Just finished a case where ComEd estimated bills for a small manufacturing client for 14 consecutive months. They claimed meter access issues but our photos show clear access the whole time. Client overpaid $47,200 on Schedule D-1 rate. ComEd finally admitted error after we filed complaint with ICC. Anyone else seeing ComEd get lazy with actual reads lately?
ComEd estimated my client for 14 months straight - $47k overbilling
Yuri that's insane but not surprising. APS here in Phoenix pulled similar stunts on three of my clients last year. They'll estimate for months then hit you with a massive true-up bill. The key is documenting actual meter readings yourself and challenging every estimated bill immediately. Did you get interest on that refund?
Connecticut Light & Power does this constantly in Hartford area. I've learned to photograph the meter monthly and send readings directly to the utility. Sarah's right about challenging immediately - waiting makes it harder to prove. What was ComEd's excuse for 14 months of estimates?
ComEd claimed "meter reader safety concerns" and "access issues" but we had security footage showing clear access paths and no safety hazards. Pure laziness. Sarah - yes we got 6% interest on the refund after threatening litigation. Vince your photo strategy is smart, I'm recommending that to all my industrial clients now.
Westar Energy pulled this on a grain elevator client - 8 months of estimates then a $23k true-up bill. The estimates were consistently 40% low because they used winter usage for summer projections. Took six months to get resolution through KCC. These utilities need better oversight on estimation practices.
FirstEnergy here in Cleveland has gotten worse since the merger. They estimate for "efficiency" then blame customers when the true-ups are massive. I always request actual read dates in discovery now. Bonnie your grain elevator case sounds like a classic seasonal estimation error - they never adjust for load patterns.
TXU Energy did similar thing to a Dallas data center client. Estimated at 2.1 million kWh/month when actual usage was 3.4 million kWh/month. The true-up bill was $180,000. Took eight months and a PUCT complaint to get proper resolution. These estimation algorithms are garbage for high-load customers.
Georgia Power finally admitted their estimation software has "limitations" for industrial accounts after I presented three similar cases. The problem is they estimate based on historical residential patterns even for Schedule TOU-8 customers. Marcus that data center case is exactly what I'm seeing - massive underestimation followed by shock bills.