my electric company is ripping me off. my vacation house costs me 250 a month with nothing running....?

Question

i turn everything off but it is a gas home so the hot water heater runs. they charge a 50.00 fee for gas, a base fee of 21.00 for sewer, a 10.00 base water fee, and a 16.00 trash fee. I am only at this house maybe 1 weekend a month and my bill runs me about 250 a month, a whole lot more than my house I live in 24/7 that runs me monthly about 125 with more square footage than my vacation house which is smaller. What other sources of energy can I use so I am not ripped a new one from this eletric company??

Answer 1

yes the electric company can audit....especially when you have such a change.......... they put a meter on the box.

could be.......an open circuit......that being said..an open circuit is simply...a wiring problem..where a circuit which should be closed is running nonstop..
same as leaving a light bulb on 24/7
my electric in a 2400 sq.ft home was at $150 and i put in all energy efficent appliance,lighting, etc..and brought it down to $50 a month.....
so you got a problem..somewhere.. (out of date air conditioner)..????
good luck

Answer 2

Utilities are one thing you have to ask about before you buy. I wanted to buy property in my neighborhood for rentals but the water company is outrageous with its fees so I bought elsewhere. You can turn your gas water heater way down or to vacations and it will use very little gas. I live 24/7 with gas cooking and water heater-heat is hardly an object here and my bill is up to 25/35 per month so their base is very high. But then the water is cheap and you can probably cancel trash pickup and haul your trash off. They charge what the public will bear. But why is the electric company ripping you off if you use only gas?????

Answer 3

First off, shut off everything in the home and see if there is any movement of the wheel in the meter. If there is, start looking for something that you've missed.

Things such as an old refrigerator will draw power almost continuously and if it gets really hot inside the place when you're not there that could be part of your problem.

Also, many items like TVs, stereo equipment, computers, microwaves, etc. draw some power even when switched off. Unplug them when you're not there.

Do you have a sump pump and a high water table? That's another possibility to look for.

Does it have central AC? Do you shut it off when you're not there?

How about security lighting?

Flip the main breaker and see if anything unexpected shuts off such as a street light or the lights in a neighbor's shed.

Check the utility rates as well. You may simply be in an unusually high cost area.

Answer 4

Lets step back here a little. You might have to resubmit your question and with a little more detail.
Why is your electric company charging you for GAS, SEWERAGE, and TRASH? If your electric bill is high, disconnect the meter and sit back and and find out which of your neighbors begins to complain that they don't have electricity. You have a right to dispute your electric bill. Force the electric company to support their claims.

Answer 5

are sure no one is living in this house while you are away? i can understand the fees that are mandatory, but for things that you are not using..something doesnt add up. someone may be reading meters wrong, because over the winter, i found a mistake our gas company made. the customer rep was trying to convince me that the meter reader was correct, and i reassured her that i was right because there was no way our bill couldve been that high. anyway she sent another meter reader out, and sure enough, i was right. they had to credit my account $100.

Answer 6

first i would try to verify that no one else is tapping into your utilities. it is easy enough to do.
set up a hidden camera (if possible) to catch them.

second, i would ask the electric company to come out and audit your home. tell them of your concerns.

do you have locks on your electic boxes, etc. ?

good luck :)

Answer 7

wow, try solar and pray for no clouds