http://www.waff.com/Global/story.asp?S=13032145
I feel for the lady. I'm not sure I could pay it. Not all at once anyway. If your utility bill is always much lower than your neighbors you might have a problem in the future I guess.
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I feel for the lady also. I wouldn't like the idea of having to pay it. However, mistakes DO happen. The rest of us have had to pay our bill without any type of discount, so obviously, she should have to pay. I think the amount should be divided up into 36 monthly payments since that's the length of the error. I don't agree with asking your neighbor how much their utility bill is. I have great neighbors, but I don't discuss that type of thing with them. Besides, there are too many factors that determine an electric bill...can't compare apples to oranges. I wish the lady well, and would push for an "extended" payment plan. (BTW: her "shortage" only averaged $60+ per month so I don't know how she would have known, necessarily, that she was being under billed or even be able to compare it to a neighbor's if she wanted to. Mine can vary that much easily from month to month.)
worker, the amount of the utility bill is one of the hot(cold) topics of conversation in my neighborhood! LOL! We do enter into the "my bill is too high controversy. That often gets checked on!
quote:"Occasionally there are going to be errors in the accounting either when the account is set up and it's not in the correct classification or a setting on the meter where it's not showing the right reading," said Yell.
Now why would there be settings on a meter? Should this not be a 100% true reading and it only be able to be a 100% true reading?
Am I the only person that would think they caught a 3 year mistake for something being set too low that there are thousands of meters out there that are reading too high?
I was thinking the same thing barksdale.jeff. How do we know if it is set too high or too low? And how do we know that hers was actually set too low... I don't think it is right to make her pay for someone else's mistake. She couldn't have known that was an issue. If she knew and someone told her and she decided to just see if she could get away with it, then ok, by all means, she should pay. But, that is not the case.
if you measure the power going into your home it is likely going to read in the 140 range.. that's why we all have a problem blowing out lightbulbs, computers and things.. that makes the meters spin faster and then they can charge more..
I don't know enough about this situation to even comment, but I agree with comparing bills with that of neighbors is ludicrous. For example, one of my neighbors keeps his home at about 67 degrees in the summer. I get chill bumps when I go in there. The neighbor on the other side is too cheap to set his below 82 degrees. I'm somewhere in the middle and have natural gas water heater and a natural gas dryer. Obviously, any comparison among the three of us would be just plain silly.
quote:Originally posted by The Cold Hard Truth:
if you measure the power going into your home it is likely going to read in the 140 range.. that's why we all have a problem blowing out lightbulbs, computers and things.. that makes the meters spin faster and then they can charge more..
This liberal takes issue with that. The meters are WATT meters, not voltage meters. They measure wattage which is a product of amps and voltage. If (and I replete IF) your voltage is high,(by the way , voltage into your house will be between 220 and 240 volts) then the amperage draw of any appliance will be lower as they consume watts. Shouldn't make a difference in your power reading.
On the other hand if your voltage is low, it will cause appliances to draw more amps and may over-heat them. Bad thing.
this puzzles me, they say it was an accounting error, so was the meter reading correctly and it got messed up after that point or was the meter not reading correctly? i know i usually compare what my bill says to what my meter reads. either way even though it's not fair for her she should still have to pay the balance, over the course of 3 years would be fair as stated earlier.
I have a rack ryder power conditioner.. the power coming into the house fluctuates between 135 and often times goes as high as 160.. who pays for it? I do.. I have a 900 sq. ft. house and the bill averages 300.. truth is I don't think they even read the meters here in Sheffield
quote:Originally posted by seeweed:quote:Originally posted by The Cold Hard Truth:
if you measure the power going into your home it is likely going to read in the 140 range.. that's why we all have a problem blowing out lightbulbs, computers and things.. that makes the meters spin faster and then they can charge more..
This liberal takes issue with that. The meters are WATT meters, not voltage meters. They measure wattage which is a product of amps and voltage. If (and I replete IF) your voltage is high,(by the way , voltage into your house will be between 220 and 240 volts) then the amperage draw of any appliance will be lower as they consume watts. Shouldn't make a difference in your power reading.
On the other hand if your voltage is low, it will cause appliances to draw more amps and may over-heat them. Bad thing.
The most accurate meters are the ones that can be read remotely in a drive-by via radio signal.
The specific meter is identified and a kWh reading is displayed.
Talk about errors- The guy who reads mine pulls into my driveway with the preacher station blaring in his truck, looks at the meter (on an angle) with small binoculars and writes down the numbers and drives away.
Last month they overcharged me by 10,000 kWh because the moron mistook a "3" for an "8."
The specific meter is identified and a kWh reading is displayed.
Talk about errors- The guy who reads mine pulls into my driveway with the preacher station blaring in his truck, looks at the meter (on an angle) with small binoculars and writes down the numbers and drives away.
Last month they overcharged me by 10,000 kWh because the moron mistook a "3" for an "8."
quote:Originally posted by The Cold Hard Truth:
if you measure the power going into your home it is likely going to read in the 140 range.. that's why we all have a problem blowing out lightbulbs, computers and things.. that makes the meters spin faster and then they can charge more..
i don't claim to know much about AC, but i don't think you know much about electricity.
there are 3 legs going to your meter for a total of 240vac - 120 per leg plus a common return line.
if your power is really that dirty you need a UPS with automatic voltage regulation before any important electronic loads.
quote:Originally posted by James Holden:quote:Originally posted by The Cold Hard Truth:
if you measure the power going into your home it is likely going to read in the 140 range.. that's why we all have a problem blowing out lightbulbs, computers and things.. that makes the meters spin faster and then they can charge more..
i don't claim to know much about AC, but i don't think you know much about electricity.
there are 3 legs going to your meter for a total of 240vac - 120 per leg plus a common return line.
if your power is really that dirty you need a UPS with automatic voltage regulation before any important electronic loads.
Agreed, if what you have is 140V coming into your house, you are in deep doo-doo. Either your house is wrongly wired, or your voltage drop is so bad that you should be blowing appliances right and left.
At any rate,
James is correct , and I've wired quite a few houses. If that is your incoming voltage on what should be 220V, then you should call Sheffield Utilities at once and demand that they provide you with the correct voltage, and as James mentioned, that should be 220V leg to leg with 110 from each leg to neutral. However, it is possible to have as much as 240V.
However, whether you have a light bulb, or an air conditioner, they draw watts which is a product of voltage and amperage. The higher the voltage (of course within reason) the lower the amperage , so if correctly wired, a variation in voltage should have no effect on your bill .
On the other hand, it sounds like you need to at once contact an electrician , if you have what you say, you should do so at once.
quote:alcon1234
Everybody Knows My Name
Posted 24 August 2010 10:23 AM Hide Post
I don't know enough about this situation to even comment, but I agree with comparing bills with that of neighbors is ludicrous. For example, one of my neighbors keeps his home at about 67 degrees in the summer. I get chill bumps when I go in there. The neighbor on the other side is too cheap to set his below 82 degrees. I'm somewhere in the middle and have natural gas water heater and a natural gas dryer. Obviously, any comparison among the three of us would be just plain silly.
Posts: 521 | Registered: 25 February 200
That's what I was trying to say. It's a mistake that should be looked into and taken care of so hopefully it won't happen again, but mistakes happen. Just because someone/someplace makes a mistake doesn't mean that one isn't liable. They're letting her makes payments.......
quote:Originally posted by seeweed:quote:Originally posted by James Holden:quote:Originally posted by The Cold Hard Truth:
if you measure the power going into your home it is likely going to read in the 140 range.. that's why we all have a problem blowing out lightbulbs, computers and things.. that makes the meters spin faster and then they can charge more..
i don't claim to know much about AC, but i don't think you know much about electricity.
there are 3 legs going to your meter for a total of 240vac - 120 per leg plus a common return line.
if your power is really that dirty you need a UPS with automatic voltage regulation before any important electronic loads.
Agreed, if what you have is 140V coming into your house, you are in deep doo-doo. Either your house is wrongly wired, or your voltage drop is so bad that you should be blowing appliances right and left.
At any rate,
James is correct , and I've wired quite a few houses. If that is your incoming voltage on what should be 220V, then you should call Sheffield Utilities at once and demand that they provide you with the correct voltage, and as James mentioned, that should be 220V leg to leg with 110 from each leg to neutral. However, it is possible to have as much as 240V.
However, whether you have a light bulb, or an air conditioner, they draw watts which is a product of voltage and amperage. The higher the voltage (of course within reason) the lower the amperage , so if correctly wired, a variation in voltage should have no effect on your bill .
On the other hand, it sounds like you need to at once contact an electrician , if you have what you say, you should do so at once.
what they said.......
quote:Originally posted by barksdale.jeff:quote:"Occasionally there are going to be errors in the accounting either when the account is set up and it's not in the correct classification or a setting on the meter where it's not showing the right reading," said Yell.
Now why would there be settings on a meter? Should this not be a 100% true reading and it only be able to be a 100% true reading?
I would think so but I don't claim to know a whole lot about the way the meters work or the "set up"...but yeah, it does make you wonder. Maybe somebody who reads meters or installs them will read this and tell us how it works. I would be more inclined to believe it was an accounting error but how could it keep going on unnoticed for so long?
quote:Originally posted by seeweed:quote:Originally posted by James Holden:quote:Originally posted by The Cold Hard Truth:
if you measure the power going into your home it is likely going to read in the 140 range.. that's why we all have a problem blowing out lightbulbs, computers and things.. that makes the meters spin faster and then they can charge more..
i don't claim to know much about AC, but i don't think you know much about electricity.
there are 3 legs going to your meter for a total of 240vac - 120 per leg plus a common return line.
if your power is really that dirty you need a UPS with automatic voltage regulation before any important electronic loads.
Agreed, if what you have is 140V coming into your house, you are in deep doo-doo. Either your house is wrongly wired, or your voltage drop is so bad that you should be blowing appliances right and left.
At any rate,
James is correct , and I've wired quite a few houses. If that is your incoming voltage on what should be 220V, then you should call Sheffield Utilities at once and demand that they provide you with the correct voltage, and as James mentioned, that should be 220V leg to leg with 110 from each leg to neutral. However, it is possible to have as much as 240V.
However, whether you have a light bulb, or an air conditioner, they draw watts which is a product of voltage and amperage. The higher the voltage (of course within reason) the lower the amperage , so if correctly wired, a variation in voltage should have no effect on your bill .
On the other hand, it sounds like you need to at once contact an electrician , if you have what you say, you should do so at once.
The Rack Rider System is basically just a surge protector that also acts as a filter circuit. It plugs into 110 VAC outlet and provides a safe clean AC output to sensitive electronic devices. Never heard of the voltage fluctuations the OP mentions, especially not the swings he is describing. Regardless, as previously mentioned, the end devices are not going to use more power than they are designed to run at. A 500 watt device is going to use 500 watts as long as the voltage is sufficient to operate it. As the voltage sags or spikes, the current will do the opposite and the power consumption will remain constant. If the voltage sags too much, the current can stop flowing and no power will be consumed. If the voltage spikes too much, it can destroy the device and current will stop flowing and no power will be consumed, unless your smoke alarms start going off.