Power bill question(s)

[Bgreenheadband]

If this is the wrong forum, I apologize. But I was wondering about irregularities on my power bill.

There was a huge fluctuation in the bill from the last few months.

The Feb bill, was relatively low (average), where the january bill was extremely high. Almost double what it had been in the past, and is currently. There were differences in usage, but I assumed I was looking at a large amount again, only to find out it was much less.

A) Are these regularities something power companies look for?

B)My meter is NOT currently accessible to be read. There is a 4-5 ft snowbank even to get to my yard, and then at least 2-3 feet of snow for the 20 or more feet it takes to get to my meter. So HOW are they even reading it? Binoculars? They must have a gauge at the power company...but they send people out to read the meters for a reason, right? On my bill there is an asterix next to december saying they estimated it based on past usage, but that was not the irregular amount, and there are no such markings denoting an estimation on any other month.

C)Finally, my significant other is the person whose name is on the power bill, but her name is not on the lease. Is she in any danger of legal troubles?

I realize some of these questions might be depending on my location, I was just looking for general answers or even opinions. I live closer to the east coast, then the west coast.

Thank you very much for any info!

 

[booghy]

It's because the meter reader doesn't come around every month. They will usually read them every other month and do an estimate based on the previous years usage for that month. But in the winter they might not come around for 2-3 months, especially if the meter is not accessible. So your high bill is basically your normal bill, plus the extra due to you most likely being under-charged for the previous month or two. And it's nothing to be concerned about, since the company knows they do it this way.

 

[Bgreenheadband]

Thanks for the quick reply....thats interesting. So say my bill was 450 on average. But the high month it was 900........you're saying the high month I probably used 450, but they estimated the last two months were undercharged?

Why wouldn't they just charge me more on all the months instead of under and then overcharging me?

I thought about calling and questioning, but figured just keep my head down and pay it...why raise flags?

 

[HighDesertJoe]

We are on a level pay plan. So are electric bill is $89.00 a month no matter how much we use that month. So towards the end of the year they figure out who owes who and they always owe us. Our bill is marked "please don't pay" it last about 3-4 months every year. you might want to look in to if your power company has the option.
Good Luck

 

[Deft]

I agree with booghy, sometimes my meter is not read for a while and then I pay double after they stop billing me for a cycle.

Space heater use in cold months is a great excuse. Fill your place with CFLs maybe, that is a very high bill compared to mine.

 

[headiez247]

You are all good, don't call and ask, they are estimating because there isn't a hard meter read each month. Totally normal.