Electric Bill TRIPLED??? WTH???

[kristenrice]

We live in Michigan and had a very nice stretch of weather in March which meant we turned on the A/C for a few days. I set the thermostat at 72 so it didn't run *that* much. Other than that, we had absolutely nothing different in our electricity consumption. I just about fainted when I saw our electric bill was over $300!! In the middle of summer, running the A/C for weeks at a time, we've NEVER had a bill that was over $225. Our usual bill is in the $120 range in the winter and $180-$200 in the summer. Our house is 1300 sq ft (not including the basement) so it isn't exactly a mansion. HOW in the heck is it over $300 for March? What can I do about this? The bill is paid via an auto-charge to our credit card and it won't be actually charged until the end of April so I have a little time. I'm just completely at a loss...we are so careful about turning off lights, only watching 1 TV at a time, setting sleep timers on the stereos and not running the A/C unless we are sweating while sitting still. I just don't see how our bill could have possibly jumped by THAT much.

 

[Lucky St. Louis]

I had a similar problem a few years ago when I opend my bill and nearly had a heart attack. I called the electric company who told me that it was most likely a mis-read meter. Check your bill...was an actual meter reading done? If so, it was probably human error. Look at the number they read and then go outside to your meter and do a reading yourself (the electric company can talk you through this if you don't know how). I was so upset that even though it was nighttime, I went outside in my pajamas and read it with a flashlight. Sure enough, the meter reader misread one number which made all the difference. They took my reading and sent out a new much lower bill. Hope this is the case for you.

Kate

 

[angwill]

Read the meter yourself and call in the reading. When that happened to us it was because they estimated our bill for a few months an they estimated low so when they actually read it the bill skyrocketed. On the bill it will say either actual reading or estimate. I was told they don't have enough people working anymore to read all the meters every month and offered either average billing where I pay the same every month or to read the meter myself every month and call it in. I now read it myself and call it in to keep it correct. I hope it was just an error and that things work out for you.

 

[clh2]

How do your KW's compare to your summer bill? Also - how does your cost per KW compare to what you paid last summer? Those are probably the first two things you should look at.

Now - DH and I had a bill that was EXTREMELY high - and realized that we were having a problem with our well pump. Our usage otherwise didn't make any sense - so we went through our circuit breaker 1-circuit at a time, until we found the one that made the electric meter spin fast. Then it didn't take long to figure out what was happening. (Luckily for us - our pump was on the verge of failing. So - we "literally" got it fixed just in time. And - I would never want a well pump to fail...everything is nastier when I haven't had a hot shower in the morning.)

Just adding that story because sometimes - things DO go wrong with appliances that you have.

 

[cmwade77]

Physically read meter????? We have smart meters, so they are read automatically from the office.

The nice thing about this is we can watch our electric bill and know the estimated dollar amount at any point in the month.

Also, if it wasn't an error, most electric companies will take a look at your past years electric bill and average out your cost per month, making your bil the same all year long.

 

[disneysnowflake]

Ours didn't triple, but it was over double. I was shocked.
Apparently their "computer" gave us an "estimated" bill for that month instead of an actual.
The following month our bill was only $30 since they charged so much the month before.

I'd also say read the meter yourself and call it in.

I tried calling several times and the hold time was way too long since I am at work during the elec. company's business hours. I just paid it. I was glad to see it drop to only $30 the next month though.

What peeves me the most is their stupid late fee. While I paid my bill on time, there are people in our area who couldn't since their bill was more than double the normal bill. Every household who doesn't pay in full by the due date gets this set late charge (plus 1.5 % interest for that month). I wonder how much $$$ the electric company pulled in on late charges alone for their "small mistake" with sending out abnormally large bills that month.

Let us know if your bill goes down. I know when I saw mine that month, I think my eyes popped out of my head for a bit. lol.

 

[LoriKutchey]

We had the same thing happen to us. It was an "actual read" but the meter reader, misplaced one of the numbers and our bill had actually doubled. Before I called DTE I just went out and read the meter myself and called in the numbers and they adjusted the bill and they sent out a new bill with correct amount.

 

[StacyMarie]

I live in MI too, not sure where you are or what electric company you have but ours is know for doing an "estimate", which is always a RIDICULOUS amount compared to our normal monthly bills and never even close. Not sure how they "estimate" but it is always WAY off. Sometimes, I think they do that because they need a "loan", lol. It makes me ANGRY.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

check with you electric company. Maybe they raised their rates. Change the filters in your furnace. A dirty filter will make it work harder. Don't run the washer, dryer and A/C all at the same time. IF you do the billing load on your meter will spike.
Unplug things you dont use a lot. For example we have a printer, shredder and a radio in the computer room that don't get used everyday so we plug those items into a power strip and leave the strip unplugged.
We noticed that our electric bill dropped $15 a month when we switched out the light bulbs in the lights that we use a lot for the energy effience one. Like in the family room, kitchen, and bathroom.

Did you by chance use something that month that would have caused the spike such as power washer, carpet scrubber, Christmas lights ect.?

Or your meter could have been calc for a few months in a row and when they actually read it, they had been underbilling you.

 

[seashoreCM]

What peeves me the most is their stupid late fee. While I paid my bill on time, there are people in our area who couldn't since their bill was more than double the normal bill. Every household who doesn't pay in full by the due date gets this set late charge (plus 1.5 % interest for that month). I wonder how much $$$ the electric company pulled in on late charges alone for their "small mistake" with sending out abnormally large bills that month.lol.

They should dispute the late fee. However they should have paid at least something on time for that month.

If you have a leak or dripping faucet on the hot water side, the water heater will run up a big (gas or electric) bill.

Well pumps often fail or run excessively because the pressure tank air cushion inside somehow got too small. Some expertise is necessary to recalibrate that.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

Ours went up really high one time and we found out our water filtration system was constantly running when it was supposed to run only a few hours a day.

 

[perdidochas]

We live in Michigan and had a very nice stretch of weather in March which meant we turned on the A/C for a few days. I set the thermostat at 72 so it didn't run *that* much. Other than that, we had absolutely nothing different in our electricity consumption. I just about fainted when I saw our electric bill was over $300!! In the middle of summer, running the A/C for weeks at a time, we've NEVER had a bill that was over $225. Our usual bill is in the $120 range in the winter and $180-$200 in the summer. Our house is 1300 sq ft (not including the basement) so it isn't exactly a mansion. HOW in the heck is it over $300 for March? What can I do about this? The bill is paid via an auto-charge to our credit card and it won't be actually charged until the end of April so I have a little time. I'm just completely at a loss...we are so careful about turning off lights, only watching 1 TV at a time, setting sleep timers on the stereos and not running the A/C unless we are sweating while sitting still. I just don't see how our bill could have possibly jumped by THAT much.

Your compressor may be on it's last legs. One of the signs of that is a higher electric bill. Have an AC repairman check it out.

 

[bearzabout]

If you look at the bill it could answer a lot of your questions. Look to see if it is estimated or actual. If actual, check the last few months to make sure those weren't estimated too low.

If you do not keep your invoices, you can log on to the website and print a great report listing the monthly amount you paid and the kilowatts used.

Take your older bills and the new bill and divide the total amount due by the number of kilowatts used or billed for. If the amount you paid per kilowatt went up, then DTEnergy raised their rates.

I've been tracking the kilowatt cost at my house in Michigan since 2000 and have not seen any increase during that time, but we are an all electric house using geothermal and get treated differently.

 

[auger]

Ours has tripled two times over our marriage.
The first time, it was the compressor on our refrigerator.
The second time it was the compressor on the freezer.
When they go bad, they kill the elec bill!

 

[nordkin]

I am a supervisor in metering for an electric company and would like to address a few things mentioned.

To the OP - your air conditioner could have a problem and should be checked. I would also read the meter myself and see how the present reading compares to the one you got billed for.

As far as estimated readings and people not affording to pay in full so they have a late fee. -- You would be surprised at how many people do not even look to see if their bill was estimated. If you receive an estimated bill, you can request an actual reading. My company does not accept a reading from a customer so we have to actually send someone out. With my company, if you call about an estimated bill you do not have to pay the late fee, but if you do not call and pay late then you pay the late fee.

There are many reasons a reading is estimated including having trouble getting access to the meter,(yes gates are locked and dogs are in yards) a smart meter not sending a signal, the meter may have blank screen and be defective so it needs to be replaced, and I could go on and on.

The amount of the estimate is done by a computer and with my company the formula is very complicated, but is based on last year's usage at the same time as well as what we call degree days which is the average temperature for the billing period. Usually our estimates are close, but there are times it is off because circumstances at the location have changed.

My best advice is, if you do not think your bill is correct call the company and request a check reading. If you still do not think it is correct then request to have the meter tested after you have checked your appliances to make sure they are operating properly. If you have an appliance that is not operating properly you still have to pay the bill because you used the electricity.

 

[cm8]

I am a supervisor in metering for an electric company and would like to address a few things mentioned.

To the OP - your air conditioner could have a problem and should be checked. I would also read the meter myself and see how the present reading compares to the one you got billed for.

As far as estimated readings and people not affording to pay in full so they have a late fee. -- You would be surprised at how many people do not even look to see if their bill was estimated. If you receive an estimated bill, you can request an actual reading. My company does not accept a reading from a customer so we have to actually send someone out. With my company, if you call about an estimated bill you do not have to pay the late fee, but if you do not call and pay late then you pay the late fee.

There are many reasons a reading is estimated including having trouble getting access to the meter,(yes gates are locked and dogs are in yards) a smart meter not sending a signal, the meter may have blank screen and be defective so it needs to be replaced, and I could go on and on.

The amount of the estimate is done by a computer and with my company the formula is very complicated, but is based on last year's usage at the same time as well as what we call degree days which is the average temperature for the billing period. Usually our estimates are close, but there are times it is off because circumstances at the location have changed.

My best advice is, if you do not think your bill is correct call the company and request a check reading. If you still do not think it is correct then request to have the meter tested after you have checked your appliances to make sure they are operating properly. If you have an appliance that is not operating properly you still have to pay the bill because you used the electricity.

 

[angwill]

Physically read meter????? We have smart meters, so they are read automatically from the office.

The nice thing about this is we can watch our electric bill and know the estimated dollar amount at any point in the month.

Also, if it wasn't an error, most electric companies will take a look at your past years electric bill and average out your cost per month, making your bil the same all year long.

We still have the old style meters that spin and have dials like little clocks with numbers that can be read. Ancient I know. We can figure out our bill by reading the meter during the month ourselves and doing the math as well.

 

[cmwade77]

We still have the old style meters that spin and have dials like little clocks with numbers that can be read. Ancient I know. We can figure out our bill by reading the meter during the month ourselves and doing the math as well.

That doesn't work to well here, there are too many variables:

• How much electricity is used per month (the more that is used, the more expensive the electricity is per KWh)
• The time of year
• How much electricity others are using (the more that is used, the more expensive the electricity is per KWh)
• Time of day that the electricity is used

You can see just how complicated it can get, so estimating your bill doesn't work very well without some assistance.

 

[angwill]

That doesn't work to well here, there are too many variables:

• How much electricity is used per month (the more that is used, the more expensive the electricity is per KWh)
• The time of year
• How much electricity others are using (the more that is used, the more expensive the electricity is per KWh)
• Time of day that the electricity is used

You can see just how complicated it can get, so estimating your bill doesn't work very well without some assistance.

*Here it works because our KWh is the same. It doesn't matter how much we use or don't use.

*Time of year does not fluctuate the price for us either. Just that we use more during certain months. The price is the same all year here.

*What others use also doesn't matter for cost here either.

*I have the choice to go on a plan where the time I use things would be less at night or more during the day but I am home during the day so I am not on that plan.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out since it is pretty simple math that is shown on our bills. I guess it is different depending on where you live but here it is pretty simple math. I actually figure out very closely what my bill will be each month give or take a couple dollars.

If I want yearly I add up the electric usage over the year that is shown on the side of my bill and divide that by 12 and do the same calculations as above. It's not rocket science here.

 

[kristenrice]

OP here...

Thanks for all the information and advice. I was out of town when I got the bill (via e-mail) and so I haven't had a chance to go and check the meter.

I will definitely post back when I find the answer.