ya know somethings just not right with this.......... $231.00 electric bill ... $177.00 for the electric and 54.00 in bs charges!!!!

Does anyone really understand what all those added fees are?

ya know somethings just not right with this.......... $231.00 electric bill ... $177.00 for the electric and 54.00 in bs charges!!!!

Does anyone really understand what all those added fees are?

I never really look. I just wipe away my tears while I write my check

I never really look. I just wipe away my tears while I write my check

$313 for electric and nearly $100 for bs charges, the distribution charge was the biggest expense... I want to say it totaled $87.00 so I totally understand.

BTW, we have a pool and hot tub and ran them both this past summer, plus entertained a great deal... which was the reason for the $400 plus bill this past month. :faint:

I could understand with the hot tub,pool and entertaining...

but crap, mine wasn't that far from 400 and

I'm single w/o kids, at work all day, don't cook
home maybe 3 waking hrs,
turn the lights off in all the rooms except the one I am in.
the AC has not been below 75 (when i am home)
on 80 during working hours
rarely watch tv
I wash clothes with cold water @ 2x a week and use dryer
my home is @ 900-1,000 square foot!

I did discover that the idiots that lived here before me had the hot water heater set super high @ 140...

so I hope that it goes down next month--I need a break before the propane people take all my money for heat:killingme

Mine was over 200. for this tiny place.. Ran higher then the house I was living in.. I dont understand it... Nothings changed on what Im using.. Hell I didnt even run the A/C half the time...

Mine was over 200. for this tiny place.. Ran higher then the house I was living in.. I dont understand it... Nothings changed on what Im using.. Hell I didnt even run the A/C half the time...

I hear ya... I'm like dang what more can I turn off? lol what if everyone just refused to pay the bs part?

I could understand with the hot tub,pool and entertaining...

but crap, mine wasn't that far from 400 and

I'm single w/o kids, at work all day, don't cook
home maybe 3 waking hrs,
turn the lights off in all the rooms except the one I am in.
the AC has not been below 75 (when i am home)
on 80 during working hours
rarely watch tv
I wash clothes with cold water @ 2x a week and use dryer
my home is @ 900-1,000 square foot!

I did discover that the idiots that lived here before me had the hot water heater set super high @ 140...

so I hope that it goes down next month--I need a break before the propane people take all my money for heat:killingme

You may want to have SMECO come out and re-read your meter....that doesn't sound right at all....my house is twice that size and I had the A/C(set at 78) going most of the month, at least 1 TV going(2 mutts at home), 2 computers, and all the crap in my garage(sewing machine, fan, lights) and my bill was a little under $200

Does anyone really understand what all those added fees are?
Yep and you can find out too by using this link (http://www.smeco.coop/account/resbill.htm) just move your mouse over an item and it tells you what it is.

You may want to have SMECO come out and re-read your meter....that doesn't sound right at all....my house is twice that size and I had the A/C(set at 78) going most of the month, at least 1 TV going(2 mutts at home), 2 computers, and all the crap in my garage(sewing machine, fan, lights) and my bill was a little under $200

There are a lot more factors than just both people running the AC. If the house isn't well insulated, if the AC unit is old and not efficient, etc.. etc...

An old inefficient AC unit and poorly insulated home could easily double a bill.

Also, is the house shaded by surrounding trees, is it in the open with the sun beating down on it all day, etc...

ya know somethings just not right with this.......... $231.00 electric bill ... $177.00 for the electric and 54.00 in bs charges!!!!

Does anyone really understand what all those added fees are?

Yup..you are paying for the people that don't pay their bill. Welcome to SMECO.

I got behind once, they had no problem shutting mine off.. and they didn't offer any help either lol..

they did offer to let me make payments and on the day a payment was due came out and snip... out went the lights..

not blaming them.. my fault ..

There are a lot more factors than just both people running the AC. If the house isn't well insulated, if the AC unit is old and not efficient, etc.. etc...

An old inefficient AC unit and poorly insulated home could easily double a bill.

Also, is the house shaded by surrounding trees, is it in the open with the sun beating down on it all day, etc...


could a hot water heater set over 140 do that?

You may want to have SMECO come out and re-read your meter....that doesn't sound right at all....my house is twice that size and I had the A/C(set at 78) going most of the month, at least 1 TV going(2 mutts at home), 2 computers, and all the crap in my garage(sewing machine, fan, lights) and my bill was a little under $200

We had to have them come out and what do ya know our bill went from $452 to $288. What I don't get at all is they estimated what our bill would have been at the original reading based on what it was when they came back out. Why didn't they just bill us at exactly what it was when they came back out? $288 is still high in my opinion and we have a brand new house.

When I lived in Frederick I had alleghany power..and my bill was always very reasonable...here with SMECO the distribution charge is exorbitant and no matter what I do to save..the bill is still ridiculous. I reallly miss my alleghany power :(

Does anyone really understand what all those added fees are?

SMECO is in the process of RFP's. They have to pay for their multi-million dollar new building somehow. :bubble:

Ours runs in the 4-500's for a 2200 sq. ft. house and we also have a pool that was running all summer. So we feel your pain too. :drama:

ya know somethings just not right with this.......... $231.00 electric bill ... $177.00 for the electric and 54.00 in bs charges!!!!

Does anyone really understand what all those added fees are?

About the SMECO Bill (http://www.smeco.coop/account/resbill.htm)

Might not help bring the cost of your bill down but might help you understand what you are being charged for. Just roll your mouse over each part and it will tell you about it. Good luck.

Go Solar! pm me for more info!:howdy:

My workshop was $130 this past month.
But the dogs enjoyed the AC.
It has it's own meter.

ya know somethings just not right with this.......... $231.00 electric bill ... $177.00 for the electric and 54.00 in bs charges!!!!

Does anyone really understand what all those added fees are?
It's insane...when you brake it down we are paying $0.15 a kWh.

They want everyone to get the cool sentry and keep the house at 78 degrees in the summer.

My house is well insulated..built in '97 and I have been paying the same as you. I have CFL's and a programmable thermostat. I keep my house at 74 in the summer and 68 in the winter.

I need to get off the f'ing grid!!

SMECO is in the process of RFP's. They have to pay for their multi-million dollar new building somehow. :bubble:

Plus they spent 35 million to get everyone to hop onto cool sentry.

We had to have them come out and what do ya know our bill went from $452 to $288. What I don't get at all is they estimated what our bill would have been at the original reading based on what it was when they came back out. Why didn't they just bill us at exactly what it was when they came back out? $288 is still high in my opinion and we have a brand new house.

Have an 1800 sqft house with an older (non-efficiency) AC unit. My SMECO bill constantly ran around $300-$350 per month!!! Kepy programmable thermo on 73 in summer and 68 in winter.
Had an addition built on to the house in June last year and SMECO had to move the globe and even trench a new line from the transformer. Suddenly, my bill went down to about $200 per month. (And thats was during peak AC season!)
Now... This summer my bill was back up to $300-$400! WTF!!!!
I think that they use this "estimate" system poorly and to their advantage. I am going to call them out to try to get them to look at my system. Hopefully that will work like above. I guess I will just have to call them every 3-4 months to keep them in check!

Have an 1800 sqft house with an older (non-efficiency) AC unit. My SMECO bill constantly ran around $300-$350 per month!!! Kepy programmable thermo on 73 in summer and 68 in winter.
Had an addition built on to the house in June last year and SMECO had to move the globe and even trench a new line from the transformer. Suddenly, my bill went down to about $200 per month. (And thats was during peak AC season!)
Now... This summer my bill was back up to $300-$400! WTF!!!!
I think that they use this "estimate" system poorly and to their advantage. I am going to call them out to try to get them to look at my system. Hopefully that will work like above. I guess I will just have to call them every 3-4 months to keep them in check!

It's a crock! We get this ridiculous bill and a woman I work with suggested we have them come out to check how the hot water heater is hooked in because its common for them to be connected wrong and pull a ton of energy. So the husband calls and they say that they don't come out to check those type things and to turn the a/c up, blah, blah, blah. Luckily he had the good sense to go outside and compare the meter to what was on the bill. Mind you the reading on the bill was dated almost two weeks BEFORE we looked ourselves. The difference around 800kw. :faint: So he calls back and tells them that the reading was wrong (it wasn't an estimate, first month in the new house and he just happened to be home when the SMECO guy came to read the meter). Lady on the phone says that they will come back out within a week to read the meter again and if they were wrong that they will not charge us the $28 fee. On the 7th day we call because we'd seen hide nor hair and hadn't heard anything. They had just come that day and in fact the meter had been read wrong the first time. So, here we are 3 full weeks after the original reading. We get a new bill with an estimate for the original reading date. WTF? It makes no sense at all to estimate backwards opposed to just billing what it was when they came back out. Additionally, they did charge the $28 service fee to come back out. We had to call again to have that charge removed.

I'm having issues with Comcast as well. Moved in July and for timing reasons the man on the phone told me to cancel my account and he'd open a new one (it was quicker to get connected than transfering service) with the same bundle package. My bills have been $25 higher than they should have been. When I called to see WTH was up the girl on the phone told me that they were not running that promotion at the time I moved and that the price I saw on my bill was what the service cost. I explained to her that the man I spoke to doing all this told me I would have the exact same services at the exact same price and transfered my phone number and email adresses and such. Her supervisor was off and then she was going to be off and would call me back in a few days. If they don't give me the price I was paying before I moved and was promised then I'll be cancelling my services.

I'm furious about having to do all this damn homework. I seriously think that these companies pull this crap expecting that most people won't catch it and call them on it.

SMECO charged me $28 to come out and tell me they read my meter wrong. I got my $28 back, but only after a phone fight.

I got a verbal agreement from a Comcast guy to hook us up using promotional prices. I was charged full price. Comcast girl said there was no promotion so tuff luck. I might switch services.

I'm furious.

Cliff Notes for K_Jo...:huggy:

Cliff Notes for K_Jo...:huggy:

Husband?! :faint:

Husband?! :faint:

I bypassed that part and considered it a typo.

I'm having issues with Comcast as well. Moved in July and for timing reasons the man on the phone told me to cancel my account and he'd open a new one (it was quicker to get connected than transfering service) with the same bundle package. My bills have been $25 higher than they should have been. When I called to see WTH was up the girl on the phone told me that they were not running that promotion at the time I moved and that the price I saw on my bill was what the service cost. I explained to her that the man I spoke to doing all this told me I would have the exact same services at the exact same price and transfered my phone number and email adresses and such. Her supervisor was off and then she was going to be off and would call me back in a few days. If they don't give me the price I was paying before I moved and was promised then I'll be cancelling my services.



I'm going through the same crap with them. I changed my service to the Triple Play just to add phone service. They give you one price and the bill is for something entirely different, plus there was an activation fee which I was never told. I was able to get that removed. While I'm happy with the service itself, the price is outrageous and not what I was quoted.

I am glad we are not the only ones having these issues with SMECO. I can understand that in the summer with the AC the bill will be higher. We paid $100 for our 3 BR apt then when we bought this house we knew it would be higher. I did not realize that we would get bills for $315-400/mo. I am here during the day but I don't have a lot of stuff on. We wash on cold, the AC wasn't on at all this month except yesterday. In the summer it was set to 74 during the day and 75 at night. I am calling to have them come check the meter. I am yet to see someone read the meter despite the fact the bill says it was read. Last month I watched the truck drive by slow down and they went to my neighbors house. Nobody came to mine. Hmmmm...Oh and they are billing me for the $114 I already paid on our previous acct. at the apt. I got an online receipt and it cleared through my bank. It is still showing as past due on my bill. What is the distribution charge supposed to cover? Where does the electric come from to begin with? Can't we just get an acct. withthe company SMECO gets power from?

I'm going through the same crap with them. I changed my service to the Triple Play just to add phone service. They give you one price and the bill is for something entirely different, plus there was an activation fee which I was never told. I was able to get that removed. While I'm happy with the service itself, the price is outrageous and not what I was quoted.


It's a rip off and I think they expect people to either not pay attention or be too busy to call. I couldn't get Directtv at the house in CRE but I'm out in the great wide open at the new house. I'll drop everything but the internet and get Dtv and vonage if they don't drop the price down to what I was told on the phone. I would have never agreed to cancel and open a new account opposed to just transfering service had the price not been the same.

What really didn't make any sense is that we don't use very much electricity. We have a High Efficiency Washer and Dryer. The house is practically new. I've been in the attic, tons of insulation (Even on hot days, I can cut off the A/C and it takes a couple of hours for the temperature to climb back up. We have plenty of Natural Light and only use lights for a couple hours each night.

What really didn't make any sense is that we don't use very much electricity. We have a High Efficiency Washer and Dryer. The house is practically new. I've been in the attic, tons of insulation (Even on hot days, I can cut off the A/C and it take a couple of hours for the temperature to climb back up. We have plenty of Natural Light and only use lights for a couple hours each night.

K_Jo... this may very well be the husband. Sounds like the timing was right...:shocking:

I am glad we are not the only ones having these issues with SMECO. I can understand that in the summer with the AC the bill will be higher. We paid $100 for our 3 BR apt then when we bought this house we knew it would be higher. I did not realize that we would get bills for $315-400/mo. I am here during the day but I don't have a lot of stuff on. We wash on cold, the AC wasn't on at all this month except yesterday. In the summer it was set to 74 during the day and 75 at night. I am calling to have them come check the meter. I am yet to see someone read the meter despite the fact the bill says it was read. Last month I watched the truck drive by slow down and they went to my neighbors house. Nobody came to mine. Hmmmm...Oh and they are billing me for the $114 I already paid on our previous acct. at the apt. I got an online receipt and it cleared through my bank. It is still showing as past due on my bill. What is the distribution charge supposed to cover? Where does the electric come from to begin with? Can't we just get an acct. withthe company SMECO gets power from?
Customer Choice (http://www.smeco.coop/choice/index.html)

No one has to buy power from SMECO... but what you do have to pay for is for them to distribute it. Feel free to check with the PSC for BGE and Pepco rates. If thats not enough .. then move. :shrug:

What is the distribution charge supposed to cover?
From SMECO's site.
The monthly cost of owning and operating SMECO's distribution system (poles, conductors, substations, buildings, vehicles, etc...) The charge is calculated each month based on the amount of electricity sold to the customer.

K_Jo... this may very well be the husband. Sounds like the timing was right...:shocking:

k_jo has her own husband! :tantrum Why anyone would want more than one is beyond me! :killingme

Customer Choice (http://www.smeco.coop/choice/index.html)

No one has to buy power from SMECO... but what you do have to pay for is for them to distribute it. Feel free to check with the PSC for BGE and Pepco rates. If thats not enough .. then move. :shrug:

Is your title really supposed to say "Jam our with your clam out"? It's bothered me for months.

k_jo has her own husband! :tantrum Why anyone would want more than one is beyond me! :killingme

:high5: :lol:

It's a crock! We get this ridiculous bill and a woman I work with suggested we have them come out to check how the hot water heater is hooked in because its common for them to be connected wrong and pull a ton of energy. So the husband calls and they say that they don't come out to check those type things and to turn the a/c up, blah, blah, blah. Luckily he had the good sense to go outside and compare the meter to what was on the bill. Mind you the reading on the bill was dated almost two weeks BEFORE we looked ourselves. The difference around 800kw. :faint: So he calls back and tells them that the reading was wrong (it wasn't an estimate, first month in the new house and he just happened to be home when the SMECO guy came to read the meter). Lady on the phone says that they will come back out within a week to read the meter again and if they were wrong that they will not charge us the $28 fee. On the 7th day we call because we'd seen hide nor hair and hadn't heard anything. They had just come that day and in fact the meter had been read wrong the first time. So, here we are 3 full weeks after the original reading. We get a new bill with an estimate for the original reading date. WTF? It makes no sense at all to estimate backwards opposed to just billing what it was when they came back out. Additionally, they did charge the $28 service fee to come back out. We had to call again to have that charge removed.

I'm having issues with Comcast as well. Moved in July and for timing reasons the man on the phone told me to cancel my account and he'd open a new one (it was quicker to get connected than transfering service) with the same bundle package. My bills have been $25 higher than they should have been. When I called to see WTH was up the girl on the phone told me that they were not running that promotion at the time I moved and that the price I saw on my bill was what the service cost. I explained to her that the man I spoke to doing all this told me I would have the exact same services at the exact same price and transfered my phone number and email adresses and such. Her supervisor was off and then she was going to be off and would call me back in a few days. If they don't give me the price I was paying before I moved and was promised then I'll be cancelling my services.

I'm furious about having to do all this damn homework. I seriously think that these companies pull this crap expecting that most people won't catch it and call them on it.

Something is definitely fishy with the way SMECO does business. I come from a big city and I NEVER paid more than $125 a month for power. Now I know that things may be different here, however, the fact that they charge 4 times more is outrageous!!!!!
I believe that SMECO get it's power from the coal station under the Nice bridge. And as far as their other charges involving system upkeep. WHAT UPKEEP?!!! The transformers around my neighborhood are falling apart or wrapped in trash bags just like the telephone junction boxes!!!!
Like I said before, I think I am just going to have to call them out every once in a while to re-read the meter. Then call up and fight to get the "meter reading" charge removed. Oh...... and whats up with the charge for reading the meter? Isn't that what they are supposed to do as an electric company anyway? Does that money go to the employee? I need to switch professions if I could charge $28 per house that I check per day!!!!!

WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP! OBVIOUS BAD BUSINESS BUT, WHERE ELSE CAN WE GO?

Something is definitely fishy with the way SMECO does business. I come from a big city and I NEVER paid more than $125 a month for power. Now I know that things may be different here, however, the fact that they charge 4 times more is outrageous!!!!!
I believe that SMECO get it's power from the coal station under the Nice bridge. And as far as their other charges involving system upkeep. WHAT UPKEEP?!!! The transformers around my neighborhood are falling apart or wrapped in trash bags just like the telephone junction boxes!!!!
Like I said before, I think I am just going to have to call them out every once in a while to re-read the meter. Then call up and fight to get the "meter reading" charge removed. Oh...... and whats up with the charge for reading the meter? Isn't that what they are supposed to do as an electric company anyway? Does that money go to the employee? I need to switch professions if I could charge $28 per house that I check per day!!!!!

WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP! OBVIOUS BAD BUSINESS BUT, WHERE ELSE CAN WE GO?
really.... please go touch them then. :duh: Do you really know what a transformer is? I have NEVER seen a transformer wrapped in trash bags... and if thats the case call it in. I seriously doubt if SMECO will allow that to happen as that would be called a NEAR MISS and could get someone electrocuted.

As far as where they purchase power... :nono: power is purchased from the wholesale market from a large group of energy providers. They enter into agreements to purchase blocks of energy for future periods of time. They do not now specifically where the power is being produced at any given time; it comes off the grid and could be generated anywhere.

You can purchase your power from BGE or Pepco if you like BUT as long as you live in SMECO territory you still have to pay for them to maintain and distribute it to you... so I say move back to where you paid $125 a month!

to the city dweller:

its pretty common to have cheap electric bills if you lived in an apartment building. when the guy below you heats, it radiates up to your block, and thus free heat. when the guy above you cools, it radiates down to you, thus free cool. you could turn all your thermostats off and just be the guy that osmosis's off the other apartments. lol. its very different with a house.



to the 140 degree water heater lady: (pixie?)

no, your high water heater was not causing all that. the short answer is you probably saved $10 a month when you turned it down. the only energy you would have used extra is the additional heat loss from the water heater from 120-140 degrees, and the pipes additional lost heat as well. your showers actually used less hot water at 140, (not saving energy mind you but less) because the 140 hot water mixed in with the cold water needed less of it to get your lukewarm/semi-hot shower. once everything was turned off you have about 20 foot of pipe with 140 degree heat in it, and that heat was then lost. that is where the energy savings is, because you heated those pipes. you could have been heating them only to 120. that and the aforementioned waterheater loss. wrap a blanket around your water heater, its cost effective if you can find a used one, and save another 5 bucks or so a month.
jason

really.... please go touch them then. :duh: Do you really know what a transformer is? I have NEVER seen a transformer wrapped in trash bags... and if thats the case call it in. I seriously doubt if SMECO will allow that to happen as that would be called a NEAR MISS and could get someone electrocuted.

As far as where they purchase power... :nono: power is purchased from the wholesale market from a large group of energy providers. They enter into agreements to purchase blocks of energy for future periods of time. They do not now specifically where the power is being produced at any given time; it comes off the grid and could be generated anywhere.

You can purchase your power from BGE or Pepco if you like BUT as long as you live in SMECO territory you still have to pay for them to maintain and distribute it to you... so I say move back to where you paid $125 a month!

Thank you for that VERY INTELLIGENT response to the "Where does SMECO purchase their power from?" question that I did not ask. I mearly stated that I BELIEVE that SMECO gets its power from the coal plant that is by the Nice bridge.
As for your "move back" statement. I believe that I am not the only one on this forum that is aggrivated regarding the out of control prices that SMECO is charging for power. Conversly, I believe that it is only you that is rushing to their defense! Are you an employee, relative of employee, etc.? There are a lot of people in this area that are fed up with the "estimating" power tactic that SMECO employs. It seems to me that they should be reading the meters ACCURATELY every month. If someone reads the meter every month and they tell me that I owe them $400 for my bill, then that is OK with me. However, if they tell me they "estimated" it based on the same month last year (when the temperatures were averaging 10 degrees warmer) then I think it is a load of crap!
Finally, the transformer that is so well taken care of has been replaced 3 times! And the enclosure that it is in is severly degraded and HAS been covered by a plastic bag with DANGER tape over it. If YOUR beloved SMECO is so smart, you would think they would replace the faulty enclosure before it causes a FOURTH transformer to blow! Hopefully before it blows up on Christmas Eve which was the last time they came out to replace it!

Thank you for that VERY INTELLIGENT response to the "Where does SMECO purchase their power from?" question that I did not ask. I mearly stated that I BELIEVE that SMECO gets its power from the coal plant that is by the Nice bridge.
As for your "move back" statement. I believe that I am not the only one on this forum that is aggrivated regarding the out of control prices that SMECO is charging for power. Conversly, I believe that it is only you that is rushing to their defense! Are you an employee, relative of employee, etc.? There are a lot of people in this area that are fed up with the "estimating" power tactic that SMECO employs. It seems to me that they should be reading the meters ACCURATELY every month. If someone reads the meter every month and they tell me that I owe them $400 for my bill, then that is OK with me. However, if they tell me they "estimated" it based on the same month last year (when the temperatures were averaging 10 degrees warmer) then I think it is a load of crap!
Finally, the transformer that is so well taken care of has been replaced 3 times! And the enclosure that it is in is severly degraded and HAS been covered by a plastic bag with DANGER tape over it. If YOUR beloved SMECO is so smart, you would think they would replace the faulty enclosure before it causes a FOURTH transformer to blow! Hopefully before it blows up on Christmas Eve which was the last time they came out to replace it!
SMECO used to own Chalk Point but now Mirant owns it as well as the Potomac River plant.

Thank you for that VERY INTELLIGENT response to the "Where does SMECO purchase their power from?" question that I did not ask. I mearly stated that I BELIEVE that SMECO gets its power from the coal plant that is by the Nice bridge.
As for your "move back" statement. I believe that I am not the only one on this forum that is aggrivated regarding the out of control prices that SMECO is charging for power. Conversly, I believe that it is only you that is rushing to their defense! Are you an employee, relative of employee, etc.? There are a lot of people in this area that are fed up with the "estimating" power tactic that SMECO employs. It seems to me that they should be reading the meters ACCURATELY every month. If someone reads the meter every month and they tell me that I owe them $400 for my bill, then that is OK with me. However, if they tell me they "estimated" it based on the same month last year (when the temperatures were averaging 10 degrees warmer) then I think it is a load of crap!
Finally, the transformer that is so well taken care of has been replaced 3 times! And the enclosure that it is in is severly degraded and HAS been covered by a plastic bag with DANGER tape over it. If YOUR beloved SMECO is so smart, you would think they would replace the faulty enclosure before it causes a FOURTH transformer to blow! Hopefully before it blows up on Christmas Eve which was the last time they came out to replace it!

I have learned how to keep my electric bill down.... It does not matter where I work or if my family works there or not. Im just as fed up with prices going up as everyone else ... but go ahead and check out BGE's rates or Pepco's rates... THEY ARE HIGHER!!! All the info I have stated is on the web site.... its for the public to go to.. feel free.

I have learned how to keep my electric bill down.... It does not matter where I work or if my family works there or not. Im just as fed up with prices going up as everyone else ... but go ahead and check out BGE's rates or Pepco's rates... THEY ARE HIGHER!!! All the info I have stated is on the web site.... its for the public to go to.. feel free.

I am not debating the prices of power. In that regard, I will believe you.

What my problem is, as with many other people who have posted on this thread, is with the way SMECO bills their customers. How is it possible to have a $200 electric bill one month, then have a $400 bill the next when you keep all of your large energy drain items (A/C, Water heater, washer/dryer, etc.) at the same usage levels?
We all know how to save on our electricity. I am constantly monitoring my usage at my home however, I just cannot see how my bill doubles in a month without drastic changes in my usage unless SMECO is somehow at fault with its estimating policy. So what if I used $400 worth of electricity in August last year! I may have only used $250 this year in August however, since they "estimate" from last year it is the home owners that are getting screwed!

THEY NEED TO MONITOR METERS MONTHLY FOR ACCURATE BILLING! Thats the bottom line. Maybe they can use some of those "upkeep" fees that they charge to hire some meter readers.
I understand that they have handicapped people read meters from time to time and that is great! They need to have professionals accompany them MONTHLY to ensure it is done properly!

I am not debating the prices of power. In that regard, I will believe you.

What my problem is, as with many other people who have posted on this thread, is with the way SMECO bills their customers. How is it possible to have a $200 electric bill one month, then have a $400 bill the next when you keep all of your large energy drain items (A/C, Water heater, washer/dryer, etc.) at the same usage levels?
We all know how to save on our electricity. I am constantly monitoring my usage at my home however, I just cannot see how my bill doubles in a month without drastic changes in my usage unless SMECO is somehow at fault with its estimating policy. So what if I used $400 worth of electricity in August last year! I may have only used $250 this year in August however, since they "estimate" from last year it is the home owners that are getting screwed!

THEY NEED TO MONITOR METERS MONTHLY FOR ACCURATE BILLING! Thats the bottom line. Maybe they can use some of those "upkeep" fees that they charge to hire some meter readers.
I understand that they have handicapped people read meters from time to time and that is great! They need to have professionals accompany them MONTHLY to ensure it is done properly!

Gotta love SMECOs solution to cut back.... get rid of their meter readers and contract it out! :rolleyes: Dont the contractor do a great job? My friend was a meter reader and it was not an easy job... and if they brought back "so many estimates... they would be written up!!!" If they got so may miss reads - they were written up, if they didnt finish their routes - yep written up...... so there..... Contractor in this case will prove Im sure less quality and will estimate more than what was before. That is why I encourage everyone to learn how to read their meter... (oh she tried to teach me and I gave up on it - cant do it) Compare it to your bill. Its BS that a company gets rid of employees jobs and then contracts it out.

As far has real handicapped people read meters... not possible... maybe just plain stupid and lazy people now. The Professionals were found other jobs or released from their positions... so now we can than the contractor for estimating the bills

ya know somethings just not right with this.......... $231.00 electric bill ... $177.00 for the electric and 54.00 in bs charges!!!!

Does anyone really understand what all those added fees are?

Wow. Unless you are living in a super huge house with a hole sucking your electricity out - something isn't right.
My bill (evenly monthly) is $176/mo with three people (two teenagers), three computers, 2500 square feet, has never been over $230 in one month.
Call SMECO ask them if they can do an energy audit or something similar. Do it quickly before we get hit with the winter storm of the century LOL

Gotta love SMECOs solution to cut back.... get rid of their meter readers and contract it out! :rolleyes: Dont the contractor do a great job? My friend was a meter reader and it was not an easy job... and if they brought back "so many estimates... they would be written up!!!" If they got so may miss reads - they were written up, if they didnt finish their routes - yep written up...... so there..... Contractor in this case will prove Im sure less quality and will estimate more than what was before. That is why I encourage everyone to learn how to read their meter... (oh she tried to teach me and I gave up on it - cant do it) Compare it to your bill. Its BS that a company gets rid of employees jobs and then contracts it out.

As far has real handicapped people read meters... not possible... maybe just plain stupid and lazy people now. The Professionals were found other jobs or released from their positions... so now we can than the contractor for estimating the bills

Yup...moving or getting of the grid is starting to become more of a logical solution.

I do hear DC/Balto residents do pay more.

Charleston's cost of living and substantially lower electric rates are becoming more attractive to me at this moment.

I...like many other residents under the "Iron Fist" of BGE, PEPCO and SMECO of fed up and feel helpless to their communist tactics.

So much for f@$%g supply and demand. "Get CFL's, a programable thermostat...turn your thermostat up in the summer and down in the winter" and the bill still goes up at an alarming rate. I am waisting my money and time with this sh!t.

15cents a kWh is bs. Not a damn thing I can do about it but B@tch and wait until I either move or get off the grid.

Customer Choice (http://www.smeco.coop/choice/index.html)

No one has to buy power from SMECO... but what you do have to pay for is for them to distribute it. Feel free to check with the PSC for BGE and Pepco rates. If thats not enough .. then move. :shrug:

I am aware there is customer choice. However it's not much of a choice we have really when all companies charge about the same. One may charge a higher fee for one thing but will make up for it with another. I've come to the conclusion that we cannot do anything else to cut the electric. The water heater is at 115, we use CFL's, lights are not left on, etc.

I guess I could sell the house we just bought, pack all our stuff up, and my husband could quit his job just so we can move and get cheaper electric...no sense at all. Then again, if we don't work we could have everyone else pay our electric...hmmmm....(sarcasm)

Wow. Unless you are living in a super huge house with a hole sucking your electricity out - something isn't right.
My bill (evenly monthly) is $176/mo with three people (two teenagers), three computers, 2500 square feet, has never been over $230 in one month.
Call SMECO ask them if they can do an energy audit or something similar. Do it quickly before we get hit with the winter storm of the century LOL

umm nope, @ 980 square foot, single, at work all day, Laundry 2x a week cold, turn lights off in empty rooms, ac on 80 while away, 75 when home, no tv running.....




I don't know if it would do any good if everyone wrote our elected officials, but I have also heard rumors that the rate per kilowatt is going up again in the future...

umm nope, @ 980 square foot, single, at work all day, Laundry 2x a week cold, turn lights off in empty rooms, ac on 80 while away, 75 when home, no tv running.....




I don't know if it would do any good if everyone wrote our elected officials, but I have also heard rumors that the rate per kilowatt is going up again in the future...

I just received my SMECO bill and it was quite a shock! After paying $400 for my last bill, shockingly enough, this one was only for $231! I just dont understand it! I really think it has to be the "estimating" that causes these fluxuations. WE NEED METER READERS MONTHLY!!!!!

Also, my charge was for .125 per kWh. A little less than the .15 that others are getting however when you talk about thousands of hours it does add up. I think my bill was for 1444 kWh!

I just received my SMECO bill and it was quite a shock! After paying $400 for my last bill, shockingly enough, this one was only for $231! I just dont understand it! I really think it has to be the "estimating" that causes these fluxuations. WE NEED METER READERS MONTHLY!!!!!

Also, my charge was for .125 per kWh. A little less than the .15 that others are getting however when you talk about thousands of hours it does add up. I think my bill was for 1444 kWh!

I was outside Saturday when the guy walked up to read the meter. I read what the meter was and we wrote it down. I'm waiting to compare it to my bill and see if they match up. :yay:

umm nope, @ 980 square foot, single, at work all day, Laundry 2x a week cold, turn lights off in empty rooms, ac on 80 while away, 75 when home, no tv running.....




I don't know if it would do any good if everyone wrote our elected officials, but I have also heard rumors that the rate per kilowatt is going up again in the future...

I forgot, it was built in 1959.

I was outside Saturday when the guy walked up to read the meter. I read what the meter was and we wrote it down. I'm waiting to compare it to my bill and see if they match up. :yay:

I have lived in my home for 5 years now. My wife has been a stay-at-home mom for the last two. I can honestly say that we have NEVER seen anyone come to read our meter! Those SMECO contracted meter readers are either very sneaky and fast or they read our meter at 3a.m.!!!!!!!
I mean honestly..... 5 years and never seen a single meter reader. GOD'S HONEST TRUTH!

I have lived in my home for 5 years now. My wife has been a stay-at-home mom for the last two. I can honestly say that we have NEVER seen anyone come to read our meter! Those SMECO contracted meter readers are either very sneaky and fast or they read our meter at 3a.m.!!!!!!!
I mean honestly..... 5 years and never seen a single meter reader. GOD'S HONEST TRUTH!

It's my understanding that some meters can easily be "read" via a hand-held device from the truck. They can do a "drive-by" and not ever leave the truck.