Complaint Review: Duke Energy

To the OP, nobody posting here is trying to throw you under the Duke Energy bus, so please refrain from starting to imply we favor them over you.

Everyone here is trying to help you figure out what, if anything, is causing your bills to be too high.

go to this site: http://www.consumerspower.org/home_energy/billestimator.php and use that calculator to see if you can't come up with your own decent estimate of what your stuff ought to run you a month.

You mentioned a well. That means a well pump. How powerful a pump? Depending on your rates, a 5hp pump can run big bucks a month. A much weaker pump, a lot less.

Outdoor security lighting, if you run any, can also pad the bill quite a bit.

As others wrote, the directional orientation of your windows, roof coverage and overhang, sun exposure etc all factor in.
Are you on a slab, have a basement, crawlspace with all their attendant insulation issues?

Keep in mind there are other factors that can contribute to a higher electric bill even in homes with similar square footage.  One that comes to mind is the SEER rating of your AC unit(s) and whether you A/C has been properly zoned.   Secondly, a home that is one story with a larger exposure of roofline to the Sun will incur higher energy bills than a two story with a smaller roof profile and different orientation and surrounding trees.   Overhang profile from the roof also comes into play as this determines how much direct sunlight hits the side of your house and windows at specific times of the day.   Case in point.  I moved from a one story home of approximately 3,000 sq feet to a two story home with about 2,988 sq feet.  My energy bills dropped by well over 50% for 5 important reasons (1) smaller roof profile to the Sun (2) different orientation of the house and windows - old house had windows facing mostly West and South - nice way to fry in Texas - new house has windows mostly North and East with (3) Southerrn windows shaded by trees and (4) I'm with Cirro Energy who chargest the lowest fee per KWH in the area and (5) the original one story home was not properly zoned with the proper number and SEER rated A/C units to support the sq footage so in addition to not being able to properly cool the house - I saw electric bills that were higher than most peoples mortgage payments.

"The auditor even checked the water temp just a FYI..."

Do you have an electric water heater?

Changing the meter is probably wise for your peace of mind at the least, but I'm not expecting the old one to be found inaccurate.

Hope you'll keep this report updated with your situation.

I am in not defending Duke Energy, but am familiar with electrical circuits and how inherently accurate revenue grade metering (required) is.

 Just to answer a few questions someone here seems to in the favor of the Power company.... Put your self in my shoes . I have a heat pump that was serviced a few months ago. My curcuit box was as well . I have a "New" dish washer got rid of my chest freezer. No do not have any other heaters. Also have a new stove and refrig less than a year old . Which I thought would make a lower power bill none of it did.The Auditor checked every room the doors, window, the heat pump the insulation,The well that has just been serviced . The "person" came out today to check the meter which he said him self " He was new at the job and he doid not check the meter  correctly according to what he told me he was going to do.As far as the age of the house nearly or I would say all of the houses in this area are I would say with 4 years of age.( the same)
 He replaced the meter and there was a few questions that I will bring to point if need be that were raised  while he was here he was on the phone with Duke most of the time.The auditor even checked the water temp just a FYI...           

I agree it seems more likely the usage billed is high due to what's running rather than the meter, but their own inspector did point the finger at it. You will need to let Duke have another go at that meter, if they're to take your issue any further with any chance of resolution, though.

So at this point I don't think yelling ripoff at them is warranted, YET.

Can you tell us exactly what major appliances you have in the home, their ages and how frequently they run? A fridge with bad door seals may not be obvious but could be cycling far more than necessary and easily run up a big bill, especially if not energy efficient to begin with.

Same with climate control if your insulation, windows, attic, etc allow to much leakage.

I would agree it ought not be your wiring, because your house probably would not exist anymore if it were.

Do you keep any power hungry lighting running frequently, like flood lights at night etc.

Have you turned off all your breakers and watched to see if your meter still moves?

How thorough your "inspector" was.

  As he flipped the circuits he noticed the "Old" meter "jump" and spin very fast
- Was it one circuit?  Did he investigate to see if anything was plugged in on that circuit that may have caused this?  Or did he just say..that's not right and moved on?

I would also wonder when the inspector turned off ALL of the circuit breakers did the meter "spin"?  Did he unplug every single item in your house and make sure that every light switch was off, and then turn every circuit breaker on?  Again did the meter spin?  If not in either case it is very unlikely a meter issue and probably a usage issue.  Yes these are very simple tests, that even you can do on your own.  But they can often tell a lot, or at least get you going in the right direction.

Do you, in addition to the heat pump, have baseboard, or supplementary electric heaters?  No electric heaters
- There may be your problem.  Depending on how old the heater is that could defiantly be the issue, especially if it is older.  You said that the inspector said that nothing could be causing a bill that high.  Well what he is right and nothing in "working order" would, but what if the heater was broken?  Did he do anything to test how much each appliance is using in electricity?  Because just like a leaky faucet will cause higher water bills a faulty heater could be "leaking" electricity causing you higher electricity bills.

That's, itself unusual, as homes are usually built to conform with the rest of the neighborhood.This is a rural area there is no "built to conform in this area"
- Then how can you compare your house to what other houses use in electricity?

one of the magnitude the OP claims would go undetected.  A short or ground would soon be evident by the smell of hot wires or a fire.  It would also blow a fuse or breaker if of a significant magnitude.

Let's hope the OP keeps us posted on what's happening with this.

My suspicion is, it's normal use, but we'll have to wait and see.

Did your initial inspection include a check of the wiring in the house?  You have said yourself that this is an older house and as such if the wiring hasn't been updated or checked in many years that could be the cause of your unusually high bills.  If there is a short, or something ended up being grounded in a wall that could cause excessive electricity use.  If you are able to, see if you can get a representative out to the house to check on the wiring itself.

I wish you the best result, but doubt metering is the problem.then what is causing my bills to be twice the amount as others?

Do you, in addition to the heat pump, have baseboard, or supplementary electric heaters?  No electric heaters

Are you growing marijuana in the basement?  Have a wood shop?  Arc weld on a regular basis? No POT no wood shop, no welder

How did you determine your bill should have been half or less what you're paying? I compared to other houses in the area and their bills.

How is it that you're in an area where every other house is "twice" the size of yours? Because, this house is older than the others

That's, itself unusual, as homes are usually built to conform with the rest of the neighborhood.This is a rural area there is no "built to conform in this area"

As you read the house was already inspected by the contrator "nothing " in my house would cause the bill to be that hihg"

I doubt the meter will be found to be faulty.

When breakers or circuits are turned on, there is often a brief surge of current.  What breaker was turned on at the time and what was connected to it?  Did it continue to spin "very fast?"

These surges will occur when a motor starts, when an electric stove is first turned on and many other uses in a home. If he based his report on this meter action, he is likely mistaken in his conclusion.

I wish you the best result, but doubt metering is the problem.

Do you, in addition to the heat pump, have baseboard, or supplementary electric heaters?

Are you growing marijuana in the basement?  Have a wood shop?  Arc weld on a regular basis?

How did you determine your bill should have been half or less what you're paying?

How is it that you're in an area where every other house is "twice" the size of yours?

That's, itself unusual, as homes are usually built to conform with the rest of the neighborhood.

Don't forget to post updates on how things work out.