My kilowatt usage started dropping last summer when I put in modern heat pumps but my monthly bill stayed high, $285 on a budget plan with my utility company. We settle up in July/August bills. Usually if I am going to hit my kilowatt usage or go over the company will adjust the monthly payment midyear to hit the $0 balance or close to it.
This year they kept the $285 rolling until January. They got a new meter reader and this guy is scared of dogs. Big, little vicious or sweet tempered, if you have a dog he isn’t reading your meter, he estimates. I received a letter from the company demanding I allow them to read the meter and kennel my dogs which are pathetic in that they lick anyone who enters the property to death and try to jump in their car and go with them. So I called the company and they suggested I read the meter myself and submit a picture each month and I said sure no problem.
I read the first month and submitted and my bill dropped drastically to $168. I read the second month and submitted, again $168 and suddenly the meter reader appeared the day after I submitted the second reading. I submitted it the third month and again the meter reader appeared and my bill was at $168. All three months I didn’t use enough kilowatt hours to justify even the $168 but I paid it. They continued to come in below the $168 usage amount and I paid it but they were close. Still with the $285 payments I had built in a huge cushion of $ the company would owe me. It’s settle up time and they owe me for a couple of months of electricity. That scared meter reader was reaming me, thank God for his fear of dogs. I told the lady at the utility company when I called her this cat reading meters is in the wrong business if he is afraid of dogs!
Good one.
We have had heat pumps all along. Close to ocean so salt eats them up so just put in our second replacement. Kilo usage dropped quite a bit albeit the SEAR stayed the same. Monthly average dollar usage is 225 up from 175 over past 18 months or so. Frankly not too concerned about that. Food costs are another matter. Insurance, forget it. Doubled in two years. Major dollars there...1400 to 3500 for house.