Allegheny Power is ridiculous!

[Captain James]

Since my wife and I moved into our new home our highest electric bill has been $163. Other bills have been anywhere from $30-$80, etc. The bill I received this month (for April) was $553!!! :mad:

Has anyone else had ill feelings towards this tyrant of an electric company? I know they recently lifted the cap but this is insane. Basically they told me that this bill was including this months electric PLUS differences from all my previous bills. Apparently they didn't get accurate readings in previous months due to winter weather and other bullcrap. They give no warnings of billing you in this manner and there is always an excuse.

Things like this are NOT the customer's fault yet we have to deal with stuff like this. I have read many other complaints online about similar issues with Allegheny. Any other thoughts/complaints my friends? :mad:

[DButz65]

Thats nothing, last year before we bought our new system, well almost 2 years ago (the old one died) our electric bills in the winter were never below $700 and maxed out at 900..and the summer was always around 250-400. Since we put the new efficient system in our winter bills average 300-400/month, and 150-200 in the summer. So your situation could be worse!

[Capt Rich Fla]

I can't wait for some really smart person to come up with a home power source that eliminates the power companies.

[DButz65]

I can't wait for some really smart person to come up with a home power source that eliminates the power companies.

You mean like whats on the roof of this house?

I've seen all sorts of cool stories on tv about people with totally solar electric, and some even get paid by the local power companies because they use so little electricity, but stuff like that is NOT cheap!!

[Seabee1973]

Thats nothing, last year before we bought our new system, well almost 2 years ago (the old one died) our electric bills in the winter were never below $700 and maxed out at 900..and the summer was always around 250-400. Since we put the new efficient system in our winter bills average 300-400/month, and 150-200 in the summer. So your situation could be worse!

You leave every light in the house on?

[Mark The Homer]

http://www.pennlive.com/editorials/index.ssf/2009/04/electricity_deregulation_is_a.html

[mjah]

I've seen all sorts of cool stories on tv about people with totally solar electric, and some even get paid by the local power companies because they use so little electricity, but stuff like that is NOT cheap!!

Many power companies will pay you for SREC credits (varies by state) if you install solar and meet certain criteria. You also, depending on your power provider, can push power onto the grid during the daytime to effectively "spin your meter backwards" (warning: simplified metaphor there) and earn credits toward your future power use from the grid. Our local provider even settles all balances at the end of the year by paying out for the energy pushed onto the grid and not consumed. Not a bad deal.

And while it's still expensive to install the system, there's a surprising amount of money available at the Federal and state level in the form of major tax credits which you can spread over several years. Those credits cut tens of thousands of dollars from the initial investment.

In the face of upcoming deregulation in PA, the ONLY thing that has prevented us from pulling the trigger on solar is the way the front of our house would look. Our roof is complex in shape, with gables interrupting what would otherwise be a straight stretch of panels. It would look crappy, and we can't slap the panels on the back of the roof due to a relative lack of sun exposure back there.

Aesthetics... money. Aesthetics... money. It's a sucky choice to have to make.

[DieselPwr44]

You think that bill is high now, just wait until cap and trade gets through with your bill......

[Elessar78]

You leave every light in the house on?

After the winter of 08-09, I researched how to save more electricity and lights really do little damage. Biggest culprits are the dishwasher and clothes dryer... air dry your dishes and make sure you're not leaving the dryer on longer than necessary. Electric heat and water heater also big culprits.

This past winter we kept the house pretty chilly—around 65. We're both outdoorsy so we have all this thermal layering gear (under armour, polypropylene, etc) and we just sucked it up and wore it under our clothes. Saved a chunk of change

[DButz65]

You leave every light in the house on?

Nope, im a big stickler for turning them off every time i walk through the house..all of our outdoor lights are the energy saving ones as well. House is old, doesnt even have thermal wrapping on it..just siding and particle board, and of course insulation in the walls, we have a couple of really bad draft spots in the living room and the kitchen.

[Capt. Kaos]

I can't wait for some really smart person to come up with a home power source that eliminates the power companies.

I play WoW with a guy that is completely off grid. He uses solar and wind to power his house. He says it takes some getting used to because you can't just leave things on, it'll trip the inverter and your power goes out. On the other hand he went from 600-800 a month to 0.

That's pretty sweet if you ask me.