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View Full Version : So....I called Progress Energy........



LostArt
08-19-2006, 07:59 AM
In the last few months my neighbor g/f has complained about her light bill being so high. The boss and I have mentioned the fact that she has two grown teenagers that were home all summer and the fact that she might use the dryer more, and they have an ice maker, etc, etc.

Well, their light bill has been like $300. Whoa. The boss and ours usually range between $100 - $130. I don't think it's ever been over the $130 mark since we have lived here (over 4 yrs).

Well, she and I walk together each evening and she was complaining again on her recent bill which was just under $300. She asked if I looked at ours. I told her I got it that day, but I hadn't opened it. Well, on Thursday night, I opened it.

"Oh my. Something is definitely wrong with our light bill dear." The boss looks up from the recliner. "What?" I said, "Uh........come look for yourself."

Our bill for the month of July/August was................don't faint............$37.21. :D

Uh.........ya'll ever been to Florida in July and August???? Uh............it's kinda hot. :D

I told the boss I would call and check on it the next day. I called them and mentioned what I saw and the guy (Shane) laughs and said, "Oh, I would say there was something wrong with the meter." I handed the phone to the boss and he walked outside and told Shane that there was no movement on the meter.

Now, what can they do to our bill? Will they average it out for the month? Or let it go?

Ya'll remember having a bill THAT low?????? In the hottest months of the year??? :D

Orgnizdlbr
08-19-2006, 08:28 AM
In the last few months my neighbor g/f has complained about her light bill being so high. The boss and I have mentioned the fact that she has two grown teenagers that were home all summer and the fact that she might use the dryer more, and they have an ice maker, etc, etc.

Well, their light bill has been like $300. Whoa. The boss and ours usually range between $100 - $130. I don't think it's ever been over the $130 mark since we have lived here (over 4 yrs).

Well, she and I walk together each evening and she was complaining again on her recent bill which was just under $300. She asked if I looked at ours. I told her I got it that day, but I hadn't opened it. Well, on Thursday night, I opened it.

"Oh my. Something is definitely wrong with our light bill dear." The boss looks up from the recliner. "What?" I said, "Uh........come look for yourself."

Our bill for the month of July/August was................don't faint............$37.21. :D

Uh.........ya'll ever been to Florida in July and August???? Uh............it's kinda hot. :D

I told the boss I would call and check on it the next day. I called them and mentioned what I saw and the guy (Shane) laughs and said, "Oh, I would say there was something wrong with the meter." I handed the phone to the boss and he walked outside and told Shane that there was no movement on the meter.

Now, what can they do to our bill? Will they average it out for the month? Or let it go?

Ya'll remember having a bill THAT low?????? In the hottest months of the year??? :D



It depends on what the regulators in Fla will allow.....most likely take an average of consumption over a few years for the same month.....they wont let it go Grace......BTW, long time no speak, how ya been?

LostArt
08-19-2006, 09:14 AM
It depends on what the regulators in Fla will allow.....most likely take an average of consumption over a few years for the same month.....they wont let it go Grace......BTW, long time no speak, how ya been?

That's what the boss said! :D But, last October (I don't remember the bill amount) but it wasn't high either. The boss questioned it last night. And I remember thinking it was low, but I never called. It had to be higher than 30 dollars though! That was a huge red flag! :D

ProgressEnergy gives you a graph of what the bill was a year ago compared to that same month. I don't know if all power companies do this or not, but it's nice to have a glance at last year's percentage compared to the current month.

I wonder how long it will take them to fix it? We did have a power outage last night. No rain or reason for it. I've not walked outside this morning, but my best bet is that got right on it! :D

I'm doing great Georgie. I've gotten a promotion from "school secretary" to "Administrative Secretary", but it doesn't feel like a promotion! LOL! Paycheck shows an increase, but when the former Adm. Sec. retired (I applied for her job and got it), they didn't replace my position. So, I am HER and ME now! And I'm located out at the front desk (like a receptionist---you can make that my THIRD position) now and there is never a dull moment! I will say this, the day flies by even more than it did in the past years! :D

How are you Georgie? They treatin' ya good up there?

topgroove
08-19-2006, 09:45 AM
Was that Bill an actual read of the meter or an estimated? Sometimes utilities will only read the meter every other month and estimate the rest. I'm wondering if last months bill was esstimated a little high and this months actual read evened things up.

LostArt
08-19-2006, 04:05 PM
Was that Bill an actual read of the meter or an estimated? Sometimes utilities will only read the meter every other month and estimate the rest. I'm wondering if last months bill was esstimated a little high and this months actual read evened things up.

I went to their website and signed on. I had mentioned the Oct 2005 bill (found out it was $25.24) and in Sept 2005 we had a bill of $250. I don't remember calling them about it, but it was adjusted for the next month (Oct 2005). So, they did adjust it. :D

The answer to your question Groove is that I don't think they are doing that. When we lived in Live Oak the small REA company was starting to do that or you could request it.

PE does have budget billing and seasonal rates. They do have the Mobile Reading device now. I guess some utilities are doing that now.

Last month's bill was $110.66 and this one is $37.21. My estimate for next month's bill should be around $230......more or less.

But, that is interesting though. There seems to be two incidents of this with our bill in less than a year.

LostArt
08-19-2006, 05:54 PM
Groove, the total KWH for last month was 286.

Present 13804
Previous 13518
Diff. 286

Our daily avg use this past month was 8 KWH/day

Use one year ago was 46 KWH/day

Our daily cost was $1.07

I'd say that was way off. :D

JD426H
08-19-2006, 11:05 PM
LA....do y'all have one of the new digital meters,or is it still and old dial type? If it's the old dial type,you've probably burnt the main bearings out of it with the air conditioning....lol. If it's the new digital type,it could have been damaged by the person installing it if they lined it up with the lugs in the meter base and whacked it with the heel of their hand to set it. I've set thousands of meters that way,but you can't rough house these new fangled things like that! All they got is a circuit board and an odometer....lol. Easy to shake stuff loose if you beat on them. I called accounting.....and they said you will get a bill in 3 days for(in my best Dr. Evil voice) 1 million dollars! Seriously....they will just look at the history and see what your July bills have been for the last 3 or 4 years,and work it out with you based on that.Good luck :)

LostArt
08-20-2006, 12:37 PM
I called accounting.....and they said you will get a bill in 3 days for(in my best Dr. Evil voice) 1 million dollars!

:eek:

JD....you booger! :D

It's the old dail one. And if the boss and I burnt it up with running the A/C.....I'd hate to know what it would do to a hot blooded customer's! Our children always complained how cold natured the boss and I are. The boss said, "Hey run the AC dear! We are getting these watts free!" I laughed because he complained that 78 was cold. Then when I showered and changed into my pj's, I turned it up to 80! :D

I'm sure they will replace it for those new and improved fandagled ones. When you were writing about being careful not to beat on those things, I had an image of the boss using the electric hedger............getting a little too close to that thing! :D

topgroove
08-20-2006, 02:05 PM
Groove, the total KWH for last month was 286.

Present 13804
Previous 13518
Diff. 286

Our daily avg use this past month was 8 KWH/day

Use one year ago was 46 KWH/day

Our daily cost was $1.07

I'd say that was way off. :DSomething definately is not right. 8kwh a day is very little usage. Could it be the meter reader made a mistake the month before and read 13518 when it really was 12518? allthough I think you would've noticed a higher than normal bill for June/July.

JD426H
08-20-2006, 03:04 PM
If/when they replace it,you will more than likely get one of the new ones.Even though it will be one of the remote read type meters,it will be a while before they start reading them that way. If the boss bumps it with the hedge trimmer,it won't hurt it unless his name is Carl Childers....lol ! "Some folks call it a Kaiser blade......I just call it a sling blade,ummm hmmm!" They told us that the new meters would take a little abuse,but would tear up if we went to frailin on em to get them set. I'm sure the boss knows exactly what I'm talkin about....lol. 80 degrees huh? You're killin me......absolutely killin me! ;)

LostArt
08-20-2006, 11:13 PM
I'm sitting here now and we have it on 80 JD. :D


Groove, it's dead. One day this last month it died. Probably close to the day they last read it! LOL!

LostArt
08-21-2006, 11:50 PM
PS: great pic you sent!

THANKS BH! :D Not many here have seen the new me. Matter of fact, I think you are the only one! LOL!

I think the new thing is called a ert. Or that is what it read like if the service guys hand writing is how I read it. The boss says they will like remote control the thing or something. We are in the "new modern" league before our other old neighbors. Which will be switched anyway next month.

I'm pretty sure that bill is going to be over $200 next billing period.

LostArt
08-22-2006, 06:59 PM
Like what you did with your hair!


Good luck young lady, and I'll send you some more pics of my newest "friend".

WHAT hair??? LOL!

You do that buddy! Your "friend" is a looker for sure! :D

lineman barn
09-01-2006, 06:31 AM
Hey LA, Jimmy was telling me about a neighborhood that is full of seniors...they went in and changed all the meters and EVERYONE's bill went up and those folks were mad as a hornet!!! I'd say you are in for an increase....guess you were lucky all those months.

I was told a long time ago that when a meter is getting ready to call it quits, it slows down......

LostArt
09-01-2006, 11:37 PM
Hey LA, Jimmy was telling me about a neighborhood that is full of seniors...they went in and changed all the meters and EVERYONE's bill went up and those folks were mad as a hornet!!! I'd say you are in for an increase....guess you were lucky all those months.

I was told a long time ago that when a meter is getting ready to call it quits, it slows down......

:eek:

Don't tell me that Tam! Jeeze. All this time, I really thought it was because we really didn't use that much electricity.

lineman barn
09-02-2006, 08:40 AM
The funny thing is, it was a retiree community and a lot of those folks had nothing else to do but call and complain!!! lol I hope it doesn't go up for you! Our bill has been over $300 for two months now....Jimmy likes to keep that a/c going!

n_ogden
09-27-2006, 09:46 PM
I am not a fan of AMR, for a number of reasons. I don't like the idea that the meter will just be "left alone" when a service person doesn't check it, in regards to security, etc. But as long as they get the job done, what will it matter?

When the meters are changed out, what do companies do with the old meters, do they just completely trash them?