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Across the Fence:  $400.00 Light Bill  |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 06 2008 : 4:54:30 PM
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I just got back from a week away and looked through the stack of mail. There was my light bill. I thought it wouldn't be too bad because I had not been needing to run the heat too much yet. I almost hit the floor when I saw the amount. $399.98! So I called first thing this morning and said someone better get out here asap and redo the reading. From $85 last month to $400 this month is crazy.
Has that ever happened to anyone else? They did come out a few weeks ago to put in a new meter cuz the old one wasn't working. So I'm hoping that's the problem. I sure hope the electric hasn't jumped up that much.
Kris |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2008 : 4:57:55 PM
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Kristin- Yes, I had that happen to me once. The meter had been broken or something so we had been using way more electricity that we realized and in an audit or something they back billed us for 6 months! Yikes!
I hope it all gets resolved in your favor! Those types of bills really give you a heart attack!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
Edited by - Alee on Nov 06 2008 4:58:49 PM |
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Sitnalta
True Blue Farmgirl
4208 Posts
Jessica
NJ
USA
4208 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2008 : 5:38:15 PM
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ooh, Kris,
That stinks. It is crazy the things that they can do. We are having a problem right now with trying to get the electric turned on at the new house. They want to charge me $670.00 as a deposit to get it turned on because the woman living there before us used that much in two months. I was soooo mad! They can do whatever they want within reason unfortunately, but thankfully, they are willing to work with you sometimes. :)
HUGS!
Jessie
Farmgirl Sister #235
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Sitnalta
True Blue Farmgirl
4208 Posts
Jessica
NJ
USA
4208 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2008 : 5:41:11 PM
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ooh, Kris,
That stinks. It is crazy the things that they can do. We are having a problem right now with trying to get the electric turned on at the new house. They want to charge me $670.00 as a deposit to get it turned on because the woman living there before us used that much in two months. I was soooo mad! They can do whatever they want within reason unfortunately, but thankfully, they are willing to work with you sometimes. :)
HUGS!
Jessie
Farmgirl Sister #235
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kissmekate
True Blue Farmgirl
890 Posts
Kate
Delano
Minnesota
890 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2008 : 5:42:29 PM
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This happened with my gas bill one year. Evidently my meter was not reading properly and I got slapped with a 800 dollar bill. They worked with me to get it down to reasonable payments.
Don't miss out on a blessing, just because it isn't packaged the way you expected. ~MaryJo Copeland |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2008 : 5:48:36 PM
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| What do you mean, reasonable payments? You had to pay that much? If your meter is not reading right, is that your fault? Whoa, something doesn't sound right there. I know we did not use that much because it hasn't even been running much yet. That's kinda scary. If we have this high electric bill, I think we'll just burn wood from now on. That's crazy. |
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K-Falls Farmgirl
Chapter Leader
2096 Posts
Cheryl
Klamath Falls
Oregon
USA
2096 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2008 : 6:04:20 PM
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ouch.... That is a Big bill... Good luck straightening out a few people..
http://www.k-fallsfarmgirl.blogspot.com/
Cheryl #309
Farm girl sister
Enjoy the little things in life....someday you'll look back and realize they were the big things. |
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2008 : 7:31:02 PM
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If your meter wasn't working right you may have been UNDER charged for quite some time. The 400.00 may be showing back payments that you do actually owe. They may have noticed a trend in your bills which prompted them to replace the meter and now you will have to pay for electricity that you used but never payed for.
Farmgirl Sister #17
Blog
www.willowtreecreek.wordpress.com
Felt and Fabric Crafts
www.willowartist.etsy.com
www.willowtreecreek.com
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elphie0503
True Blue Farmgirl
500 Posts
Samantha
Gilmer
Texas
USA
500 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2008 : 7:45:41 PM
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holy smackdown batman..thats outrageous!!! We moved from city to country, which meant American Electric Power to a county Co-Op...they did the same thing. Needless to say, I showed exactly how much of a sailor's daughter I was and they adjusted it. Hope that works out for you.
Samantha
www.myspace.com/elphie0503
I've dreamt in my life dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas; they've gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the colour of my mind.~~Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2008 : 04:32:09 AM
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Our house is only about 1600 sq. ft. too. And a brand new heat and air unit to boot. So if we have been undercharged, it may not be running this year, for sure.
They're supposed to be comint today to reread the meter and call Monday.
I know sometimes if I'm not here and my dog is out when the guy comes to read the meter, he will not even stop. He'll just do an average on the next bill. So I usually call to see when he's coming and put Bubba in the house. He's such a wimpy meter reader! Bubba's just a jumper and tire peeer! But I guess he is a good watch dog. |
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Brew Crew
True Blue Farmgirl
676 Posts
Molly
Arizona
676 Posts |
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abbysshadow
True Blue Farmgirl
224 Posts
Sherry
Dayton
Nevada
USA
224 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2008 : 07:11:24 AM
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ouchie! We had the same water thing... our bill was getting super high...I thought it was because we were watering more... I called our water company and they said that rates had gone up...I was not happy, but I just accepted it at that time...a few weeks later they were working out by where our meter is..outside the fence..dug a huge hole and all...my next water bill was miniscule....so I called and had them look into it...sure enough, there had been a leak underground, but not on my property...they adjusted things and i got money back....whew...water is at a premium here, but come on! good luck to you, Kristen..keep at them..
...I cannot do all the good that the world needs, but the world needs all the good that I can do... |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2008 : 07:58:33 AM
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One thing I try to do is go to my meters mid-month and read them to see how they are averaging. That way I *hope* I can catch a problem. It doesn't always work if the meter is broken, but if there is a leak it should be apparent.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2008 : 08:02:50 AM
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| Good idea, Alee. |
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Tammy Claxton
True Blue Farmgirl
1559 Posts
Tammy
Glen Burnie
Maryland
USA
1559 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2008 : 08:21:18 AM
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I'm on budget billing and I use about 250.00 a month's worth of electric. My budget billing is 428.00 a month. Some budget huh? I just got a credit for 1, 300 for over charges from last year! Youdon't get a check back, they credit your bill, but still overcharge on the budget billing! Makes no sense to me. B G and E (baltimore gas and electric) here are soooo greedy!
Crafty Bay Farmgirl Chapter
"What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger"
Farmgirl #152
http://countryintheburbs.blogspot.com/
http://bigdogmom130.etsy.com |
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La Patite Ferme
True Blue Farmgirl
623 Posts
Jenn
CA
USA
623 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2008 : 09:23:04 AM
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Please don't take this the wrong way 'cause I'm just curious, but WOW  what are you girls running that your bills are so high? I would have a heart attack if my bill was that high.
DD and I live in a 2100 sqft house with all the normal electric sucking stuff (fridge, computer, tv, radios etc) plus a 25ft freezer in the garage. When our lambs arrive in mid January we run heat lamps in the barn until they get about an inch of wool, which can be several weeks, henhouse lights to extend egg laying and heat lamps 24/7 for weeks when we have chicks.
And still my bill has never been more than $75-80 except when DD left her computer on ALL weekend when we were at a show, but still that bill was only $105ish.
My normal bill runs $45-55. It's less when I don't use my dryer which I haven't done lately because of all the east winds - clothes would be full of dirt if I hung them out.
I know when I first moved in the electric company gave me an estimate of what my bill could be, but that was based on the family of 4 that lives here. My $500 turn on fee was credited to my account so I really didn't have to pay for electricity for the first year. Which wasn't such a bad thing - I did pay half of what the previous owners used so now I have a running credit that would probably cover a full year if anything financial ever happened. Drives the electric company crazy though, but tough. I did the same thing with my gas company.
Kris, I would definently have the electric company check your meter and maybe do an energy audit to see if they can find what is causing such a huge energy draw. But it really sound like it's on their side
I feel for ya girl - that must have been quite a shocker. |
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carycamille
True Blue Farmgirl
163 Posts
Camille
Cathlamet
Washington
USA
163 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2008 : 09:33:48 AM
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When we first moved here our electric bill ran around $65 a month, then we had to get a new meter. In the mean time we rebuilt our house and put in insulation, new windows etc. and now our bill runs around $110 to $125 in the summer and around $150 in the winter. The largest bill I've had was $220 one winter when I had a lot of Christmas lights and left them on all the time. Now I use a timer! But the new meter that "works right" it what made our bill go up because I am very consious (?) about turning things off.
Camille |
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wild daisy
True Blue Farmgirl
503 Posts
Madelynne
Billings
Montana
USA
503 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2008 : 10:50:14 AM
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That sounds fishy. I try and lower my bill every month for water, gas and electricity and they are never that high.
New meter just because your old meter which is their old meter was not working. I would at least expect a discount as this was not your fault. It was not as though you were rolling back the meter ever month and trying to cheat them. Good luck and let us know if you get a discount.
Madelynne |
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bbteacher
True Blue Farmgirl
134 Posts
Bonnie
BALTIMORE
Maryland
USA
134 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2008 : 1:00:43 PM
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Wow ladies!
I wish I could buy gas/electricty from your distributors. We keep our thermostat on 63 degrees, wear warm layers, run a wood stove and plug-in heaters (for those extra cold days/nights and our bill is $175-$250.00. We don't run lots of stuff it's just the gas and electricty is soooooooo expensive in Maryland. Before our crazy governor allowed Constellation Energy to make a deal with the people of Maryland and the Devil, our bills were much lower. Over the last year our BGE bill has increased 88%! We got a one-time rebate of $172.00, but it was gobbled up in the next bill. I feel your pain but I'd love to have a bill under $150.00 again.
Bonnie
Farmgirl Sister #333 |
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La Patite Ferme
True Blue Farmgirl
623 Posts
Jenn
CA
USA
623 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2008 : 3:08:53 PM
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| I guess I'm confused or maybe it's just dim, but why is there such a HUGE difference in cost across the country? I always thought CA was more expensive than other places. |
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katie-ell
True Blue Farmgirl
1818 Posts
Katie
Illinois
1818 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2008 : 3:40:14 PM
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Sorry to say this, but if the meter is broken and you haven't been billed for all the electricity you used, you WILL have to pay for it. Contact the company and politely discuss the options for payment. IF that is the case. If the new meter is reading incorrectly, I'm sure they will discover that as well and fix it.
Natural gas and electricity IS high in our part of the country, too. I try to turn lights off when not in a room and we heat with wood, so that helps quite a lot in the winter. And I'm washing all our clothes in cold water now and using the drying rack and clothesline as much as possible.
www.youaretoocreative.blogspot.com |
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bohemiangel
True Blue Farmgirl
2087 Posts
Bridget
Ligonier
pa
USA
2087 Posts |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2008 : 4:37:42 PM
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There sure is a big difference all across the country. But last Jan. Through March we had the upstairs added on to. The roof was off for a month while they worked up there. Thank goodness it wasn't too cold here then. But even then the bill was only around $150.00. They had the heat going all the time.
I also have 2 huge freezers in the garage (full) and a fridge and a half freezer in the milk room plus the one in the house, too. I only use cold water to wash clothes and always hang them out on the line. We also have a well to water animals and gardens now. I also open windows and wait as long as I can to turn the air on. Also the heat.
So I hope it's just a huge mistake. Or maybe a payback because of my dog.
I am thankful we have had such low bills compared to alot of ya'll out there. I did hear someone on the radio on 10 ways to save money that people hate to do. One of them was to move to a cheaper part of the country. But where is that these days?
Kris |
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Ronna
True Blue Farmgirl
1891 Posts
Ronna
Fernley
NV
USA
1891 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2008 : 4:48:47 PM
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| I believe all utility bills have gone way up the past year or so. Even if you try your best to conserve, the rates keep going up. Our water bill quadrupled-we have to pay for the new water treatment plant to keep an unhealthy amount of arsenic and tungsten out of the water. Gas and electric bills are affected by the energy costs-we all know what the price of gas and diesel was just a few months ago. Thankfully, it's down below $3 gallon now. The surcharges on the utility bills should go down or away now...but that never seems to happen. |
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keeperofthehome
True Blue Farmgirl
154 Posts
Suzanne
Atlanta
Georgia
USA
154 Posts |
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nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
2899 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
2899 Posts |
Posted - Nov 08 2008 : 10:25:41 AM
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| We do not use our furnace/ac or dryer, wash on cold etc. We take 2 showers a day & have a high efficiency hot water heater. My bills run from 150 to 200 a month. I have been round & round with Duke Energy & they swear this is right. My neighbor who has 2 heat pumps & keeps ac on all summer has bills that are similar. I feel like I am being gypped, but do not know what can be done. I have had people out to check the meter & they say it is ok. They keep telling me that maybe I don't have decent insulation, but when you aren't running the furnace that point is moot. Short of trying to get off of the grid, I don't know what to do. They have you, that's for sure. |
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Across the Fence: $400.00 Light Bill |
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$400.00 Light Bill
