Outrageous Electric Bill (long)

[scoobyxj]

You definitly need to do some investigating. It sounds like there are two aparments running off the same meter. The insulation isn't going to be much of a factor in an apartment if you have units above, below, and on both sides. Ask the landlord about the unusually warm floor in the bathroom. Maybe the guy below you is growing pot, and even has tapped into your service. If you do find something amiss you may be able to forward the cost on the landlord. I know here in Ohio if a landlord won't fix a problem that is dangerous the tennet can leagly withhold paying rent 'till it's fixed.

 

[dallas xjs]

The insulation isn't going to be much of a factor in an apartment if you have units above, below, and on both sides

sorry bro but efficiency of the said apt and apts does play a role..or we wouldnt have a pink panther...

 

[mrfoo]

Well first off, thanks again for all the suggestions and help. I did call the power company today to request the accuracy reading from my meter. Apparently all they have is when they came out and checked the reading last time. On my lease, I had to sign saying I knew about the possibility of lead based paint because it was built pre 1978, so the insulation and age is questionable. I have signed up for "budget billing" where my bill is the average consumption for the last twelve months @ $121 a month. I still have to pay the remaining balance but it supposedly works itself out. I am on the ground floor so I hope nobody is underneath me. The people that live on either side of me hardly ever run their a/c. I have not met either of them because they do not seem to associate with people they don't already know. The person above me walks constantly and I CAN hear that all the time if thats any indicator about the insulation. When I took my first bill to the landlord, they told me that is why I was paying a lesser amount for this apt because the bills would be higher?! I am paying$10 bucks less than the last one (this one is $370). For the price of this and power, I am already looking for something in the $450 range with a normal power (~$75 range) bill and central heating/cooling. I am going to ask about the "heated" floors also. Oh ya and my water bill was $10 bucks higher than it has previously been. So the possiblity of someone mooching my stuff is there but...I will just have to investigate and try that out myself. Roaches seem to be attracted to my apartment complex no matter how many times the pest control comes out. I think that has to do with the age of the complex though.
Daniel

 

[dallas xjs]

Daniel my friend never admit to having roaches,those are called bait or waterbugs in alabama...i lived in gulf shores for yrs. so once again i know i can speak on those critters...good luck bro

 

[5-90]

be glad you are not living in SoCal. My brother-in-law's house (about 2000 ft.squared) cost him $500 in July and over $800 in August in electricity and it was still hot in the house. He can thank Enron and Gov. Grey Davis for that. Enron helped drive up the price and Davis signed a long term purchase agreement.

Hey, you want to have fun? My mother-in-law lives with us! She's got emphysema, COPD, and a host of breathing problems, and she doesn't turn anything off!

I tell you, sometimes I'm ready to just kill the breaker (I really should map breakers one of these days...) to her room, but that would kill the oxygen concentrator, and get my wife wroth with me.

At least she's got a newer concentrator - the old one drew 10A, the new one draws about six. That's still like turning on a hair dryer and walking away from it, but it's a smaller hair dryer now. She's still got the damn TV on all the time, tho. And leaves lights on everywhere. And I have to keep resetting the thermal cutout in the garbage disposal, because she leaves it on and walks away (and I find out an hour or so later, when the cutout's tripped, and my wife tries to use it.)

Our power bill for August was over $700. House is about 1400 sq. ft. After going to the trouble to put an air conditioner in her room - I almost yanked the damn thing back out and recycled it as scrap metal (it's a 8kBTU room/window unit, but she kept thinking it would cool off the whole damn house. To 66*. Cripes.)

No central air, gas water heater. What do Californians have against gas stoves tho? I grew up cooking over fire (either gas or wood) without any trouble, and I honestly prefer it. Not only is it more efficient (therefore costing rather less,) but it's ON when you turn it on, OFF when you turn it off. Changes in temperature happen immediately. Gas stoves and cast iron cookware - can't beat it!

Anyhow, I'm just ranting now - but I had to get that out. Don't even get me started on Professional Gouging and Embezzlement...

5-90

 

[RichP]

Geeze, and gripe over our $150 month for a totally electric house... of course when I replaced the original builders windows with low E anderson double hungs our electric bill went in half from $400, the new roof and skylights cut it more and with one daughter in philly and the son heading for boot camp in january it should really come down now...