On Sat, 19 Jan 2008 15:54:33 GMT, franz fripplfrappl
wrote:

Check your utility bill to see if it is an estimate or direct read. Some
utilities try to save money by not reading meters every month. Instead
they take an average. Any differences are made up in subsequent billing
cycles.

Have you called the utility to find out what they think?

It can be frustrating for a poster to write a detailed description of
a situation, only to read a response from somebody who obviously
didn't read it.

Here is the part of the OP's posting that should have prevented your
question:

I ask the REC and they said we 'just used more'. They also tried to
blame 'recovery usage'. I'm not buying it. They claim they didn't
estimate the bill and when I received the bill I immediately checked
and the meter reading seemed in line with normal. I'm talking KWH her
not $$ which can be affected by rate changes, surcharge and taxes etc."

I suspect that some utilities have lax procedures that benefit them,
but are only detectable during situations like this.

Bernardo