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On Feb 19, 10:32 am, "Ray" wrote:
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On Feb 19, 8:46 am, Kurt Ullman wrote:
In article ,

"Ray" wrote:
I'm guessing that as a practical matter, the issue would be resolved
through
negotiated settlement.

I would think the state agency that regulates the gas utility would
be able to tell you about how this works.

There appears to be two potentially different issues. One is some
months you don't use as much gas as you think you should. That could
definitely be due to estimated billing, differences in how many days
between meter reading, etc. I've seen bills where it is not
necessarily obvious if it was estimated unless you look carefully.

The more troubling issue is that the meter readings never are the same
as the actual meter. I don't know how you would know that unless you
recorded the meter yourself every few days. And also that you say the
yearly amount is 1/3, which sure would seem to indicate something is
wrong.

It's possible they are not even reading the correct meter and have the
wrong one tied to your account. That happened to me in a new
condo. After several years, the neighbor had their gas shut off for
non-payment. I came home to a cold house. When they installed the
services, there are 4 located together and they had the lines/meters
mixed up. In that case, the gas company went back to day 1, which
was several years, and adjusted the bills. At least they adjusted
mine, as I got a credit of several hundred bucks. Can't say for sure
if they recovered that sum from the neighbors.

If you want to resolve it, I would call the gas company and have them
send out someone to check the meter and go over this problem while
someone knowledgable about the issue from your side is there. Take
notes of the meeting, names, dates, photo of the meter reading, save
the bills, etc. If they come after you 5 years from now, you could
argue, perhaps successfully, that it's their fault and they have to
eat it. Having good evidence would be key.

If you elect not to resolve it, then I would put some extra money into
the reserves consistent with what you think you may have to pay
someday. There is likely a statute of limitations in your state that
covers how many years back they could go. There might also be
utility regulations or consumer protection laws that cover it as
well. But only a local lawyer is going to be able to give you those
specifics.

Thanks for the detailed response. There's no question that the monthly
meter
readings as recorded on the bill differ significantly from those on the
meter itself. We have kept records carefully on this.


We've contacted the gas company several times and are always advised that
things seem correct from their point of view, although on the phone one
guy
did acknowledge that it was unusual that we at times used more gas in
summer
than in winter. (The water heater is also connected to our gas mater.)

Yes, we are accumulating a reserve in case they come back with a
monster-bill.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -



OK, here's some more questions. Exactly how do they differ? Is it
that they are just off by X amount one month Y another month, but
overall what you see on the meter and the bill are at least tracking
each other? Or are you saying that each month the readings grow
further and further apart? Since you say the yearly bill is about
1/3 what you expected it to be, I would expect it's the latter? If
so, then something is very wrong and I don't see how the gas company
can just say everything is OK.

Also, how do you know what the meter actually reads on the day they
say they read it? Is someone recording it daily? Are you sure you
are reading the right meter? Does the meter # match the bill? Is
there any other meter nearby that it could be crossed with? If there
was any other meter around and if it was my own house, I'd shut off
the valve at the meter and verify that the gas goes off at the
furnace. In a 4 unit condo, you could do it, but need everyone home
if there are gas appliances, water heaters etc that have pilot lights
that need to be re-lit in the various units.

The fact that you use more gas some months in summer is particularly
troubling. Heating water in a residential application is typically
small compared to heating bills. In summer, my gas bill is usually
less than $20 a month, while in winter, it can be 10X that. Of course
it also depends on where you are located. My first suspicion would be
that they somehow have your meter # crossed with some other
account. In any case, with a situation this screwy they should be
willing to send someone out and if no rational explanation can be
determined, they should switch out the meter.


They read our meter electronically, sitting in a truck in our building
driveway.

To use the most recent example: Their reading for February, dated Feb. 16,
stated that we had used 560 units during the previous month.

Our meter, also read on Feb. 16, showed that we had in fact used 1730 units
in the same period.