On Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:16:39 -0400, "Existential Angst"
wrote:

"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
...
I was at a party last night and a neighbor who works for a commercial
HVAC company explained his method of ripping off the gas company.

He says that gas is a commodity and therefore is typically cheaper in
the summer than in the winter. In the summer he "over-reads" his meter
by 35 - 40 therms on average, paying for the extra therms at the
cheaper price.

In the winter, he "under-reads" his meter by the same amount, paying
for fewer of the expensive therms.

Since he is sending in his card every month, and he is staying within
"average use" for a homeowner, they only come to read his meter once a
year and it's always near the end of winter when his over-reads and
under-reads have just about cancelled out.

As they ask on Mythbusters - Busted, Confirmed or Plausible?

Seems VERY plausible!! HILARIOUS!!

No WONDER the meter readers will pert near pound our doors down around here,
to get in.

But no longer for me -- ahm now even more of a victim of Big Brother, as
they read my **** remotely.

But, what do you think the net gain is over a year, from this strategy??
$20?? $50?? $100??
And, to get this to work, he can't let the meter reader in during the course
of the year -- around here, if you are not read remotely, I believe they
threaten to add penalties if they can't get in periodically.

Your neighbor should apply for a job on Wall Street.


There's almost never anyone at my home (NYC) when the reader comes,
so we read it and submit it via internet - or if we forget we get an
estimated bill. Once or twice a year someone is home when they come by
so I don't know what happens if you go a year. No one counts how many
people live in the house though.

I guess it's possible to jiggle the numbers for both gas and electric
so you save a bit, but it really seems too minor to bother with.