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Was your A/C off for sure? My FIL winters here -- they got a huge bill the first party of summer. We called the AC guys (they had just gotten a new unit) -- there was a leak.......(We kept their a/c on to help combat humidity -- they are gone for 6 months of the year). Back in Georgia our house a/c was gobbling up electricity -- turned out it needed maintenance. We did have a hot spell that could impact the electricity.
Call SCEG and talk to them reasonably -- dont' attack -- explain the situation. They will be able to tell you if there could be a reasonable explanation.
I know this is an old thread, but I want to make some important advise on how to manage your electric bill. Is your electric bill becoming suspiciously and unusually high? Did you have to pay much more after your electric power company installed a digital meter (AMR or Smart Meter)?
You're not alone.
For 3 or even better for 6-12 months (or forever) check your meter reading (Analog, AMR or Smart Meter*) at 9 AM (noon, 6 PM or 9 PM; at the same time every day) and write it down to a print-out table (exact time, date, meter reading, usual and unusual appliances used on that day, etc.). Then, after 3, 6 or 12 months and even during those months research which days you were using appliances that used more electricity and write everything down, every time you use a drill, a washer, a dryer, a cement mixer, temperature outside and inside, etc. One year data would become invaluable argumentative tool to you when talking to a electric power representative.
Also, always write down analog meter readings right before it is replaced with AMR or Smart Meter. Watch out for electric meter gouging while it is being replaced and every day even on hourly basis.
It happened to me. After my analog meter was replaced in Oct. 2008 to an AMR meter, my meter reading was gouged on the new AMR meter by several hundreds kWh, which cost me about $60 extra overnight. This is how I paid for the new AMR meter even if the SCE&G denies the wrongdoing, but they seem to kind of "agree" that it could have happened, but "now its too late" to fight it.
I also suspect that allegedly el. power companies can quite easily gouge the new digital meters up even by a few kWh per month or per day. This is why keep your daily (or even hourly sometimes) meter record is important to prevent or catch the meter gouging, which does happen. Although the meter gouging may be allegedly done at odd times such as 3 AM when everyone is asleep, but watching your meter as often as you can is best, especially if you live on a budget and as a matter of principle as well.
Since I caught SCE&G gouging my meter and my bill as well (one monthly bill was gouged by a whopping $30+! and they admitted it as their "error" while trying to impose WNA on us) I read my meter very often and write everything down. You can even install a mini camera to record the meter 24/7 as an extreme measure, but very effective indeed.
My July-October bills back in 2008 when the analog meter was replaced with AMR meter were messed up by adding some mysterious extra charges over $30. I guess this could be when they were trying to make us pay at least some of the costs involving the AMR meter installations.
El. power companies love to note that "the last couple of years etc. it was very cold winter" while I'm a tree grower and I know that the last 2-3 winters were one of the warmest on record, yet the bills were higher. They're trying to hide their price increases under false and misleading statements such as "cold winter", "unusually hot/cold" etc.
Despite SCE&G saying that the new meters help consumer save money, it is SCE&G and other el. power companies that make more money and are helped to charge you more money and not the other way around. Even the WNA, it is made to make more money for SCE&G. On unusually warm/cold days consumer should be saving, right? Yet you get credited only 10% or less of the unusually mild days of the amount what the el. power co. charges you on mild weather days and nights. It is an unfair system by my opinion. Plus per kWh charges keep going up and went up 60% since 2006.
SCE&G said that after 2017 when the new NPS is completed, we should revert to much lower per kWh costs. Will see.
*Smart Meter emits EMF radiation and may be unhealthy, especially if housed near a bedroom. Demand your power company replace it with Analog or at least with AMR meter. Even AMR meter emits EMF every half second and during a 24 hour period it emits over 170 thousand potentially harmful EMF signals. Smart Meter (not sure if AMR meter does that too) emits 160 times more EMF (electro magnectic frequencies, radiation) than a cellphone does and Smart Meter is the second largest offender in radiation frequencies after only a cellphone tower. And we know that living under a cellphone tower or within 1/4 mile of it, kills.
Last edited by HeavenlySkies; 10-08-2013 at 11:55 AM..
Reason: spelling correction
I know this is an old thread, but I want to make some important advise on how to manage your electric bill. Is your electric bill becoming suspiciously and unusually high? Did you have to pay much more after your electric power company installed a digital meter (AMR or Smart Meter)?
For 3 or even better for 6-12 months (or forever) check your meter reading (Analog, AMR or Smart Meter*) at 9 AM (noon, 6 PM or 9 PM; at the same time every day) and write it down to a print-out table (exact time, date, meter reading, usual and unusual appliances used on that day, etc.). Then, after 3, 6 or 12 months and even during those months research which days you were using appliances that used more electricity and write everything down, every time you use a drill, a washer, a dryer, a cement mixer, temperature outside and inside, etc. One year data woiuld become invaluable argumentative tool to you when talking to a electric power representative.
Also, always write down analog meter readings right before it is replaced with AMR or Smart Meter. Watch out for electric meter gouging while it is being replaced and every day even on hourly basis.
It happened to me. After my analog meter was replaced in Oct. 2008 to an AMR meter, my meter reading was gouged on the new AMR meter by several hundreds kWh, which cost me about $60 extra overnight. This is how I paid for the new AMR meter even if the SCE&G denies the wrongdoing, but they seem to kind of "agree" that it could have happened, but "now its too late" to fight it.
I also suspect that allegedly el. power companies can quite easily gouge the new digital meters up even by a few kWh per month or per day. This is why keep your daily (or even hourly sometimes) meter record is important to prevent or catch the meter gouging, which does happen. Although the meter gouging may be allegedly done at oidd times such as 3 AM when everyone is asleep, but watching your meter as often as you can is best, especially if you live on a budget and as a matter of principle as well.
Since I caught SCE&G gouging my meter and my bill as well (one monthly bill was gouged by a whopping $30! and they admitted it as their "error" while trying to impose WNA on us) I read my meter very often and write everything down. You can even install a mini camera to record the meter 24/7 as an extreme measure, but very effective indeed.
El. power companies love to note that "the last couple of years etc. it was very cold winter" while I'm a tree grower and I know that the last 2-3 winters were one of the warmest on record, yet the bills were higher.
Despite SCE&G saying that the new meters help consumer save money, it is SCE&G and other el. power companies that make more money and are helped to charge you more money and not the other way around. Even the WNA, it is made to make more money for SCE&G. On unusually warm/cold days consumer should be saving, right? Yet you get only 10% or less of the unusually mild days, where the el. power co. charges you much more. It is an unfair system by my opinion. Plus per kWh charges keep going up and went up 60% since 2006.
*Smart Meter emits EMF radiation and may be unhealthy, especially if housed near a bedroom. Demand your power company replace it with Analog or at least with AMR meter. Even AMR meter emits EMF every half second and during a 24 hour period it emits over 170 thousand potentially harmful EMF signals
That's a lot of work. I think I would rather just pay the durn bill.
The amount of time and effort simply isn't worth the return of investment. My time is worth more than that. If your proposal were less cumbersome, then it would likely attract more attention and be worth it to me. I understand your concerns but as it stands now, it's just easier to pay the bill.
I understand both sides and respect equally. I spend about 45 seconds every day writing down the data (time, date, meter reading, appliances used (only unusual), outdoor temp, thermostat setting. Come back after work, walk past the meter and the thermometer and write it all down. Years later I thank myself for this invaluable and historical data that no one else has. Simple and easy preparation is the key - simply create a 5-column table (takes 2 minutes) and then print out several dozen sheets for the future use and keep filling them. This way I found out temperature statistics gouging by weather and power companies for political, economical and other purposes.
In fact, after a thorough investigation I just found out that my AMR meter installed in Oct. 2008 Model # ITRON CENTRON CL200 costs $30 and that's how much my 2-3 months bills were gouged for in 2008. That was pre-WNA game (WNA = Weather Normalization Adjustment) trying to charge me same big amount every month and deep under the cover of those charges I found they were overcharging me by $33+. AMR stands for Automatic Metering System.
I'm sure some consumers will appreciate my info since it takes days, months and years to correctly collect and present it.
Many consumers find it easier to pay than to fight-it-and-win in the long run.
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Important advise
