I don't think I am alone in being ticked off from SMECO comparing my electric consumption with, as they put it, your neighbors! Do they have inside knowledge of how many people are in every home? Why do they care if we use more than our neighbors. Why do we have to conform to an unknown set of standards? Aren't they in the business of selling electricity? If they want to be (green) they should save all the postage and paper that they use sending us graphs of how good they are at tracking our kilowatts. The next step is Smart Meters.
SMECO comparing you and your neighbors
- Thread starter sparky43
- Start date
idiganthro
Member
I hate those letters and agree they are a waste of resources. The same info could be delivered per email if they somehow think it is useful. Our useage is apparantly 3 times that of everyone around us, consistently. Nowhere does it take into account house size, occupancy, etc.
We've been watching Tiny House Hunting and it gives me all kinds of ideas. I'll bet their electric bills are awesome!!
We've been watching Tiny House Hunting and it gives me all kinds of ideas. I'll bet their electric bills are awesome!!
SG_Player1974
New Member
I'm curious if anyone here has actually been the energy efficient neighbor?? Or... at least been close to the "average" neighbor.
My report ALWAYS has me at 2-3x my neighbors. Selling gimmick for their Nazi-like temperature monitoring system??
My report ALWAYS has me at 2-3x my neighbors. Selling gimmick for their Nazi-like temperature monitoring system??
MMDad
Lem Putt
If you read the letter, it clearly states that the estimates are based on house size. Of course they don't know how many people there are or any of the other circumstances, but that's for you to consider yourself. The information can help you make informed decisions about how you use electricity. If your usage is way above that of others you might have a problem that can be fixed and save you a lot of money.
Since your energy bill fluctuates due to weather, how do you know if the fluctuation is normal or if there is a problem? My January bill was 20% higher than my December bill. That makes me wonder if I have a problem or if it's just the colder weather? So then I get the letter from SMECO, and it shows that although my usage went up, it did not go up as much as others and I was still 5% lower than my most efficient neighbors.
When my heat pump failed during the winter I was not aware of it until I saw a big increase in my usage. That kind of problem can go unnoticed if you have no frame of reference.
When it says "neighbors" they aren't referring only to those on your street. They are talking about 100 other homes in the area of comparable size. But since weather is regional the comparison is still valid.
You are free to completely ignore the letter. Just throw it away with the rest of the junk mail. Why get all worked up about it?
Since your energy bill fluctuates due to weather, how do you know if the fluctuation is normal or if there is a problem? My January bill was 20% higher than my December bill. That makes me wonder if I have a problem or if it's just the colder weather? So then I get the letter from SMECO, and it shows that although my usage went up, it did not go up as much as others and I was still 5% lower than my most efficient neighbors.
When my heat pump failed during the winter I was not aware of it until I saw a big increase in my usage. That kind of problem can go unnoticed if you have no frame of reference.
When it says "neighbors" they aren't referring only to those on your street. They are talking about 100 other homes in the area of comparable size. But since weather is regional the comparison is still valid.
You are free to completely ignore the letter. Just throw it away with the rest of the junk mail. Why get all worked up about it?
MMDad
Lem Putt
They take 100 homes the same size. The 20% who use the least electricity are considered the most efficient. The comparison is against the average of all 100, and against the average of the 20% who use less electricity. If you know you keep your house warm, have more people, or choose to accept that your insulation is poor then that's your prerogative. If you think you are relatively efficient but are still way higher, then it might be time to look for problems.
It's not really a selling gimmick. SMECO has an interest in keeping usage from increasing too much. If demand exceeds their current infrastructure they will have to spend a lot of money on upgrades. The minor cost of the analysis mailings is offset if they can avoid having to upgrade.
I do remember seeing that, which prompted me to update my square footage on SMECO's website because it way off.
stargazer25
New Member
I opted a couple years ago to have my bill and all correspondence sent via email. However, I still get the comparison letter emailed and snail-mailed. And occasionally the bill too.
DEEKAYPEE8569
Well-Known Member
I'm sure everyone gets a letter that says something like, 'you are using more electricity than your neighbors at (insert address) etc., etc......'
To that I ask, 'SO WHAT?' SMECO doesn't know the occupancy of each and every home; even if that does somehow play into energy consumption.
So where does this comparison information come from?
The last notice that Mom & I got said that we were using as much (or more, I don't remember which) electricity than so-and-so, "your neighbor"; who lives a block away. It's just the two of us in the house now, since the end of October and Mom is by herself all day while I'm at work. So there's NO WAY we are using any more KW's than anybody else.
ciwmj
New Member
The reason to get worked up about it is that SMECO is a CO-OP and as such should be in the business of trying to save money for its members, not spending it on extra postage, extra paper, extra production costs associated with the whole ball of wax. This info if needed at all could be incorporated into the SMECO bill at very little extra expense. 'Nuff said !
MMDad
Lem Putt
The cost of the mailing is far less than the cost to upgrade the system. The program is intended to help people use less energy, which will prevent them from having to do costly upgrades. If you disagree with their cost/benefit analysis, you should go to the SMECO board and let them know.
If they don't do things like this, then the same people complaining now will whine that they have no way to know if their usage is unusual or not. Some people just live to complain.
TPD
the poor dad
I'm doing great!
Household size of 2 adults & 1 teenager. But we did install a new boiler last fall, which means we no longer use the electric water heater, but use more oil to heat the house AND the water. We do stay warm - 70-72º - and we do NOT monitor our electricity usage to try to be the efficient one. I am of the opinion that if I can afford it, I'm not skimping - gas guzzling vehicles, televisions on all the time, unlimited ice cream, european vacations, etc. By damn, I'm an American and it's my right to live large, to live in excess, to live beyond my means!!
MMDad
Lem Putt
They refund the surplus and are required to do so by law. I've received it in the past.
They have plenty of ways to spend any surplus without having to get creative. They can replace equipment, upgrade lines, bury lines, increase training, and more. If you look at their budget, this mailing is a minor expense and is justified with the expected savings in system upgrades.
SG_Player1974
New Member
All I have to say is that I spent 6 winters in Maine with electric baseboard heating and I have NEVER seen electric bills as high as they are here. The house up there was about 200 sq. ft. smaller but it was the same people living there!
DEEKAYPEE8569
Well-Known Member
There should be a welcome package for all who move to MD; specifically the tri-county area: "If you live here; whether you want to be or not, be prepared for things to cost more." "Remember to thank the state gov't." "Welcome to Maryland :-D"
