question about electricity bill dispute (Houston: apartment complex, renting, lofts)

[sleepy john]

just moved to the med center (almeda @ macgregor), using gexa for a newly-built/renovated 1,011 sq ft 2 bedroom loft-style apartment, and i think my electric bill is way too high. bill for august was $315 despite keeping the AC between 72 (night) and 76 (day). i know that's running the AC a little much, but not $300 worth. not even close. (and all the deposits and other fees have already been paid, also.)

the unit my roommate and i live in was the unoccupied show unit before we moved in, meaning the AC was set at 75 during the day & off at night, yet the bill during those months, according to centerpoint & gexa, was still $250. now, as a comparison, the girl across the hall uses gexa also for her 2 bedroom 946 sq ft apartment, keeping her AC at 78 all day. her bill was only $75 for august.

we have tried to investigate this as much as we can, and we keep getting the runaround from gexa, centerpoint, the apartments, and anyone else that comes out to check the setup. we know that there is a mistake being made somewhere, but we don't have the know-how or access to figure it out.

so the question is, what can i do about this?

• who can i contact about this?
• is there any sort of person/business that can come analyze the situation to figure out what is causing this electricity bill to be so high?
• is there anyone (aside from someone like marvin zindler) that would go to bat for us?
• would it be worth contacting the Public Utility Commission of Texas?

i know that there are several units in the apartment complex w/ unusually high electricity bills (from what centerpoint tells me and from what different reviews tell me on apartment review websites), but i also know that many of the units do not have this issue (from the girl accross the hall and from what centerpoint tells me). there's got to be something wrong w/ the setup in some of these units, and i need some help in figuring out what to do about it.

[etexbill]

Did you actually see the bill of the "girl across the hall". $300 is the norm, maybe a little high for a smaller apartment. How about $500-1500. I have friends whose bill runs over $1500 per month. Welcome to Texas.

By the way 72-76?? Most people keep theirs from 76-80 to cut down on the bill. I know that I do and my last bill was $375. And that is down from last year.

And Marvin Zindler would laugh if you complained about a $315 electrical bill in the summer in Houston. Sorry.

PS: The loft is part of the problem. That causes the bill to be higher. Do you have a ceiling fan?? That is almost mandatory in a loft apartment. I have ceiling fans in every room of my house even the larger bathroom along with the central AC unit. I run them continuously with the thermostat turned up to a higher temperature.

[sleepy john]

yes, i have already considered everything you have pointed out, including actually seeing the electricity bill from the "girl across the hall."

does anyone have any real suggestions for help in this situation? they would be greatly appreciated.

[etexbill]

Yes, I just gave "real suggestions". Electricity is not cheap in Texas. See the thread on electricity bill in Houston. $300 is not expensive.

[randtbrown]

I agree- $300 is not high.

[sleepy john]

bill, i checked the thread you mentioned. the only person paying a more outrageous price for his or her electricity was the one in galveston. (it's bad for khill, too) none of the others even compared to what i am paying for a 1000 sq ft apartment. you even posted yourself that your house that is twice the size of my place has an electricity bill that is about the same as mine (though you took that post down later).

mine, $315, 1000 sq ft -- $.315/sf
Spookmeister, $280, 1900 Sq ft -- .147/sf
neddy, $320, 2400 sq ft -- .133/sf
marksanders, $400, 2500 square foot -- .160/sf
randtbrown, $400 ($290 this month), 2100 sf -- .190/sf (.138/sf)
Uncle Bunkle, $280-320, 2500 sq. ft. -- .112-.128/sf
khill, $850, 3500 sq ft -- .243/sf
JJP, $400, 4,000 sq ft -- .100/sf
etexbill, $375, 2,000 sq ft -- .188/sf
aslowdodge, $700, 1300 sq feet** -- .538/sf** (galveston)

my parents have a condo in the woodlands w/ 1300 sq ft that averages less than $100 per month (.077/sf), which is what it should look like w/ the thermostat set to 80 or so. my last apartment in kingwood w/ 980 sq ft, 10 ft ceilings, and lots of windows averaged $150 per month (.153/sf) w/ the thermostat between 68 and 72 (up to 76-78 from 7am to 3pm). my roommate paid about $150 per month (.150/sf) in the post rice lofts in downtown houston for his 1000+ sq ft apartment kept at 68-70 all day.

i've done my research on this. i've already come to accept that i'm probably stuck paying this, but it is still too high. there is something wrong. thank you for the suggestion of keeping the ceiling fan on, but i know that there's more to it than that.

[Just Lookin]

If I am not mistaken, isn't everything in your house Electric? Washer, dryer, cooking, air, heat, dishwasher. Those things add a lot to the bill. I think if you had gas and electric you wouldn't think it was so high.

We in Calif, have both so we might get a $350 total for the month for all. In the winter, we pay around 250 for propane. In the summer we pay around 150. So, I guess it turns out to be the same if you think about it..

[Redrover]

The only other thing I might suggest is window orientation and insulation. If you face due west and have single pane windows you have a problem. Keeping your windows covered during the heat of the day should help but if you are renting I don't see anything you can do about the windows themselves.

[cheryljane]

When I lived in Houston there was only ONE electric co. Now there are about a dozen? I would check them all out!

[postoak]

I don't know if your bill is high for the temp you set to.
My friend lives in a 1000-1100 sqft apt., and his July or August bill was $380 after his wife set it to 73-77 all month long.
It shocked him and has him set it back to 78-80 deg where the bill was around $100-150.
They don't do too much cooking.