My electric bill doubled after a 'smart meter' upgrade from the power company

I live in Austin and back in March they swapped my old meter for a new digital one without telling me, then my bill jumped from $80 to $160 the next month for no reason. When I called to ask about it, the lady on the phone said 'oh yeah, those meters just read more accurately sometimes' like that was supposed to make me feel better. Has anyone else seen their bill go up like this after a meter swap, or did I get a faulty one?

2 comments

2 Comments

dakota1607d ago

Actually check if they changed your rate plan at the same time. In Texas they sometimes sneak you onto a time-of-use plan without saying anything. That means power costs more during peak hours like 4-9pm. So if you normally run your AC or dryer in the evening, the new meter will charge you way more for the same usage. My neighbor got hit with this exact thing last year. I'd look at your bill line by line for any line items you don't recognize or a different rate listed than before. They got away with it because people just see the number and blame the meter itself.

garcia.casey7d ago

Yeah I caught them doing that to me too. Check your bill for "residential time-of-use" wording.