The Very-Many-Questions-Not-Worth-Their-Own-Thread Thread ΛΕ

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A gun shop? (I'm sorry. That was in very poor taste.)
 
Nope. (though technically it wasn't the perps who shot up the store)
 
Schools, banks, libraries, malls...is there a type of place that hasn't been shot up in the US?

You can cross yoga studios off any list you were thinking to construct. And places of worship should have been in your original set-up list.


Yeah, it's based on a recent survey of how consumer preferences map to political leanings. I'll see if I can dig it up.
 
How do I read an electricity meter? I've seen guides online, but if I want to find out if my electricity company has been overcharging me, how do I translate those numbers into X amount per quarter?

I just received an electricity bill today for $1200. I am single and live alone, with completely normal appliances. No air conditioner, dishwasher, etc., just basics like fridge, TV, computer, washing machine. Allegedly I am using 40kWh every single day for 3 months. Clearly something is wrong; I suspect incompetence on the part of my electricity provider, or possibly outright corruption; let's see if he'll pay this much, then we can charge him this every quarter. My usual bill is under $200.
 
Well you need to know the reading at two points in time to work out if the bill is correct.
Note it down today to see if it is in line with what the utility have said, then look at it in a few days or a week to see how it has changed. Converting that into a cost comes after.
 
Well you need to know the reading at two points in time to work out if the bill is correct.
Note it down today to see if it is in line with what the utility have said, then look at it in a few days or a week to see how it has changed. Converting that into a cost comes after.
Thanks.

How can I illustrate that previous readings are incorrect? The claim is that I used 40kWh every hour for 3 whole months. This is obviously hogwash, but I'm not sure how to prove it.
 
A real gamer can play a game for 36 hours in one day!
I rarely even play games. My electricity usage would be:

Refrigerator: 24 h/day
Microwave clock: 24 h/day
Microwave: 1 h/week, maybe? If I'm doing a LOT of reheating that week. Some weeks I might not use it at all.
Modem: 24 h/day
TV: 6 h/day, maybe?
Washing machine: 1 h/week
PC: 6 h/week, on average
Iron: 1 h/week
iPad charging: 20 h/day, maybe? Not being used when it's plugged in, mostly.
Phone charging: 16 h/week, maybe? Again, not being used when it's plugged in.
Vacuum: 1 h/week
Lights: 3-4 h/day, maybe? Oftentimes I don't use them at all, and I never have more than 2 lights on at a time, say, bathroom and lounge room. Bathroom light obviously gets switched off when I leave.

I don't use a heater, fan, air conditioner, dishwasher, etc.. I rarely use a toaster or kettle. I am often not even home, but working. I haven't had a guest since the woman I was seeing earlier this year, who was supposed to be a "friend with benefits" but randomly asked if I loved her and became aggressively clingy, ending that. This was prior to my current billing period, so can't have effected it anyway, even assuming she magically used power at massive levels every time she walked through the door.

I simply fail to see how I can possibly be using 40 kWh, 24 h/day, 7 day a week, for three straight months. Something smells very, very fishy here.
 
Well, first you need to dispute the bill. Then you need find out what your meter says, what the energy company think it says, what it was on your last bill and so on.
 
I disputed my last bill, but ended up having to pay it because they cut off my electricity during the dispute, which is technically illegal. They alleged they gave me warning of this, yet I received nothing. Amazing how I never had any of these issues until I moved home in February, and how my notifications switched from "via e-mail" to "via post" after I complained about an issue. I also know for a fact that my previous bill said it was estimated, but changed on the system to say it was "actual" after I complained. God I wish I had screenshotted the bill before they altered it, because that has to be fraud.

My usual bill is under $200. Previous one, which I challenged, was $500. This one is $1200. That is the average for a family of 12. I am single and live alone.

I need to wait until my real estate agent opens to request meter access. It's a flat, so the meters are locked up. But I already know what the electricity provider says my usage is: the aforementioned 40kWh every hour for 3 straight months.
 
I disputed my last bill, but ended up having to pay it because they cut off my electricity during the dispute, which is technically illegal. They alleged they gave me warning of this, yet I received nothing. Amazing how I never had any of these issues until I moved home in February, and how my notifications switched from "via e-mail" to "via post" after I complained about an issue. I also know for a fact that my previous bill said it was estimated, but changed on the system to say it was "actual" after I complained. God I wish I had screenshotted the bill before they altered it, because that has to be fraud.

My usual bill is under $200. Previous one, which I challenged, was $500. This one is $1200. That is the average for a family of 12. I am single and live alone.

I need to wait until my real estate agent opens to request meter access. It's a flat, so the meters are locked up. But I already know what the electricity provider says my usage is: the aforementioned 40kWh every hour for 3 straight months.

In many countries the law is that if you pay zero during a conflict that you break the agreement (money for service).
BUT if you pay what you consider, and/or what could be considered (by a judge) a fair compensation for that service, you do NOT break the agreement (money for service), because you acknowledge/honor the agreement by paying the fair amount.
I used this a lot as advice in Amsterdam in my volunteer community time to people renting a house where the landlord did not do adequate maintenance. When it came to court cases we always did win (whereby most landlords knowing that law as well started to do their maintenance).
I have no experience in conflicts with too high invoiced utilities and ofc law in your country, but you could check that with a local lawyer
 
In many countries the law is that if you pay zero during a conflict that you break the agreement (money for service).
BUT if you pay what you consider, and/or what could be considered (by a judge) a fair compensation for that service, you do NOT break the agreement (money for service), because you acknowledge/honor the agreement by paying the fair amount.
I used this a lot as advice in Amsterdam in my volunteer community time to people renting a house where the landlord did not do adequate maintenance. When it came to court cases we always did win (whereby most landlords knowing that law as well started to do their maintenance).
I have no experience in conflicts with too high invoiced utilities and ofc law in your country, but you could check that with a local lawyer
What made it illegal was the fact that they did not provide me with the required warning before cutting off my power. Legally I'm supposed to get two weeks' warning, and I was also supposed to have my bill on hold because of the dispute. Neither of these requirements were met by Origin Energy.

I just checked my meter. 99,969 kWh. I have nothing turned on except my refrigerator, modem, and microwave clock. Unit 7 has the exact same consumption as me. Odd coincidence. My cyclometer is also moving at an incredible rate, far faster than anyone else's, indicating a high power usage. Which is impossible, as nothing is being used! WTH?
 
Switch everything off at the socket.
Fridge, lights, modem, water heater, air con whatever.

Make sure meter isn't moving.

If it is still moving there is either a fault somewhere or something is still drawing power.

When everything is off switch it all back on bit by bit to see what is causing the power consumption.
 
Switch everything off at the socket.
Fridge, lights, modem, water heater, air con whatever.

Make sure meter isn't moving.

If it is still moving there is either a fault somewhere or something is still drawing power.

When everything is off switch it all back on bit by bit to see what is causing the power consumption.
The problem is I can only do this when I have someone from my real estate here with me. I plan on switching off everything before he comes back tomorrow, then actually switching off the fuses one by one after he gets here.

This would be so much easier if I wasn't in a goddamn flat.
 
I disputed my last bill, but ended up having to pay it because they cut off my electricity during the dispute, which is technically illegal. They alleged they gave me warning of this, yet I received nothing. Amazing how I never had any of these issues until I moved home in February, and how my notifications switched from "via e-mail" to "via post" after I complained about an issue. I also know for a fact that my previous bill said it was estimated, but changed on the system to say it was "actual" after I complained. God I wish I had screenshotted the bill before they altered it, because that has to be fraud.

My usual bill is under $200. Previous one, which I challenged, was $500. This one is $1200. That is the average for a family of 12. I am single and live alone.

I need to wait until my real estate agent opens to request meter access. It's a flat, so the meters are locked up. But I already know what the electricity provider says my usage is: the aforementioned 40kWh every hour for 3 straight months.
Are you mining bitcoin? Is someone else connected to your meter through an extension cord or wire? Do you use grow lights for your marijuana plants?

Go back and ask for the past 12 months of meter readings so you can compare.
 
Are you mining bitcoin? Is someone else connected to your meter through an extension cord or wire? Do you use grow lights for your marijuana plants?

Go back and ask for the past 12 months of meter readings so you can compare.
I am doing none of those things, although I don't know if someone has somehow tapped my meter. It wasn't visible in the meter room. I have already downloaded my meter readings for nine months; only lived here since February.

It's very weird. I actually use less electricity than the average person. Always have. The way our bills work over here, we actually have the "average family usage" included on our bills. I usually have less than the average single person use. Now I have more than thrice the average family of four. Clearly, something weird is happening.
 
Are you in an apartment or house?
 
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