# Sky-high electrical bills. Can't figure out what's wrong. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 10, 2015, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sky-high-electrical-bills-cant-figure-out-whats-wrong/717334 "2015-04-10T15:14:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sky-high-electrical-bills-cant-figure-out-whats-wrong/717334/41 "2015-04-11T01:58:42Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Excellent! > My idea would best have two people and cell phones. I totally read that as _halve_ two people and cell phones…:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sky-high-electrical-bills-cant-figure-out-whats-wrong/717334/42 "2015-04-11T02:06:08Z")
> [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](#): > > I totally read that as _halve_ two people and cell phones…:dubious: With a saucy little Chianti and some fava beans, perhaps. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sky-high-electrical-bills-cant-figure-out-whats-wrong/717334/43 "2015-04-11T02:09:08Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I’ve gotten utility bills telling me I’m using vast quantities of electricity. Sometimes these bills run into hundreds of dollars per month. One bill claimed I used over 2,300 KwH in one month alone. > > I live by myself in a small one-bedroom apartment and have gotten utility bills for $100-$300 per _month_. > > I don’t think I am using much, if any, more electricity than the average household. A/C, washer and dryer, etc. The figures seem outlandish. What to do? what the shit? I live in a 1-BR apartment, and my electric bill is like $30/month. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sky-high-electrical-bills-cant-figure-out-whats-wrong/717334/44 "2015-04-11T02:16:19Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > what the shit? I live in a 1-BR apartment, and my electric bill is like $30/month. Good lord. What is your thermostat setting? ---
**Author:** ![Lorene89095](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@Lorene89095](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorene89095)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sky-high-electrical-bills-cant-figure-out-whats-wrong/717334/45 "2015-04-11T04:38:54Z")
I’m in Texas,one bedroom duplex and my summer AC bill was $175.00 I think… (it’s been a few months ago and I’ve had a nap) ---
**Author:** ![edwardcoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cab0a1/32.png) [@edwardcoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwardcoast)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sky-high-electrical-bills-cant-figure-out-whats-wrong/717334/46 "2015-04-11T05:51:30Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I’ve gotten utility bills telling me I’m using vast quantities of electricity. Sometimes these bills run into hundreds of dollars per month. One bill claimed I used over 2,300 KwH in one month alone. > > I live by myself in a small one-bedroom apartment and have gotten utility bills for $100-$300 per _month_. > > I don’t think I am using much, if any, more electricity than the average household. A/C, washer and dryer, etc. The figures seem outlandish. What to do? Call the electric company and ask if your bill is low, medium or high for your area. They won’t tell you bills for others, but they can look at it and tell you if it’s out of line. Many of them do an energy audit which I think is free. Have them do that and see what is going on. It might be the electric meter is defective and needs to be replaced. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sky-high-electrical-bills-cant-figure-out-whats-wrong/717334/47 "2015-04-11T06:04:28Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > what the shit? I live in a 1-BR apartment, and my electric bill is like $30/month. I have a small 2br house mine was $37 last month. All lights are LED, a little cooking, showers. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sky-high-electrical-bills-cant-figure-out-whats-wrong/717334/48 "2015-04-11T06:47:16Z")
I once lived in a basement apartment in Mississauga, and came hone one day to a $400 (landline) phone bill. No way was I making that many calls. A check with the roommates revealed that they weren’t making them either. We got the phone police involved; they came out and checked the wiring. Turned out that the guy upstairs had _wired his phones into my line_ and was making hundreds of dollars worth of calls to Germany… and giving out my number to people in South America. He was picking up calls when I was at work, and apparently running a shady auto-import business. The phone company went after him big time. Around then, he skipped town without paying six months’ rent, and I heard later that he was arrested in Germany for speeding. On the Autobahn. So yeah, weird stuff can happen. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sky-high-electrical-bills-cant-figure-out-whats-wrong/717334/49 "2015-04-11T09:59:09Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > what the shit? I live in a 1-BR apartment, and my electric bill is like $30/month. Apartments can be well insulated from the elements, eg due to being surrounded, basically its not much energy required due to the insulation, and the neighbours are using their temperature adjustment device too… OR if they get the heat from , or lose the heat to - cooling effect- a shop downstairs or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sky-high-electrical-bills-cant-figure-out-whats-wrong/717334/50 "2015-04-11T10:09:41Z")
Or of course, apartments may be centrally heated, it may be in the maintenance fees ? Which may be just in the rent if you pay rent. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sky-high-electrical-bills-cant-figure-out-whats-wrong/717334/51 "2015-04-11T11:51:18Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > You might ask your neighbors how much they pay per month. > Get to know your appliances. How many KW do they consume? > Know how much per KW the utility charges. Do the math. Find the biggest consumers. And discover where you can save. Maybe you could hang clothes to dry, instead of using the clothes drier, etc. I also recommend making sure you know the difference between power and energy before you do the math. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sky-high-electrical-bills-cant-figure-out-whats-wrong/717334.md?page=2)