Am I getting robbed here or what???

http://cdn.brownstoner.com/4fb51319baf6e-.jpg

I’m fuming over my latest electric bill.  How can this possibly be???  Is everyone getting charges like this??? My “supply charges” come to $24.22. Merchant function charge:  $1.81 GRT & other tax surcharges:  $0.63 Basic service charge:  $16.27 Delivery 312 kwh @11.5481c/kwh:  $36.03 SBC/RPS charges @ 0.4904c/kwh:  $1.53 Temporary NY State Surcharge @ 0.4679c/kwh:  $1.46 GRT & other tax surcharges:  $2.73 Sales tax @4.5000%:  $3.81 TOTAL ELECTRICITY CHARGES:  $88.49   HOW THE HELL IS IT RIGHT TO BE PAYING $88.49 FOR A BILL THAT ONLY INCLUDES $24.22 OF ACTUAL ELECTRICITY USE????  WTF??? I feel like I’m getting hosed 🙁  Are the ESCOs any good?

snappyglitter

in Energy Efficiency 12 years and 11 months ago

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cupolacoffee | 12 years and 11 months ago

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EL1 is not incorrect. It is the rate applied for “normal” residential service (as opposed to EL2, the slightly more expensive “small non-residential” rate applied to common areas or vacant apartments where landlords continue service).
Crappy, energy inefficient appliances tend to draw excess usage. Is your air purifier new? Does it run 24/7? Compare your current bill with a pre-purifier bill.
Beyond that, reread deano’s comment. Also, there are online electrical use calculators. Try to run your own numbers. You can also try calculating by buying a cheap, simple watt-hour meter like the Kill-a-Watt.

Bklnite | 12 years and 11 months ago

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Call Con Ed & ask about the rate. Electric Rates
• EL1 is for customers who use electricity for lighting and other general uses in an apartment or home. EL7 is the rate if electricity is used
for heating the entire residence. I don’t know, but I think if you get switched to EL7 it would be a slightly lower  market price – but probably a couple of bucks difference. The main thing is: 312 kw. That’s almost as much as my most recent bill at a 3000+ sf home. If you have access to your meter, try turning everthing off (unplug the fridge, etc.) and see if the meter completely stops. If you live in a small building it’s possible the owner had work done at some point that resulted in your meter being connected to common areas or somewhere other than your apartment.

InsertSnappyNameHere | 12 years and 11 months ago

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I suspect that my EL1 is incorrect though.  I am a single apartment above a professional space.  My heat is electric/forced air/gas combo.  Shouldn’t the fact that I require electricity for heating change my classification to a lower rate, at least in the winter months?

deano | 12 years and 11 months ago

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Sounds like generation & delivery are about 19c/kwh, which sounds about right these days.  On top of that is the standing account charge (ie. “basic service”) and then the usual bunch-of-baloney local & state duties.  The excessive details in the billing is part of the problem and makes it feel more like highway robbery;-  much the same way we’d feel if every $3.89 gallon of gasoline came with a note reminding you this was merely 2.30 worth of crude oil (or whatever it is)

bowl-of-dicks | 12 years and 11 months ago

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What kind of refridgerator do you have?

InsertSnappyNameHere | 12 years and 11 months ago

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MM, I was thinking something has to be wrong with this.  I’m getting billed at “EL1 Residential or Religious.”  Is that correct?  And yes, my space is small.  You’ve seen it.  Something is wrong here.  I’ve never had this much in fees.  What exactly would I have the electrician looking to find?

uiyycgzlbp | 12 years and 11 months ago

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Snaps, would your landlord, or you, be willing to pay an electrician to see if everything is working right, in terms of electricity coming into your unit? Your bill is really high for the amount of space you have. Even with the stupid local fees. My monthly bills are a third less, and I have twice as much space. Something isn’t right.

Bklnite | 12 years and 11 months ago

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Seems you’re the one being a jackass. You don’t like your last electric bill, which was billed pretty much the same as it has been for how many years? You can switch to an ESCO and they will charge whatever their supply charge is, so you’d change your bill by some  percentage of that. Con Ed has a program called PowerMove. Saving 7% on supply charges of  $24.22 would net you a buck 70\. If you don’t like paying for service and delivery of electricity then get some solar panels or figure out some other way (like CHP) to generate your own. The Power_Move_ program guarantees you a 7% discount off the Con Edison price for energy supply for two months. You can have Con Edison randomly assign an energy services company (ESCO) to serve you or you can choose your own. You will receive one consolidated bill from Con Edison for both your Con Edison (delivery) and ESCO (supply) charges. You can cancel the agreement at any time without penalty.

Bklnite | 12 years and 11 months ago

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If you don’t feel like paying for delivery charges, why don’t you drive over to the Con Ed power plant and pick up a month’s worth electricity and bring it home? Alternatively, you could buy a combined heat & power unit and generate your own electricity. Sell the excess back to Con Ed. Let goatcrap know how it works out. http://forum.brownstoner.com/question/MC9g35w57bc=/cogeneration-boilers

coopfornow | 12 years and 11 months ago

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I think the surcharges will be similar, it is mostly additions by local government and taxes. Quite a few ESCOs will lure you in with a cheap introductory offer, then raise their pricing, at least that is what happened in my building. yes, waful isn’t it? I had a bill recently of 4 dollars and some cent for a gas bill  that in essence should have been zero. No usage at all for a partial month).