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Replies: 39
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Lot o points [155906]
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Obed's war on the power company..........EE advice needed.
Aug 29, 2016, 9:58 AM
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So a couple months ago they came and installed one of these new "smart meters" on the side of my house in place of the old analog ones.
Since then, my power bills have spiked....like way higher than averages in years past for same month usage.
What was normally a 300-ish bill last year was $425 the month after they installed the meter. This month, what was upper 300's last year was $505. Insane---so I called to complain and get someone to check the meter, and they refused, saying they couldn't possibly be wrong. Gotta love dealing with a monopoly.
So two questions:
1) Would it be pizzing in the wind to file a PUC complaint to get them to do something? Any other regulatory recourse?
2) I'm looking to install a whole-home energy monitor to compare the usage data I get to their own....Looks like this can be done for a couple hundred bucks, and the name I keep seeing is Efergy......any other suggestions here.
Muchas gracias,
-Harley
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Oculus Spirit [85326]
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Not an EE, but some things you could possibly do?
Aug 29, 2016, 10:08 AM
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1) Burn house down (obvious answer)
2) Take hammer and destroy meter. Call company and inform them their meter is broken.
3) Cut the cord
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Oculus Spirit [78876]
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Ever given any though to saying "Eff it," and moving the
Aug 29, 2016, 10:08 AM
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double wide to a shadier camp site?
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Lot o points [155906]
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We actually sold the wheels and axles a couple years ago....
Aug 29, 2016, 10:10 AM
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Some hillbilly in SC who owned a bunch of tractors wanted to use them for a trailer.
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All-TigerNet [12270]
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best trailer axles you can find, so i've heard.
Aug 29, 2016, 10:24 AM
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Oculus Spirit [75717]
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What harm comes from this PUC
Aug 29, 2016, 10:12 AM
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thing? Just do it.
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All-In [31894]
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I work in the metering world...
Aug 29, 2016, 10:40 AM
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and the chance of your meter being bad is very remote.
What I would recommend first is see if the bill lists the meter multiplier. If it does, check it against what the meter says on it's faceplate. If it's not listed on the bill itself, call billing at your utility and ask what it shows in their system. It's a small chance that that is input wrong, but good to check.
Also, check what your actual kwh (killo-watt hour) usage is compared to past year's usage and then check what your current $/kwh rate is compared to your past rate.
Also...we've had a really hot summer from an a/c perspective. My bill is up substantially over last year's bill.
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CU Medallion [56074]
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That's true. My electric bill for last month was a real
Aug 29, 2016, 10:45 AM
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buttfucker.
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Heisman Winner [105561]
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same***
Aug 29, 2016, 10:52 AM
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CU Medallion [54758]
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#jelly***
Aug 30, 2016, 8:54 AM
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Lot o points [155906]
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thanks, good info....
Aug 29, 2016, 11:09 AM
[ in reply to I work in the metering world... ] |
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it doesn't list the multiplier but I will try to check it out.....
Here's the odd part to me....last year, same month, 3439kWh. This month, 4719.
They list 428 "degree days" last year, and 551 this year.
So yeah, it probably has been hotter, but don't the degree days generally have close to a 1:1 relation to kWh usage?
In this case, 28% more degree days are equating to 37% more usage than the same period last year.
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All-In [31894]
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Don't think that's an exact science as 1:1 comparison...
Aug 29, 2016, 11:20 AM
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I don't believe degree days takes into account humidity. Also, you may have had a rate change too, e.g. $/kwh may have changed.
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Lot o points [155906]
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All-In [31894]
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Yeah, they're not bad...
Aug 29, 2016, 11:43 AM
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we make the CTs (current transformers) for a number of the those kind of systems. You will have to put 2 split-core CTs around your incoming main in your main breaker panel. If you're not comfortable doing that yourself, I think paying someone to do starts to make the system too expensive.
You have to ask yourself what you're trying to accomplish with a system like this. If you're trying to check against your utility meter, the home system is going to be within about 10% to your utility meter.
I personally don't have one. I know a/c is the main culprit in the summer. We have a programmable thermostat and I keep it cold as sheet (66-67) at night...and that costs money.
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All-In [43681]
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Hey man all you really need to do is to sit down with the
Aug 29, 2016, 10:52 AM
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wife and kids and explain how a/c works.
PUTTING IT ON 60 DOES NOT MAKE IT BLOW 60 DEGREE AIR IT JUST MAKES IT RUN ALL THE COTDANG TIME.
For srs, what you keep the a/c on? I keep mine on 74, have a very inefficient house (older, needs new windows, etc.) 1 brand new unit and one that's super old, and cool nearly 4k square feet.
My electric bill has been running right around $300.
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All-In [29076]
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LOOK AT ME. MY INEFFICIENT HOUSE REALLY ISN'T INEFFICEINT.***
Aug 29, 2016, 10:54 AM
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Heisman Winner [105561]
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All-In [43681]
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74 ain't comfy. I twerk at home and 74 is barely
Aug 29, 2016, 11:49 AM
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tolerable during the day. #### good at night with fans though.
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Orange Blooded [3389]
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Who would play the lead in, "Obed's War"?
Aug 29, 2016, 11:01 AM
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I'm thinking Charlize Theron as Obed, and Paul Giamatti as the unsympathetic power company executive.
*Spoiler Alert*
Here's a screenshot from the final scene of Giamatti's reaction, watching Obed sacrifice himself on a transformer. This is the stuff from which Emmys are made:
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All-In [47750]
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^^^^UDP probs^^^***
Aug 29, 2016, 11:09 AM
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Orange Blooded [3590]
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Sorry to tell you, but the monopoly wins every time.***
Aug 29, 2016, 11:37 AM
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Standout [303]
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Exact same thing happened to me a few years ago...
Aug 29, 2016, 12:32 PM
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Power company sent some moron over to "monitor my energy usage" and all he wanted to do was stare at the new meter while I flipped breakers on and off, so I sent him on his way quickly. Their version of the truth was that the old meter was probably worn out and I was actually getting "free electricity" for years. But then, of course, they couldn't locate the old meter to test it.
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All-In [31894]
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Hmm...why did you send him on his way?...
Aug 29, 2016, 2:40 PM
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newer electronic meters have a display that rotates between certain parameters like current, voltage, instantaneous kW, kWh/pulse register, etc... Checking how the measured current and inst kW drops when certain circuits are switched off can be useful in telling if the meter is malfunctioning. Most of the time, if an electronic meter is malfunctioning, it's off by a lot due to a component failure and not just simply off by a little due to accuracy problems.
And the explanation of your old electro-mechanical meter running slow is a very plausible explanation.
And they would have very likely thrown out your old meter...so not far-fetched that they wouldn't be able to locate it to test it.
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Standout [303]
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Re: Hmm...why did you send him on his way?...
Aug 29, 2016, 10:52 PM
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He was supposed to be checking for appliances, etc that might be causing unusually high usage. He actually stood outside a window and yelled "next one" while I flipped breakers. He measured nothing. I took off work early for this; I could have done the same thing with my wife.
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All-In [31894]
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I think you're missing the point that watching the meter...
Aug 30, 2016, 8:27 AM
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display current change while you switch circuits on and off IS measuring something.
Anyway, good luck...
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Oculus Spirit [93668]
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Your fight is with global warming.
Aug 29, 2016, 2:52 PM
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They say that's why our summer was so hot. Before you nuke duke you might want to see if the next electric bill is any lower.
You can usually get a printout of the power usage of your residence which covers several years. The approach would be to track temperatures of each month and compare them to your last bill.
If there's a significant problem with the new metering system you will have hard evidence to present. Calling them is a waste of time. If you want solid and fruitful communications with any bureau of bureaucrats you'll have to send it snail mail. Email might work but that gives the peions a shot at you. They ignore phone conversations but they never ignore a letter.
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110%er [9174]
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Now that just gonna get WEATHERBOT all wound up
Aug 29, 2016, 11:53 PM
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and I am gonna hafta mule - kick him in the noodle until he shuts-up.
-DNT
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CU Medallion [54011]
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I would have figured that you would have had much more to offer on this subject.
Aug 30, 2016, 12:28 AM
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With your username and all.
- 7(jizzinmypants)spots
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CU Medallion [60229]
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good old NES
Aug 29, 2016, 3:08 PM
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they own that city like a mafia boss.
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CU Medallion [50635]
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don't #### on the electric line
Aug 29, 2016, 3:47 PM
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Harley lol
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Legend [17753]
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Your neighbor is stealing power for their grow operation.***
Aug 29, 2016, 4:14 PM
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110%er [9734]
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This may sound obvious but thats a really high electric bill. Mines was just 153 and
Aug 30, 2016, 6:29 AM
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I don't have the proper depth of attic insulation and probably the original Windows from 1991. My landlord has let this house sit here with 3 inches of insulation which amounts to an r-value of around 10. The code for this area is a minimum of 38.
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All-In [46825]
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Put a brick on the meter
Aug 30, 2016, 7:51 AM
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a EE told us to do this to drop our bill now everybody in the trailer park has one.
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Legend [17753]
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I installed a whole-home energy monitor, here's what I found
Aug 30, 2016, 8:58 AM
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Your tap water has lead. Get a filter.
Your dog has worms. Give him vitamins.
Your daughter is on drugs. Get her in rehab.
Your wife is pregnant. It's not your baby. Get a lawyer.
And if you don't stop jerking off your tennis elbow will never get better.
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Heisman Winner [135594]
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If you can't afford an attorney...
Aug 30, 2016, 9:17 AM
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please make sure my child goes to Clemson when the time comes.
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Lot o points [155906]
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Heisman Winner [135594]
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Ah, lateral epicondylitis.
Aug 30, 2016, 10:19 AM
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I have medial epicondylitis, or golfer's elbow. Nothing you can do but cortisone injections when it gets really bad....or just stop masturbating altogether.
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Legend [17753]
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How are the cortisone injections going?***
Aug 30, 2016, 10:21 AM
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Lot o points [155906]
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That's my next stop with the Cortisone......
Aug 30, 2016, 10:27 AM
[ in reply to Ah, lateral epicondylitis. ] |
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My son plays a ton o' junior tennis, so I have to hit with him 2-3 nights per week, and you basically have to stop doing anything with your arm for 30-45 days for it to get any better, which is a luxury I just don't have.
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Heisman Winner [135594]
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Funny thing about mine is that it hurt all the time EXCEPT
Aug 30, 2016, 10:42 AM
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when I was playing golf. Now, I've got that AND something going on with my shoulder, and I've just about given up playing golf. As long as I can play the guitar & bass, I won't worry too much about it, but when that becomes an issue then I'll spend whatever it takes to fix it.
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Replies: 39
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