife has asked people she works with, and their bills have not jumped up like this.

She tried to call them and waited 15 minutes before she had to give up waiting. I emailed them and got the usual "turn down your thermostat" kind of bs. I replied back and they are sticking with the "it's because of the cold" story.

[pedalphile]

That's crappy customer service, and all too common these days.

[Longjohn ★]

Unplug that extension cord that’s running across your yard over to the neighbors. Their electric bill went way down since they ran that.

[pedalphile]

Just now, Longjohn said:

Unplug that extension cord that’s running across your yard over to the neighbors. Their electric bill went way down since they ran that.

In the old days people would go outside in the dead of night and blow out the street lamps and fit a tube to run into their house to steal the gas.

[Wilbur ★]

Try paying the bill for an Ontario residence.  That will make yours seem minuscule again.  

[Longjohn ★]

1 minute ago, Wilbur said:

Try paying the bill for an Ontario residence.  That will make yours seem minuscule again.  

I thought you got free electric from Niagra Falls? 

[petitepedal ★]

Take yourself off of auto pay...and make smaller payment and keep including notice of meter problems with your payment

[Thaddeus Kosciuszko]

First, examine your bill.  See if they've given you an 'estimated' bill.  Some utilities estimate every other month, some estimate if the meter reader can't get to your meter or if the weather was bad so the meter reading truck couldn't come by to remote read your meter.  If they did estimate, tell them you want a reading taken or want to give them a reading (if they allow that).  The old dial meters can be tricky to read.  If you have one of those, PM me a picture and I can verify the reading for you.

If the kilowatt-hour (kwh) use is about the same as previous bills, then the increase is mainly due to an increase in the unit cost of power.  If the kwh's have risen, then the meter registered increased usage.  Check to see if you've plugged in anything extra, or if you have something like heat tapes or other temperature-activated loads, such as an electric heater in the garage or spare room.

If none of that applies, the simplest first test is to shut everything off in the house and see if the meter still registers usage.  In the old style meters you'd find a spinning disc that would turn when usage pulled through the meter.  The newer ones, of course, have a digital display.  Turn off the main breaker in the house and see if the meter registers usage, i.e. if the disc spins or the digital display increases.

If that doesn't seem to indicate any aberrations, then you'll have to get a bit more technical, and you may need an electrician.  An amprobe or ammeter will help here.  Turn the main back on, then go around the house shutting everything off.  Unplug appliances, if you can.  With everything off in the house you should read no current on the ammeter, which should be placed in turn on each of the incoming 'hot' lines.  Also check the neutral and the ground, and the ground wire running to the water line or ground rod.  All should read zero.

If the 'hot' lines show current, even a little, you've got some sort of parasitic load that's probably running 24x7, which will boost your bill.  If you see this, turn off the branch (smaller) circuit breakers one at a time until the current on the meter disappears.  You may find a mystery load on more than one breaker.  Make a note of the value of the current shown on the meter.

Now you will have to trace out the circuit to find the mystery load.  There may be a directory on your panel listing what breaker feeds what, if you're lucky. Turn off all the breakers off except the one(s) with the mystery load(s).  You can use a plug in device like a hair dryer to test if an outlet has power or not.  Or, you can get a circuit tracer.  Then you have to go outlet to outlet to see where the circuit is and see what's plugged in.  It may take a while and a fair amount of patience, but you should be able to eventually track down what is connected that's using electricity.

Once you find the mystery load, disconnect it and recheck the ammeter.  It should read zero.  If not your search continues.  Once you've uncovered all the mystery loads, you can decide if you want to keep them plugged in and pay for the usage.  Perhaps the equipment needs repair, as it shouldn't have suddenly started using electricity where it hadn't before.  With the reading you took from the ammeter before, you can calculate what kwh's the mystery loads would have consumed, and compare it to the increase in your bill.  If you're not sure, then again PM and I can offer suggestions on the formulas.

If you find no current on the 'hot' legs, but current traveling on the ground, then you may have to call the power company back, especially if you open the main breaker and the current on the ground is still there.  That current is coming from somewhere else outside your home, which means some other customer does not have a properly grounded service, or the utility ground at the pole has opened (nearly every utility pole should have a driven ground rod), and the ground in your house is now serving as the ground for equipment it shouldn't.

Lastly, if you believe you have a legitimate concern and the utility is brushing you off, you can contact your state public service commission to see if they can offer assistance, or at least help you elevate your case with the utility.

[shotgun]

1 minute ago, Thaddeus Kosciuszko said:

First, examine your bill.  See if they've given you an 'estimated' bill.  Some utilities estimate every other month, some estimate if the meter reader can't get to your meter or if the weather was bad so the meter reading truck couldn't come by to remote read your meter.  If they did estimate, tell them you want a reading taken or want to give them a reading (if they allow that).  The old dial meters can be tricky to read.  If you have one of those, PM me a picture and I can verify the reading for you.

If the kilowatt-hour (kwh) use is about the same as previous bills, then the increase is mainly due to an increase in the unit cost of power.  If the kwh's have risen, then the meter registered increase usage.  Check to see if you've plugged in anything extra, or if you have something like heat tapes or other temperature-activated loads, such as an electric heater in the garage or spare room.

If none of that applies, the simplest first test is to shut everything off in the house and see if the meter still registers usage.  In the old style meters you'd find a spinning disc that would turn when usage pulled through the meter.  The newer ones, of course, have a digital display.  Turn off the main breaker in the house and see if the meter registers usage, i.e. if the disc spins or the digital display increases.

If that doesn't seem to indicate any aberrations, then you'll have to get a bit more technical, and you may need an electrician.  An amprobe or ammeter will help here.  Turn the main back on, then go around the house shutting everything off.  Unplug appliances, if you can.  With everything off in the house you should read no current on the ammeter, which should be placed in turn on each of the incoming 'hot' lines.  Also check the neutral and the ground, and the ground wire running to the water line or ground rod.  All should read zero.

If the 'hot' lines show current, even a little, you've got some sort of parasitic load that's probably running 24x7, which will boost your bill.  If you see this, turn off the branch (smaller) circuit breakers one at a time until the current on the meter disappears.  You may find a mystery load on more than one breaker.  Make a note of the value of the current shown on the meter.

Now you will have to trace out the circuit to find the mystery load.  There may be a directory on your panel listing what breaker feeds what, if you're lucky. Turn off all the breakers off except the one(s) with the mystery load(s).  You can use a plug in device like a hair dryer to test if an outlet has power or not.  Or, you can get a circuit tracer.  Then you have to go outlet to outlet to see where the circuit is and see what's plugged in.  It may take a while and a fair amount of patience, but you should be able to eventually track down what is connected that's using electricity.

Once you find the mystery load, disconnect it and recheck the ammeter.  It should read zero.  If not your search continues.  Once you've uncovered all the mystery loads, you can decide if you want to keep them plugged in and pay for the usage.  Perhaps the equipment needs repair, as it shouldn't have suddenly started using electricity where it hadn't before.  With the reading you took from the ammeter before, you can calculate what kwh's the mystery loads would have consumed, and compare it to the increase in your bill.  If you're not sure, then again PM and I can offer suggestions on the formulas.

If you find no current on the 'hot' legs, but current traveling on the ground, then you may have to call the power company back, especially if you open the main breaker and the current on the ground is still there.  That current is coming from somewhere else outside your home, which means some other customer does not have a properly grounded service, or the utility ground at the pole has opened (nearly every utility pole should have a driven ground rod), and the ground in your house is now serving as the ground for equipment it shouldn't.

Lastly, if you believe you have a legitimate concern and the utility is brushing you off, you can contact your state public service commission to see if they can offer assistance, or at least help you elevate your case with the utility.

Whew, I scanned through that quickly.

It's a digital, radio read meter, and all bills are actual readings. I will read your response more closely when I have time...   Thanks!

[Longjohn ★]

TK, that was a great response but it looks like a lot of work. It might just be easier to convert to Amish.

[Parr8hed]

52 minutes ago, shotgun said:

Whew, I scanned through that quickly.

It's a digital, radio read meter, and all bills are actual readings. I will read your response more closely when I have time...   Thanks!

I need some Cliff's notes for that.

[Longjohn ★]

3 minutes ago, Parr8hed said:

I need some Cliff's notes for that.

1. Find out what is using all that electric

2. Find out if it's something that is defective and needs repaired or replaced and if not defective

3. Decide if it's worth it to you to pay for the electric to run whatever that was you found running up your bill.

[Parr8hed]

1 minute ago, Longjohn said:

1. Find out what is using all that electric

2. Find out if it's something that is defective and needs repaired or replaced and if not defective

3. Decide if it's worth it to you to pay for the electric to run whatever that was you found running up your bill.

Thank you!

[Longjohn ★]

My electric company sends me a notice every month that I am using 51% more electric than my average neighbor. My average neighbor is Amish and not on the grid. I read the notice to my wife and she laughs. Each month the % changes but is always around 50%. They tell me to turn off unneeded lights and wrap my hot water tank in insulation. LOL, they never mention my hot tub.

[12string]

3 hours ago, Longjohn said:

they never mention my hot tub.

Because the meter reader doesn't want you to turn it off when you're not home

[Kzoo]

There are a lot of people complaining in Michigan about huge jumps in their bills that Consumers Power and DTE are not addressing adequately.  We have not recognized a precipitous jump but I've heard the complaints. 

[shotgun]

27 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

There are a lot of people complaining in Michigan about huge jumps in their bills that Consumers Power and DTE are not addressing adequately.  We have not recognized a precipitous jump but I've heard the complaints. 

Interesting. I have neither of those for my electric. I have Indiana & Michigan Power.

[Thaddeus Kosciuszko]

4 hours ago, Parr8hed said:

I need some Cliff's notes for that.

Shotgun asked an engineer a question.

[Kzoo]

9 minutes ago, shotgun said:

I have Indiana & Michigan Power.

I knew that.....  It still has been happening across the state.  Some blame the introduction of the radio reading.  I've seen reports on local news shows.  Bills have gone up and the consumer has questions and the companies aren't answering them.  The standard answer is December and early January were colder than normal.  Response - we have had many periods of colder than normal over the years and this has not been the result.  

I haven't noticed it on mine so I can't address why the typical consumer can't read the bill and find the cause but I know there have been lots of complaints.

[shotgun]

17 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

I knew that.....  It still has been happening across the state.  Some blame the introduction of the radio reading.  I've seen reports on local news shows.  Bills have gone up and the consumer has questions and the companies aren't answering them.  The standard answer is December and early January were colder than normal.  Response - we have had many periods of colder than normal over the years and this has not been the result.  

I haven't noticed it on mine so I can't address why the typical consumer can't read the bill and find the cause but I know there have been lots of complaints.

Good to know! 

[BuffJim]

Is electric your only source of heat?  Mine is. My bills are 250-350 in the winter months. Base bill is about 100-120 the rest of the year, so I don't think that's too bad. No gas bill. So I pay about 800-1000 per year for heat I estimate.

[12string]

When I moved into my house, I had a 40+ year old oil boiler with a 1000 gal oil tank in the ground.  I would use that entire tank, plus a little in a winter.  At times, it was well over $3/gallon.

[shotgun]

22 minutes ago, BuffJim said:

Is electric your only source of heat?  Mine is. My bills are 250-350 in the winter months. Base bill is about 100-120 the rest of the year, so I don't think that's too bad. No gas bill. So I pay about 800-1000 per year for heat I estimate.

No. The four season room has electric baseboard heat, but the rest of the house uses a gas forced air furnace.

[Thaddeus Kosciuszko]

2 hours ago, shotgun said:

The four season room has electric baseboard heat

If your weather has been colder, this could very well have been your culprit.

Checking official weather/temperature records for your area for what's called 'heating degree days' will tell you if it's truly been colder.  More heating degree days means you'd be losing more heat through the insulation of your house.  In turn, that means your electric baseboard heat will run more to replace the lost heat, which in turn means you will have a larger bill.

[dinneR ★]

The avg daily temp is on my bill each month. Check your bill, it might be there.

[Longjohn ★]

3 hours ago, shotgun said:

No. The four season room has electric baseboard heat, but the rest of the house uses a gas forced air furnace.

I have a three season room with my hot tub in it. When I retired I finally ran duct work out to the three season room off the wood furnace. It stays nice in there now even though the windows leave a lot to be desired. I should have inquired about a four season room when I had that built.

[Tizeye]

Electric bill jumped...
This is all quite shocking.

[Chris...]

I bet you have a leak

[JerrySTL ★]

These things are great for tell how many watts things like TVs and computers use. Anything 110-120 volts. They are about $18 at Amazon.