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My friend and I just moved to Crown Heights about a month ago and we got our first bill from Con Edison today...$240.97! Is that normal? We don't run any electronics for most of the day. We have a/c in each of our rooms but their energy star a/c units and they both have thermostats on them that make them turn off. We honestly can't figure out how we have used this much electricity...we also don't have access to our meter to run the tests (unplugging everything and seeing if it's still running). Any suggestions or help that we could get would be greatly appreciated.
Brooklynian » Forum » Crown Heights and Prospect Lefferts Gardens »
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Whoa-- that really doesn't strike me as normal. We use an A/C unit, and while we live in a small one bedroom, our highest bill to date has been around 80 dollars.
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Have you called ConEd to make sure you're not paying in advance since this is your first bill?
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i would say if you can't access your meter would be a problem to test out if your running everything in your apt or everyone elses. you should ask your landlord, they should give you access.
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We're in a 3-fam and the average summer bill with A/C per unit is $250/mo.
If your bill is $80, you're probably a luddite.
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My summer bill is around $100 with AC on constantly, large LCD tv a few computers an xbox and a fridge (several small appliances too)
I had a shared meter last year. I was powering all common lights in my small building. Con Ed fixed it and I payed nothin for about a year. Funny I just received my first bill today in over a year.
Sounds like you also have a shared meter unless your running a few AC units and a server lol
Call con Ed ASAP just to be sure.
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We have a two bedroom, two bathroom. We have three PTAC a/c units that are always on in summer, a whole bunch of electronics that may be off, but are on standby, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer. We use the ConEd even pay system and are currently paying $280 per month. We know that is high, but we have elderly animals in our place and we can't have them overheat.
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I've got the same problem and there isn't an answer. I'm paying more for electric than I am for beer. . . maybe that's the answer. Get drunk and forget it. Con Ed has us by the balls.
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Our bill for a three story house is lower than that, but we don't use ACs during the day. If you run them all day for your animals your bills WILL be very high.
Did you check to see if it's an estimated bill?
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Sorry, it wasn't the OP who said they left ACs on for their animals. That's the problem with posting before my morning coffee.
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My bill is around $100, and with the heat wave this month I have no doubt it will at least double that. I only run 1 AC, but I do have electronics, TV, radio, computer, fridge, fans, and lights on (in the evening).. etc.
Talk to your landlord. But know that it might just be you, AC's are the big culprit.
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LOL my first gas bill when i moved into my place was $1,200
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Also check to see if the initial meter reading Con Ed is basing your bill on was an actual meter reading or an estimate. If it's an estimate, they can adjust the bill using a week's worth of current actual meter readings to determine your average daily usage. We had to get them to do that earlier this year, and our adjusted bill ended up being about a quarter of the original.
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as the other posters mentioned, check your meter, every month. with that said, if you use your a/c's alot then your bill sounds accurate. i always install ceiling fans and find that i use my ac a lot less. i turn both on and turn the ac off when the humidity leaves the room. you can't have ice-cold rooms and not pay a lot. so, wear shorts and a t, and drink plenty of water and you'll be fine.
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Another point of reference...without A/C in the summer, our 2 bedroom 1,250 SQ FT. apt uses about $60 in electricity. With A/C it can go up to $100.
A few months ago we got a bill for over $300 and had them check the meter and -- surprise-- it was read incorrectly. Hence the huge bill.
Sounds like you need to have your meter checked!
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Electricity must be more expensive in BK...
One thing nobody is mentioning that is important is the size of the A/Cs you're running...
You get hit twice w/consumption and the demand charge. Esp on those big fake wood panel older ones.
My bills have been about $100 steadily... we just have 2 5000 BTU units, one for the living room, one for the bedroom.
[Mamacita said:
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Do you call Coned directly or is there some online form?
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Call ConEd's billing department directly. I find it's not good to do the even billing plan since you have a hard time knowing just how much you're really using. There's nothing like a big ole' bill to remind you to shut down your computer more often.
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Cool thanks. Im in a similar boat as the OP.
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ConEd should probably also be able to tell you how much energy the last tenant generally used which can be helpful in filling out the picture even further. Although, since you can't be sure the last tenant didn't run multiple computers, grow lights, and a walk-in fridge it may not tell you as much as I first thought it would.
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Also if the service was screwed up or there was a leech while the last tenant was there, you wouldn't see any discrepancies.
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It might actually help prove there is a leech, if two different tenants both had ridiculously high costs. If the last tenant had low costs the blame might be on what equipment you as the new tenant is running.
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Turn off your AC's, people. It really knocks a lot off the ConEd bill. In 70-degree weather (most nights), fans do just as much as a typical window unit.
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Sorry to revive a dead thread but I just got an insane bill from CONED. Apparently in my studio I used over a 1,000 Kwh or almost $300 dollars worth of juice!!! My normal bill is around $75.
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Grow lights consume a lot of power.
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eastbloc said:
Grow lights consume a lot of power.eastbloc thats what the Winnebago is for.
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Is the bill for an "estimated reading" or a real reading? When I first moved in, I was billed for some very high, and entirely fictional, estimated readings for a couple months until I called ConEd. It turned out they had been taking meter readings, they just didn't bill for them, for some reason.
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newguy, is it possible you (or roommate) signed up with Green Mountain Energy or one of the other "green" electricity providers in the past few months? Check your ConEd bill to see who's the supplier and what their rate per kwh is.
A few months back I overheard a coworker screaming at ConEd about how her 1 br "couldn't possibly have jumped to $300/month" - only to find out it was Green Mountain's outrageous supply cost. A few days later my wife opened our bill and was like "omg, it's $300!" - and lo and behold - we'd signed up for Green Mountain a couple months earlier.
There's a list of all available NYS electricity suppliers online - some of them are significantly less expensive even than ConEd's rates. Note that some are fixed and some are variable. Put your zip in here and shop away:
http://www.newyorkpowertochoose.com/ -
And here I thought Green Mountain Energy might be an exception to ESCOs as scam.
I guess I should have been more suspicious of a company with a Vermont-sounding name that's based in Texas.
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Any company that has enough of a marketing budget to blanket the streets with representatives probably has a pretty high overhead.
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I think they are working on commission, but -yes- the point is still valid.
For better or worse, the change on Nostrand is going to make the change on Franklin look minor. -
So I haven't switched energy providers. And yes its an estimate. Con Ed is calming that since I've been in my place for less then a year. Their also using the previous tenants usage to estimate the bill. They refuse to adjust it but claim that if I pay it they'll adjust next months bill to correct the error.
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New guy-
Did the tenant before you have grow lights that were not LED, and no Winnebago?For better or worse, the change on Nostrand is going to make the change on Franklin look minor. -
I'm guessing so. Probably why their not living here any more.
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"they refuse to adjust it but claim that if I pay it they'll adjust next months bill to correct the error".
A phone call to the Public Service Commission might remedy that.
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BobMarvin said:
"they refuse to adjust it but claim that if I pay it they'll adjust next months bill to correct the error".A phone call to the Public Service Commission might remedy that.
Have you had any luck with them actually doing anything?
Cause I'm really angry with Con Ed. This is their second major screw up in 6 months. When I first moved in they enrolled me in Ebill and it took me two whole weeks to get them to fix their many screw ups related to this.
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"Have you had any luck with them actually doing anything?"
Yes, with Con Edison, although it was a number of years ago.
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