Electric Bill Suprise

[RedHawk]

I live in a typical 2br college apartment with one roommate. Typically our electric ranges between $90-$100 per month. Today we got a bill for $130.

This does not make sense for a couple reasons:
1. The billing period was 29 days which is normal give or take a few days
2. We were both gone for an entire week for spring break
3. No A/C usage (gas heat)
4. Cost per kw hour decreased
5. No change in habits

Has anyone else experienced something similar to this? How did you respond?

 

[Nords]

I live in a typical 2br college apartment with one roommate. Typically our electric ranges between $90-$100 per month. Today we got a bill for $130.
This does not make sense for a couple reasons:
1. The billing period was 29 days which is normal give or take a few days
2. We were both gone for an entire week for spring break
3. No A/C usage (gas heat)
4. Cost per kw hour decreased
5. No change in habits
Has anyone else experienced something similar to this? How did you respond?

Does the bill include additional one-time charges for fuel or infrastructure or other reasons?
If your water heater's electric, is it leaking?
So who was using your place while you were on break?
Do you have any exterior receptacles (on a lanai or sidewalk) that someone could have "borrowed" for a few days?
Has your meter been tampered with, or does its current reading make sense with what was put on your electric bill? If the meter reader switched a couple digits then what's recorded on the bill may not make sense compared to the meter's latest reading.

 

[MichaelB]

I live in a typical 2br college apartment with one roommate. Typically our electric ranges between $90-$100 per month. Today we got a bill for $130.

This does not make sense for a couple reasons:
1. The billing period was 29 days which is normal give or take a few days
2. We were both gone for an entire week for spring break
3. No A/C usage (gas heat)
4. Cost per kw hour decreased
5. No change in habits

Has anyone else experienced something similar to this? How did you respond?

Is your meter read every month or does it alternate between actual and estimated.

 

[cashbalancetrouble]

Do you live in an all electric apartemnt? In Ohio they removed the special rates subsidies for all electric homes and businesses.

They have re-enacted the rates after a lot of stink was raised.

 

[tinlizzy]

Is your meter read every month or does it alternate between actual and estimated.

An estimated reading was what I thought. The cynic in me thinks they probably estimate the second to last month before school is out as a way of getting a partial payment for the last month. Just a guess that the electric company gets burned the last month of school every year by some college students who do not pay their final bills.