Waiting for Pepco

Thursday, September 13, 2007

I’m working from home this morning, waiting for Pepco to come and read our meter.  I’m not sure why I have to be here, since the meter is outside, but I do.  They promise to be here between 8am and noon.

Why am I waiting for Pepco, you might ask?  Isn’t it their job to read my meter and charge me for electricity used?

Well, sort of.  You see, apparently Pepco can estimate my meter readings.  Based on what I don’t know, because this condo has only existed as a condo since some time last year, and has only been inhabited since February.  I suppose they’re basing the estimates on similar places in the area.

Or maybe they’re pulling numbers out of the air.  As of last week, when we got our latest bill, it looked to me like we’d used about 4200 kilowatt hours since moving in.  Our bill claims we’ve used 7900.  That means they’ve overcharged us by something in the neighborhood of $300.

I’m sure they’ll adjust the bill once they read the meter, and we won’t pay anything for a few months, but it’s absolutely infuriating that I have to make a special request and work from home for half a day (Okay, I’m not really complaining about that) just to get Pepco to charge us for the power we actually used.

Is it possible to have competition in power companies?  I know that, at least to some extent, it’s probably not possible to share the infrastructure necessary to deliver power to my house.  It might not be possible at all.  I guess we’re just going to have to put windmills and solar panels on the roof and go off the grid.

Posted in: complaint , dc , Harvard Street