On May 28, 12:08*am, Home Guy wrote:
Ed Pawlowski wrote:
Have you talked to the utility company?

Yes, I have contacted the "front-line" customer service people and
expect to hear more from someone more technical or in more authority (or
at least someone more "male") next week.

Our last bill was for 5,160 kwh, with a billing period from april 5 to
May 4.
The previous month (March 5 - April 4) was 1915 kwh. *

Infact, looking at the last 12 bills I see some very suspicious things:

5162.41 April
1915.26 March
1582.17 Feb (meter changed end of Feb)
1998.53 Jan 2011
1915.26 Dec
2081.8 *Nov
2664.7 *Oct
1498.9 *Sept
3414.15 Aug
3913.78 July
1998.53 June
2248.34 May
1915.26 April
1915.26 March
5162.86 Feb
3247.61 Jan 2010
2331.62 Dec 2009

Our meter is always read on the first business day of each month. *The
meter was changed at the end of February. *The old meter was electronic
(it had a digital LCD readout). *The new meter *I believe* is different
in that it can do time-of-use measuring and it can do RF (wireless) data
transmission. *Time-of-use billing is not yet being performed in our
area, and at least for our new meter a person is still coming around to
read it.

I note that I see 1915.26 show up suspiciously 4 times during the past
year (what are the odds that we'd use the exact same amount of
electricity for any 2 months, let alone 4?).

It was the large jump from 1915 to 5162 that tweaked me on this and I
had an assistant enter all previous numbers from other bills in a
spreadsheet. *The large spike back in Feb 2010 to almost exactly the
same number of 5162 is also suspicious.

I would have expected our electricity use to decline from March to April
given a reduced furnace on-time in April vs March.

I have no idea what remedy or proceedure my utility company follows in
disputes of this nature. *I have the vague idea that they circle the
wagons and defend their meters to the last drop of their blood, and that
the laws or service contracts may favor them and not the customer. *We
shall see.

My first guess would be that the logical explanation for 1915.26
showing
up 4 times would be that it is some form of an ESTMATED reading
used when they didn't take an actual reading. The odds of that number
showing up 4 times from a true reading would be very low. And if it
has, I'd suggest using it to play the lottery.