Neon John wrote:


Well, here's the bottom line. Excluding the almost infinitesimal possibility of mass
meter error (essentially impossible if mechanical meters are involved), you and your
neighbors used more power. What we (at least those of us who know the utility
business) are trying to do is suggest where that extra usage came from.

Yeahbut, 25% more each and every day we were on line? Including the 10
billing days iprior/i to the outage? There were only 14 days left of
the billing period after the power was restored. Ooh, Ooh, let's
calculate that:

Day 1-10 average use (based on 6 years of dec.data) = 22 kwh/day = 222kw
Day 11-17 0 usage
day 18-31 682kw- 222kw used the 1st 10 days = 460 kw. / 14 days = 32.9
kw/day.
150% usage for each of 14 days between the restoration and the end of
the cycle? Huh-uh; didn't happen.
There's more than cold weather and 'recovery' to this equation. I just
haven't figgered it out yet.


It is a known fact that power usage tracks degree-days even with homes that don't
primarily heat with electricity. Why? Got me. Just how it is. It is also a known
fact that people use more electricity after an outage, what your co-op called
recovery usage. Why? Got me. I can speculate but since that's not my specialty I
don't have any details. I just know that it is true. It probably is a combination
of catching up on activities such as washing clothes combined with the disruption of
your normal habits.

Not 150% more for 14 days. Remember I said that when I got the bill I
immediately checked the meter and found it to be in normal usage from
the date of reading to the day I got the bill for ~21. kwh/day usage.
Thankfully I'm not still using at the 150% rate. Whatever it was went away.

Another factor very well may be slightly higher voltage. For practical purposes,
your use will scale with voltage. A 5% increase in voltage might not be unusual if,
in the process of rebuilding what the storm damaged, the co-op installed up-rated
equipment.

That's an interesting thought. My K-A-W meter only shows 120-121 vac on
all my tests so far. I've tested line voltage occasionally over the
years with a multitester and as I recall it was always close to 120.

It's most likely a combination of all the above. It is effectively impossible to
determine the exact cause after the fact. The co-op person that you talk to will
tell you that same thing, couched in consumer-friendly verbiage.

Well, maybe a combination, but we still feel there's something we're not
being told. Maybe I better get my tin-foil hat out.

Thanks again.

Steve