Electric meter has been broken the last week

[Klokwerk]

OP, yeah, the utility or utility contractor will come out to the meter and do a quick check. Usually, when they're sent out, it's to replace the meter not try to fix it or anything else. Quick swap. That's because it's not worth the money to have the tech test it on site. Easier to just replace it and be done with it.

As for how they'll charge you, that'll be depend on if the meter was still capable of recording usage or not.

If it was and there's a good read in it, they'll get the read before swapping out the meter. That read will be sent to the utility billing system.
The new meter they install, if a new AMI meter, will start out with a zero read.

The previous read the tech captured will be used, along with what ever new read is collected after the meter is replaced to give you your new bill when your bill is due. Make sense?

If the meter was not able to get a good reading and the meter was really broken, then they'll replace it and the utility usually estimates your next bill based on previous usage history. Most if not all PUD's allow this.

 

[mmb617]

Good luck winning any dispute with a utility company. I have a friend who's water bill is normally about $75/month. All of a sudden one month he gets a bill for $1,800 saying he used something like 68,000 gallons that month. Which is pretty much impossible. This isn't some business complex, it's his house. And no he doesn't have a pool. They told him he probably had a toilet running. Over 2,000 gallons a day? That's some toilet.

They tested his meter and said it was working so he owed the money. The last I spoke to him he was still trying to make the case that it was impossible for him to have used that water but he's resigned to the fact he'll eventually have to pay it. The scary thing is what's to keep the same thing from happening again in the future?

 

[PCustoms]

The scary thing is what's to keep the same thing from happening again in the future?

He should probably fix the leak.

It's likely either right after the meter underground or some other location he can't see

 

[rburke65]

Can’t find your house?….I can’t believe they don’t have GPS,. You should check with the fire Dept. …make sure they can find your house….

 

[Hobby_Man22]

Can’t find your house?….I can’t believe they don’t have GPS,. You should check with the fire Dept. …make sure they can find your house….

You'd be surprised.

 

[Viper98912]

Good luck winning any dispute with a utility company. I have a friend who's water bill is normally about $75/month. All of a sudden one month he gets a bill for $1,800 saying he used something like 68,000 gallons that month. Which is pretty much impossible. This isn't some business complex, it's his house. And no he doesn't have a pool. They told him he probably had a toilet running. Over 2,000 gallons a day? That's some toilet.

They tested his meter and said it was working so he owed the money. The last I spoke to him he was still trying to make the case that it was impossible for him to have used that water but he's resigned to the fact he'll eventually have to pay it. The scary thing is what's to keep the same thing from happening again in the future?

The water company here has a surcharge that you can pay as a type of insurance for a leak after the meter. That way if you do use 68,000 gallons, you can make a claim and they won't charge you (but you do need to do the fix within 5 days or something).

If it's impossible to have used that much water (and it hasn't happened two months in a row, so there's no leak), then call up the local news station and ask them for help. Those investigators are pretty good at pestering folks and giving them a bad reputation on public television.

Or potentially submit a complaint to your local PSC?

 

[mmb617]

He should probably fix the leak.

It's likely either right after the meter underground or some other location he can't see

The meter is in an underground box very close to the foundation of his house. Don't you think 68,000 gallons of water leaking after the meter in one month would be noticeable? The ground wasn't even soggy.

The water company told him it was probably due to a toilet running. What toilet can run over 2,000 gallons of water a day?

If it's impossible to have used that much water (and it hasn't happened two months in a row, so there's no leak), then call up the local news station and ask them for help. Those investigators are pretty good at pestering folks and giving them a bad reputation on public television.

Or potentially submit a complaint to your local PSC?

The reading the following month was normal even though he did nothing to fix any leaks. I can't see how any rational person would think the reading showing all that usage wasn't erroneous in some way. I don't know what the final resolution was, I'll have to ask him next time I see him. Your suggestions are good ones and probably avenues I would pursue if it happened to me.

 

[Viper98912]

The meter is in an underground box very close to the foundation of his house. Don't you think 68,000 gallons of water leaking after the meter in one month would be noticeable? The ground wasn't even soggy.

The water company told him it was probably due to a toilet running. What toilet can run over 2,000 gallons of water a day?



The reading the following month was normal even though he did nothing to fix any leaks. I can't see how any rational person would think the reading showing all that usage wasn't erroneous in some way. I don't know what the final resolution was, I'll have to ask him next time I see him. Your suggestions are good ones and probably avenues I would pursue if it happened to me.

If the reading was normal the next month with zero changes, then wow, yes I'd be raising hell with the water company

 

[gmcgeo]

Can’t find your house?….I can’t believe they don’t have GPS,. You should check with the fire Dept. …make sure they can find your house….

my house on gps is wrong, on google maps is wrong too

 

[csp]

my house on gps is wrong, on google maps is wrong too

I'm not sure where the gps coordinates for your house are posted incorrectly, but that doesn't mean gps is wrong.

You can update google maps yourself. Using a computer type in your address, see where it shows the pin for your house then right click on the pin and select the "report a problem" function. It will allow you to drag the pin to the correct location.

 

[Hobby_Man22]

He should probably fix the leak.

It's likely either right after the meter underground or some other location he can't see

Happened to me yesterday. Water bill was $330 usually its 70. They switched to electronic meters in the last month or so so something got screwed up. The billing lady is like they must have misread it. She never did call me back today to tell me what the outcome was.

 

[Hobby_Man22]

I'm not sure where the gps coordinates for your house are posted incorrectly, but that doesn't mean gps is wrong.

You can update google maps yourself. Using a computer type in your address, see where it shows the pin for your house then right click on the pin and select the "report a problem" function. It will allow you to drag the pin to the correct location.

Maybe you've been living in the wrong house all this time.

 

[Hobby_Man22]

Update: The power bill was the same.

 

[reader2580]

Happened to me yesterday. Water bill was $330 usually its 70. They switched to electronic meters in the last month or so so something got screwed up. The billing lady is like they must have misread it. She never did call me back today to tell me what the outcome was.

I tore down a condemned house and built a new house. The city put in a new water meter for new house. My first water bill was for thousands of dollars. They somehow didn't reset my initial reading to zero. No idea how my bill was that high if the initial reading was not reset as my original meter would have tens or hundreds of thousands on it. The new meter would have been under 10,000 for the first reading.

 

[ybnormal]

the water meter issue is easily resolved. we had the same issue here in Austin. every august thousands of home owners would get about a 5-10k bump in water usage. hundreds of complaints, meters would be inspected, readings are correct....No Problem Found. This sucked because we have tiered water rates where the price per gallon goes up the more you use. the cost for water between 6-10k is FOUR times the first 6k cost. they even brought in auditors, people were checking their meters monthly.
they finally caught the trick after a new company got the contract for meter reading. it was a couple of meter readers from the previous contractor who were screwing it up by not doing their jobs. turns out they'd screw around not reading meters for about 4-5 months and then finally do a read in august. somehow they had gotten the master password that let them log in and change numbers.
even after this all came to light in the newspaper, do you think the city water re-jiggered any water bills?...of course not

 

[Jinks]

i hear the amish are looking to tap into the electrical feeds... you sure he wasn't amish? amish mafia is a thing you know

Clip - clop, clip - clop, clip - clop. BANG, BANG, BANG! Clip - clop, clip - clop, clip - clop.....Amish drive by shooting...

 

[Hobby_Man22]

the water meter issue is easily resolved. we had the same issue here in Austin. every august thousands of home owners would get about a 5-10k bump in water usage. hundreds of complaints, meters would be inspected, readings are correct....No Problem Found. This sucked because we have tiered water rates where the price per gallon goes up the more you use. the cost for water between 6-10k is FOUR times the first 6k cost. they even brought in auditors, people were checking their meters monthly.
they finally caught the trick after a new company got the contract for meter reading. it was a couple of meter readers from the previous contractor who were screwing it up by not doing their jobs. turns out they'd screw around not reading meters for about 4-5 months and then finally do a read in august. somehow they had gotten the master password that let them log in and change numbers.
even after this all came to light in the newspaper, do you think the city water re-jiggered any water bills?...of course not

Yeah that's because yall water your yards.

 

[Lassen Forge]

I tore down a condemned house and built a new house. The city put in a new water meter for new house. My first water bill was for thousands of dollars. They somehow didn't reset my initial reading to zero. No idea how my bill was that high if the initial reading was not reset as my original meter would have tens or hundreds of thousands on it. The new meter would have been under 10,000 for the first reading.

Just because it's a new service address doesn't mean it's a new meter. The new account was "zero", but the meter they put in still had the old number attached to it, and no one bothered to either note the account with the starting number (too much work) or reset the old meter to zero (WAY too much work) so... well... yep.

 

[bubinga]

The power company called this morning and they said my fancy electric meter has been broken the last week or so and they were trying to find my house to replace it. Makes me wonder how they will calculate the bill. I left the heater on in the shop the whole week to see what the bill would do not knowing the meter broke. Lol

Do they usually just guess what it would normally be in a case like this?

Probably estimated it, based on past usage.

 

[bubinga]

The water company here has a surcharge that you can pay as a type of insurance for a leak after the meter. That way if you do use 68,000 gallons, you can make a claim and they won't charge you (but you do need to do the fix within 5 days or something).

If it's impossible to have used that much water (and it hasn't happened two months in a row, so there's no leak), then call up the local news station and ask them for help. Those investigators are pretty good at pestering folks and giving them a bad reputation on public television.

Or potentially submit a complaint to your local PSC?

Yes!

 

[ybnormal]

Yeah that's because yall water your yards.

uhhhhhhh....no

 

[bubinga]

Somewhat off topic but, I only have gas heat during the winter. I don't use a cubic ounce of gas let alone a cubic foot of gas in the summer. Columbia gas still charges me $37.50
a month service charge for nothing. Well I get it shut off in the summer months. I'm sorry but that's ridiculous I could see $10 or so.

 

[Klokwerk]

3750

dollars? Wow, that's crazy. And you meant to say you only use gas in the winter months right, not summer? Service charges are normal but that's way out there!

 

[bubinga]

dollars? Wow, that's crazy. And you meant to say you only use gas in the winter months right, not summer? Service charges are normal but that's way out there!

Yes, $37.50.and just use gas in the winter.
I don't know what's wrong with me today.