Unpleasant phone call from the Electric Company :D

Our house is exclusively electric baseboard heat, and one of my first priorities when we bought this home, was to add a wood forced air furnace. I am guessing here (as the previous owner was on a budget), but I believe we are saving 3-400 dollars a month (maybe more) on our electric bill during these winter months. Efficiently cutting, splitting, and burning large amounts of wood is more of a lifestyle than it is extra work as many of you all know. I have a small fortune invested in equipment, and some blood, sweat, and tears learning the do's and dont's over the last decade or so.

To make a long story short, the good ol' electric company politely accused me of tampering with the internals of our electric meter here a week or so ago. It was one of those my word vs. their word kind of things. Luckily, I garnished the upper hand- and won this fancy new meter that is going to read the same amount of usage as the last one LOL.

P.S.- I am still on the hunt for a wood powered air conditioner for next year, so if ya find one... send it my way.

 

I had a similar experience several years ago, they wound up changing the meter twice.

 

Had the same issue, with the gas company. We also have a brand new meter and the installer was treated to a gun cleaning show right by a rolling fire in about a 85 degree house.

 

You would have thought! I told the gal on the phone, not to expect much usage from us. I told her, if the wood furnace isn't running, then we go cold. I'll be putting up a new clothesline in the spring too.

 

Did your electric bills go up? I've heard from a couple folks that it could go up, which makes no sense to me... Unless my old meter was faulty, which I firmly believe it was not.

 

My utility contacted me about the power bill not long after buying the house(10yo) for the A/C aspect told them I had installed a digital t-stat and less people living in the house, they sent someone out to check it, showed him the lock seal I had cut while residing behind the meter base along with the snake skeleton petrified across the phases.

After explaining to them if I really wanted to steal electricity I could, but I make it for a living so it all comes full circle back to me they left me alone

 

It would almost be worth it to screw with them for a month. Just run all the electricity that you can heat and everything. Then the following month use absolutely nothing.

Gary

 

No doubt...hahaha!

 

Take a look at my woodstacks and figure it out, dumb azz!!

 

You could be at a cheaper rate because of all electric house and with new meter could be new higher no electric heating rate. I've changed many a gas meter because of low use due to new wood and pellet stove installs. Most were after a month or two earlier I put down on low use investigation the use of the new source of heat. They still wanted the meters changed. Those calls were good for at least 2 visits. Job security 101.


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We have one. It takes a day to get the report of usage on line, but when I look at it, I can tell when we ran the dryer, or crock pot etc.

 

I got a smart meter not long ago too and it is outside my bedroom, maybe I should put some lead siding out there

 

I would go the other way and try my dammdest to use less electricity next month and have them really scratching their heads

 

Those wood stacks don't grow on their own.



Now those smart Electric meters, Gas. I'll need to look into the bad stuff about them. Our meter I believe it's a smart meter. It's just outside of our BR window, and 4 feet from the bed, where most people spend the highest amount of time.

 

Not. One. Drop.

 

I like the lead shield idea for the SMRT meter. Like all around it. Lol