Electricity Price Gouging - WOW!!!

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SwampSurvivor

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So, got my Electric bill for the Month of February.

In January of 2014, I had a $130 electric bill. Highest I have ever had! National Greed did get in trouble for price gouging by the PSC (apparently they didn't pay off the right person at PSC).

I paid the electric bill and decided to start taking it a bit more serious. In January of 2014, My electric rate (total, delivery + rate + fees) was approaching $.25 / kwh. Usually, "total" is about $.16 / kwh.

When I am home, I heat the room I am in to 60 and the room I am not in to 55. When I go to work, both rooms get set to 50.

So, I decided that I would work on cutting my power usage. For the month of February, the heat in my living room was OFF and the bedroom was heated to 50 - lowest setting on my thermostat. I also started taking cold showers every other day. Since my neighbors aside and below me are college students, their parents are paying the electric bill and their apartments are like ovens. My floors and neighboring walls are always very warm.

On a side note, taking cold showers in February is a GREAT way to wake up in the morning.

I got my bill for February of 2014. I was happy to see that I reduced my usage by more than 1/3! I was only 200 KWH over what I use in the summer, when my electric bill is $40.

Well ... I was in for a surprise. $148!!!!!! Used more than 1/3 less electricity, yet the bill was significantly higher.

I am, quite literally, paying nearly 4X as much for power now as I was up to November 2013.

It's insane, really. This month, I have turned all heat off to the apartment. There is no risk of freezing pipes as my neighbors do a good job of keeping them warm! I will be contacting the PSC and filing a complaint.
 
But this can't be!

We've built more renewable power, you've been importing from HydroQuebec, we've gotten rid of horrible polluters, like coal, and shut down those nasty nukes...
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We just had a rate increase here last fall and our local PUD just applied for another rate increase....their excuse "our infrastructure needs rebuilding". Get ready for more rate increases as they close more coal plants and rebuild the outdated electrical grid.
 
Im guessing here that your 'circuit' or 'breaker box' was tapped into in the utility area or when the place was built, the electrician ran some wires to adjoining units that come from your box and meter.
If you can get an amp probe around your primary feed wire and turn EVERYTHING off in your unit, so there should be no power drain at all, I bet you find its still drawing current, meaning some wire is going to some other unit.
Note you said, you turned everything down but your neighbors keep everything warm...yet your bill was 'higher'.. they are maybe using your power to heat themselves and you are paying for it.
Ive seen people tap into someone elses power for engine block heaters, space heaters etc. Even some common areas of a building can have outlets or heaters tapped into some innocent persons circuit breaker box and you'd never know...till the bill comes. Have your system checked out, that ONLY Your unit is on your breaker box and meter.
 
This is exactly we were talking about in the LED thread. Cut the energy used, the unit price will go up. The utilities will make their money. Same with government, if economy go south again (a matter of time), the government will hike the taxes. The bureaucrats have to have their salary and a raise.
 
Originally Posted By: Astro14
But this can't be!

We've built more renewable power, you've been importing from HydroQuebec, we've gotten rid of horrible polluters, like coal, and shut down those nasty nukes...
27.gif




I am 30 minutes from three different nuclear power plants. Unfortunately, our "Represented" official in Albany demands the power be sent to NYC. We get the short end of the deal

Originally Posted By: Click
Im guessing here that your 'circuit' or 'breaker box' was tapped into in the utility area or when the place was built, the electrician ran some wires to adjoining units that come from your box and meter.
If you can get an amp probe around your primary feed wire and turn EVERYTHING off in your unit, so there should be no power drain at all, I bet you find its still drawing current, meaning some wire is going to some other unit.
Note you said, you turned everything down but your neighbors keep everything warm...yet your bill was 'higher'.. they are maybe using your power to heat themselves and you are paying for it.
Ive seen people tap into someone elses power for engine block heaters, space heaters etc. Even some common areas of a building can have outlets or heaters tapped into some innocent persons circuit breaker box and you'd never know...till the bill comes. Have your system checked out, that ONLY Your unit is on your breaker box and meter.


The bill went up, but use went significantly down. The amount of electricity I used does make sense. It was much colder out and I managed to use a bit less than 2/3 of the energy of January.

I have been able to cut the bill down to $30 in the summer by killing everything with the breaker box. The refrigerator needs to be running and I do not have access to my water heater.



To the comment about the usage going down causing rates to go up - that is definitely true. However, I'm not sure I would have wanted to see the bill had I not cut power usage!
 
Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
This is exactly we were talking about in the LED thread. Cut the energy used, the unit price will go up. The utilities will make their money. Same with government, if economy go south again (a matter of time), the government will hike the taxes. The bureaucrats have to have their salary and a raise.
They do it all the time with water. "CONSERVE CONSERVE CONSERVE!" Then the people conserve and the water people come back saying how they need more revenue because water usage is way down and have to raise rates.
 
I had heard electric rates went through the roof recently and part of it was due to all the infrastructure repairs they need to do. Maybe switch providers and see if you can get a better rate.
 
Originally Posted By: hatt
They do it all the time with water. "CONSERVE CONSERVE CONSERVE!" Then the people conserve and the water people come back saying how they need more revenue because water usage is way down and have to raise rates.


My water bill is ridiculous, I always pay for 2500 gallons minimum use (regardless how much I save) and then for anything above the minimum (sadly it happens when I have guests).
 
Which part of your bill went up - Generation, delivery, or both?

FWIW, the electric utility I work for doesn't generate power or own any power plants. We simply take power from the plants and deliver it to the customers. The "Generation" part of the bill is what we pay for the electricity, which we "sell" to the customer at 0% markup. The "Delivery" part of the bill is the only part of the bill we make money on, and the generation part is beyond our control. Note: not all utilities are like this.

If any utlity wants to increase rates, it needs to go before PURA and make a case for the increase. PURA may or may not approve the increase, or they may allow a smaller increase than what the utlity was hoping for. There is no gouging involved.
 
Originally Posted By: Click
Im guessing here that your 'circuit' or 'breaker box' was tapped into in the utility area or when the place was built, the electrician ran some wires to adjoining units that come from your box and meter.
If you can get an amp probe around your primary feed wire and turn EVERYTHING off in your unit, so there should be no power drain at all, I bet you find its still drawing current, meaning some wire is going to some other unit.
Note you said, you turned everything down but your neighbors keep everything warm...yet your bill was 'higher'.. they are maybe using your power to heat themselves and you are paying for it.
Ive seen people tap into someone elses power for engine block heaters, space heaters etc. Even some common areas of a building can have outlets or heaters tapped into some innocent persons circuit breaker box and you'd never know...till the bill comes. Have your system checked out, that ONLY Your unit is on your breaker box and meter.


^ I suspect this. How can all your neighbors be "toasty warm" when you are living in a refrigerator? Rather than assume that you are being screwed over by your utility I suggest you look into things rather than just paying a bill that makes no sense.

FWIW, my electric bill for December 2013 was $141.36. My total usage was 703 kWh.

Scott
 
Originally Posted By: exranger06
Which part of your bill went up - Generation, delivery, or both?

FWIW, the electric utility I work for doesn't generate power or own any power plants. We simply take power from the plants and deliver it to the customers. The "Generation" part of the bill is what we pay for the electricity, which we "sell" to the customer at 0% markup. The "Delivery" part of the bill is the only part of the bill we make money on, and the generation part is beyond our control. Note: not all utilities are like this.

If any utlity wants to increase rates, it needs to go before PURA and make a case for the increase. PURA may or may not approve the increase, or they may allow a smaller increase than what the utlity was hoping for. There is no gouging involved.


Delivery (they can only pass along the rate at which they buy to the customers) and a bunch of fees were added.

The law is written so they can do this and get away with it.

Just something to deal with. I'm not giving in to ridiculous electric prices. I will just use so much less that I do not have to pay much.

When I get a house, I will be looking for a place with a lot of trees on the lot and a wood stove. Even if there is not any wood on the lot, I have a lot of ways to get wood for a stove.

Maybe even pellet stove.
 
I know, it stinks! We got a double whammy this month. It's not bad enough that the last bill was an estimate and was low, but the previous bill went from the 7th to the 2nd and this one went from the 2nd to the 10th when we got an actual reading for this bill. So, the previous bill was over a week less and underestimated. With the fuel surcharges, etc. our bill went from $~90 last bill to $250. They can do whatever they want apparently. I thought we were the only ones getting a good going over by the electric company.
 
Now I don't feel to bad with 12c/kwh - and 50 dollar monthly bill; I thought I was getting ripped paying over 10c/kwh. We have pricey FHW oil heat and cost is about 300MO in the winter. with oil over 3.500/gal.

OP: Calc you est usage and see if you are getting a shared bill with your fellow apt dwellers.
 
Guys, the point isn't that his bill went up, it's that his USAGE went DOWN and his bill went up. Read what happened to his RATE. That's the shocking part. He's already cut back upon his usage, but because of the rate increase he is paying more for less....
 
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Guys, the point isn't that his bill went up, it's that his USAGE went DOWN and his bill went up. Read what happened to his RATE. That's the shocking part. He's already cut back upon his usage, but because of the rate increase he is paying more for less....


The OP has not detailed his monthly bills. The OP has only described in generalities and, as a consequence, we don't know what's going on.

For example, I summarized my electric usage and cost at 703kWh for $141.36. This is more than we've gotten from the OP, and I didn't even itemize my bill by "tier usage" or the breakdown of how my $141.36 is itemized.

This is what I'm talking about. Here is how my $141.36 is itemized:

$4.94 = "Conservation Incentive"
$55.96 = "Generation"
$11.88 = "Transmission"
$52.11 = "Distribution"
$10.13 = "Public Purpose Programs"
$00.36 = "Nuclear Decommissioning"
$3.48 = "Bond Charge"
$2.52 = "Competition Transition Charges"
-00.22 = Energy Cost Recovery
00.20 = Taxes
======
$141.36

Until the OP itemizes his bill like I've done, no one, including the OP, has any idea why his costs are so different.

Scott
 
Originally Posted By: Miller88

When I get a house, I will be looking for a place with a lot of trees on the lot and a wood stove. Even if there is not any wood on the lot, I have a lot of ways to get wood for a stove.

Maybe even pellet stove.

Wood is good. A pellet stove can have you tied to another "generator" and "distributor" and not save that much compared to other heat sources, plus shortages and whatever else can happen that can jack prices...

I would have a close look at your bill though, it sounds like somehow a mistake has been made. We've had a monster bill come in once as they read the meter wrong one day.
 
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