Electric Meters switched?

[Jack Perfett]

Hello BP. I currently own a duplex that has separate electric meters for each unit. My unit in which I am living in is a one bedroom one bathroom apt. The other unit us a 3 bed 1 bath apt. with 3 people living in it. My electric bill last month was $220 which seems extremely high to me for a one bedroom apt with one window AC unit. The billing cycle is now 5 days in and I have been out of town for 4 of these days. It is now saying that I have consumed $35 in electricity when I have only been there for one single day. I am sure that the lights are all off and the AC is off. Imp thinking that there is a chance that we have the meters switched and my tenant is paying for my meter and I am paying for there's. Can anybody advise me on how to correct this and or verify that the meters are for what unit.

[Theresa Harris]

You can turn off the breaker in your unit and see which meter is still moving.

[Bruce Woodruff]

Or someone is stealing electricity.....? But yeah, turn off one of the meters and check it out......

[John Underwood]

You can also follow the electrical conduit from your meter and see if it goes to your breaker box.

Turning of your main breaker is good advice on tracing this down.

[Jack Perfett]

Quote from @Bruce Woodruff:

Or someone is stealing electricity.....? But yeah, turn off one of the meters and check it out......

Right so you do agree $220 a month for a electric for a small apartment seams a bit excessive 

[Richard F.]

Aloha,

Everywhere that I have lived, the Electric bill had the meter ID number on it, and you just compare to the meter you believe is yours.

[Scott Mac]

The meters have a metal band around them with a lock on it (or at least they should).

If the bands are missing, the meters could be swapped.

Maybe the electric company is reading the incorrect meter and billing you for that.

You could also ask the renters if their bill is tiny. If so, then you may have an answer very quickly.

[Jack Perfett]

Quote from @Scott Mac:

The meters have a metal band around them with a lock on it (or at least they should).

If the bands are missing, the meters could be swapped.

Maybe the electric company is reading the incorrect meter and billing you for that.

You could also ask the renters if their bill is tiny. If so, then you may have an answer very quickly.

I was considering doing this but just didn’t know if this would be a bad look to ask them what there bill is. Thoughts on that?

[David M.]

@Jack Perfett

Well... You wouldn't have to ask straight out.  Do you ever chat with them?  If not, maybe nows a time to give them a call and shoot the breeze.  With energy prices and Ukraine/Russia at the forefront, its not that hard to bring up electrics costs... You can be genuinely concerned about them being able to afford to live there --- lets face it, if the meters are switched, once you switch them back they will be in for a shock!

You've got to be a little bit savier in "interrogating."  Good luck.

[Greg M.]

I see nothing wrong with it. When I moved into my home, my first water & power bill was a shock. I knocked on the neighbors door (similar size house / lot / number of occupants) and just told her I got my first W&P bill and am shocked at how high it is and would you mind telling me what your typical bill is. Turns out I'm a conservative user of W&P and her bill was about double mine. 

Assuming you own both sides of the duplex, you should be able to contact the electric company and get historical usage for both meters. 

Are there any common areas that could be billed to your unit? For example, a basement that contains the laundry room or an electric boiler that services both units?

[Jack Perfett]

Quote from @Greg M.:

I see nothing wrong with it. When I moved into my home, my first water & power bill was a shock. I knocked on the neighbors door (similar size house / lot / number of occupants) and just told her I got my first W&P bill and am shocked at how high it is and would you mind telling me what your typical bill is. Turns out I'm a conservative user of W&P and her bill was about double mine. 

Assuming you own both sides of the duplex, you should be able to contact the electric company and get historical usage for both meters. 

Are there any common areas that could be billed to your unit? For example, a basement that contains the laundry room or an electric boiler that services both units?

There is a basement that has a washer and dryer used only by the tenant which should be metered by the tenants meter. No electric boiler and the hot water tank is electric but only services my unit. I have a decent relationship with the neighbor. (Not my tenant) that I should be able to get a relatively decent idea of what is normal

[Scott Mac]

I'd just make a phone call and ask--be truthful.

[Colleen F.]

@Jack Perfett it is not necessarily that the meters are switched intentionally, it is more likely that the wrong meter is associated with your unit number.  First thing to do is check the meter number on your bill and make sure that meter runs to your unit.  You can do this yourself. Throw your main breaker, look at the meter and see if your meter number has stopped running. Then move to the more complex explanations.   Yes $220 is alot if you aren't running AC  but if you run AC all the time maybe not alot. 

You can also call the electric company and they will give you the average for each unit. They won't tell you last months bill for  a place you don't own but any place I have bought before I buy I call and they will give you the monthly average if you give them the address. 

[Colleen F.]

@Jack Perfett  what is the outcome?   were they switched or was the electric just high?

[FR W.]

That sounds like a tough spot to be in, Jack.  I would call the electric company so that they can come out and verify your meter.  Here in TX, they even have a way for us to go online and check our usage, but verifying that a switch-a-roo hasn't taken place, I would definitely imagine that being the electric company's lane.  

Also, I would try another week before calling them and during that time, unplug everything in your apartment that you don't absolutely need to have access to electricity, like toaster ovens, computers, printers, electric irons, phone chargers, etc.  Then check to see how much your apt is consuming.  These things do put a drain on our bill and we don't even think about them.

Hope you get it resolved quickly.

[Jack Perfett]

Quote from @Colleen F.:

@Jack Perfett  what is the outcome?   were they switched or was the electric just high?

Hello Colleen sorry for the delayed response. So unfortunately it looks like a bigger issue than just the meters being switched. I went and turned the panel off to my unit and both electric meters stayed on. So I’m assuming there is some cross wiring between the panels. Has anybody had this issue before and what am I looking at in terms of getting this corrected?

[Bruce Woodruff]

Quote from @Jack Perfett:

Quote from @Colleen F.:

@Jack Perfett  what is the outcome?   were they switched or was the electric just high?

Hello Colleen sorry for the delayed response. So unfortunately it looks like a bigger issue than just the meters being switched. I went and turned the panel off to my unit and both electric meters stayed on. So I’m assuming there is some cross wiring between the panels. Has anybody had this issue before and what am I looking at in terms of getting this corrected?

 Don't know if I'm figuring this correctly, but the meters are always hot and running, the main panel switches are below the meters in order of the flow.

[David M.]

@Jack Perfett

At this point, probably best to get an electrician out to figure it out for you.  Maybe "your panel" isn't your panel, maybe its sub off the main panel.  Is there some other panel around?  Its a matter of wiring tracing, but these are some serious mains, albeit residential, that you unless you are comfortable and sufficiently skilled, you shouldn't be taking the electrical panel covers off to see how things are wired...  Honestly, it would be lots of back and forth on this forum, or maybe a FaceTime with somebody to help you try to visually trace it around, but that's still difficult..  Good luck.

[David M.]

@Bruce Woodruff

Yeah, the meters would be hot, but if the draw goes to zero then the meter would stop running.  I think of plenty of reasons why it isn't stopping for him.  But, its too much to troubleshoot over a forum in my opinion.

[Theresa Harris]

Quote from @Jack Perfett:

Quote from @Colleen F.:

@Jack Perfett  what is the outcome?   were they switched or was the electric just high?

Hello Colleen sorry for the delayed response. So unfortunately it looks like a bigger issue than just the meters being switched. I went and turned the panel off to my unit and both electric meters stayed on. So I’m assuming there is some cross wiring between the panels. Has anybody had this issue before and what am I looking at in terms of getting this corrected?

 Did both meters stay on (which they should) or did both keep running (ie showing electricity was being used)?  When your panel is off, the meter will stay on, but it should show no electricity is being used.  See how fast the numbers are increasing before you turn your panel off and after you turn it off.

[Richard F.]

Aloha,

Was the structure originally built as a full duplex? Or is one of the units a part of the original single family main floor plan that has been modified into a small apartment, or is it basement, or attic space with the interior finished at a later time? Given that you state one is 3BR, the other 1BR, I'm going to assume it was finished later. In this case, it is very likely one or more circuits are not fully separated. As David M suggested, you need to perform some testing to map out each circuit...in both units, to find out exactly what needs to be changed. This is a potentially critical safety issue: if you assume your power is off at the breakers, but one outlet or light is being fed from the other unit, you could find out the hard way. I would STRONGLY advise you have a licensed electrician perform any actual re-wiring necessary. Someone probably saved a lot of money by using a handyman previously...

Also, regarding your electric bill, forget about the dollars, look at the kilowatt hours of usage. You can roughly calculate a "normal" day of usage by making a list of EVERY electrical device that is always plugged in. Next, determine the wattage used per hour for each device, and the estimated average daily hours of operation. Total this up and compare it with the daily usage figure from your bill.

[Matt Bishop]

@Jack Perfett, don't pay the electric bill and see who's unit goes dark. It is very possibleeverything is wired correctly but the EIN is not correct at the electric company billing department and no one has been aware since the meters were installed. The electric company may help you. If they don't, you can escalate it to the state Public Utility Commission. You can compare the EIN (Electronic Identification Number) on your bill to the EIN on the meter.

[Bruce Woodruff]

Quote from @David M.:

@Bruce Woodruff

Yeah, the meters would be hot, but if the draw goes to zero then the meter would stop running.  I think of plenty of reasons why it isn't stopping for him.  But, its too much to troubleshoot over a forum in my opinion.

 Yes, time to call an electrician!