Neon John wrote:

Let's analyze the situation as I understand it.

You and a few neighbors live on a dead end primary (term refers to the high voltage
distribution coming to your transformer) spur. Your power was cut by the storm and
was off several days. Based on mostly anecdotal evidence, you all claim to have
higher bills. You have asked neighbors who did not lose power and their anecdotal
responses were that their bills didn't go up. Presuming I got all that correct,
let's see what all you power losers :-) have in common.

There are several more power losers than the 4. I just mentioned the 4
on this line when questioning the one line vs. 2 line scenario. Folks on
completely separate lines are complaining of higher bills also.


Being on the same primary spur leads me to consider higher voltage after the power
restoration. Since you have no measurements, no way to know. A good clue would be
if your voltage NOW is higher than 120.
All measurements since have been ~ 120.

That leaves the meter reader, the company and the storm itself.

It is vanishingly unlikely that the meter reader made near-identical reading mistakes
on all your meters. It is also unlikely that the meters were even read at all. A
power outage that long tells me the utility was assholes'n'elbows during the
recovery. The meter readers, unless they are contractors, were likely working on the
recovery as ground and support crew. That's the way it works with my client
utilities.
Meter readers are contract, usually retired farmers that drive around
and wife gets out to read while farmer pats the dog on the head.
I would suspect that the reader is the same as all I've spoken to are in
the same township. But identical mistakes?? Doubt it.
I can question the REC about other reader's districts.

That leaves the company itself and the storm. Specifically for the company, a
probability of an estimated meter reading even if they don't normally do estimating.
Arguing against that is that your non-power-loss neighbors say their bills were only
a little higher.

If all were estimated at previous years levels this would make sense,
excepting the fact that when I read the meter it was still in line with
average daily usage based on 6 years data. The November bill was higher
than average which negates the estimate theory , I think.


"I'm so confused!"


In my mind it boils down to two potential but mutually exclusive causes, militated by
the possibility of high voltage being a contributory factor. These are the only two
possibilities that could roughly equally affect the power losers but not affect
others.

If there was higher voltage, it's gone now.

I'm getting the feeling that you're not going to be satisfied in
this thread until
someone tells you "Yeah, those dirty *******s are stealing STEALING from you."

That's not quite so. If I can come away from this discussion or a
discussion with the REC understanding how with 20% fewer days usage, the
total kwh went up by 5% over the 6 year average, I'll be tickled. If
they estimated: OK, I'll accept that It will all come out next bill. If
higher voltage 'spun' the meter, OK, just tell me. I just feel I need to
know. As I said before, I may be thick as a brick when it comes to
electricity, but I'm fairly methodical and can see through a wall if
given enough time. I appreciate those who are continuing to put up with
my plebeian thought process on this.

Now, where's that next windmill, Pancho?


Here's what I suggest you do. Don't bother the utility until you get your next
month's bill. THEN do your math. If everything approximately evens out, you're
done. If you're not satisfied, first thing to do is call the utility and talk to
someone more senior than the receptionist and find out for sure whether they estimate
or not, and whether the bill you just got was estimated.

I've been reading the meter nearly daily since I got the bill. Usage is
in line with 6 year data averages. (21 kwh/day)


Here's what will happen if you make a big enough stink. The utility will come out
and pull your meter, replacing it with a new one. Your old meter will be sent to the
meter shop for a calibration determination. In the very very very unlikely event the
meter is in error then your bill will be corrected. From experience with meter
shops, I can say that the occurrence of this is so rare that it usually generates a
little chatter among the techs.

The overwhelming likelihood is that the meter will be in calibration. At that point
you'll get a call or perhaps just a form letter stating that your meter was checked
and was in calibration and therefore your bill stands. This is all that they're
legally and IMO, morally obligated to do.

Yeahbut, it's not just me and my meter.

Thanks, john

Steve
--
"When it all comes down,
I hope it doesn't land on you."
- Hoyt Axton