Sophie, I had the same response on the energy audit. You don't want an energy audit you want their Smart Meter tested. According to the CPUC (califonia public utilities commission) rule 18 you are entitled to have the utility test the meter. You will provide a $50 deposit. In the event the meter is NOT accurate within 2% you will be refunded the deposit and any money from the inaccurate bills. Go to http://www.cpuc.cagov to review the details.

I am monitoring my appliances using a "P3 kill watt" meter I purchased on amazon.com. It's very interesting to see the results. The behavior of the smart meter is really strange, it will change by 1kw after just 20minutes of running just my refrigerator (everything else turned off at the breaker panel), so why does it do this...? Still searching.

On one of my other results the sdge response was that it was "rounding off" from 0.70kwh to 1kwh, for "biling purposes." Doesn't make sense.

jlo

Frustrated after just 1 phone call. We just moved to this home in November 09. Our first bill for 1st month was 141.65. Then our second bill was 253.44. I thought it was high but didn't say anything because I figured it might be cause of the hot tub and the space heater we were using in the sun room. So we unplug everything and I got another bill for 214.00$ I called Fortis Niagara Power inc and they said that their meters are fine and it must me something I am doing. They also said that I have already used over 2000 kwh in 3 weeks?????? so they can see these numbers without coming to my home. I advised that I have all the same appliances as my other home, the furnace and water heater is gas and not even power vented, all efficient light bulbs. I also advise that in my other home of the same square footage we would have a 200$ bill in the summer months from running the pool and the air for 2 months and not just 1 month. Discourage and feeling hopeless.
She advised that nothing is wrong on their end and they do not provide the service of electric audits.

My bill for December and January was $66 and $72 and that is what it runs normally throughout the year with the exception of the summer months when we are running the airconditioner and then it is $150 tto $250. A new smart meter was install on presidents day February 12 and the bill I got on Wednesday was $499.18, today 2/27/2010 I got another bill and it is is $542.18. It says the meter was read 2/11/2010 and again 2/17/2010. I called and was told that this is for electric service that was not properly billed from past months. I just do not understand how this is possible. Anyone have any ideas?

I want to thank those of you who posted suggestions regarding these new "smart" meters. I too have had increased usage amounts, I'd say around 15%. I have been keeping a log of all our electric usage. I also purchased a P3 "kill-watt meter." It works great. I can see the discrepancy in readings right away. I am now going to turn breakers off and try and isolate the main appliance, my refrigerator, and compare the readings exactly...this should prove it beyond any doubt.

You can also do this statistically by looking at your historical data that is provided by SDGE. Compare your previous usage to what it is now with the new meter (you will need a few months of data to compare them).

I have contacted SDGE regarding this and they will be contacting me (they won't do an enegy audit, but they should review their meter errors).

Someone asked about a class action lawsuit. I am not going to wait. If I am not satisfied with their response I will sue them in small claims. The data should be evidence enough, however the court may require some "professional" witness as to the discrepancies. We shall see.

Does anyone know if these smart meters can be controlled remotely? I'm wondering if they can adjust the meter remotely without having to make a home visit.

jlo

Just received two bills in a row that are more than double what they normally should be. Nothing changed - except the meter and yet SDG&E says there is no mistake. Horsesh*t... If there's any attorney out there who feels like filing a class action suit - PLEASE contact me for involvement.

I just got a bill from SDG&E for $654+ for 2 months -my avg is $150 a month. They claimed I was "rebilled" for Dec-Feb and that my electricity went up from an avg of 400 kw per month usage to 1000 kw! My home is 1750 sq ft and it's only me and my 2 girls- gas heat, dryer and stove, 2 yr old high efficiency Sears appliances. I work long hours and my daughters and I are hardly ever home. The only lights I put up this Christmas were one string of tree lights and it wasn't always on. My kw usage in the summer with the AC running is 700 kw at its highest. The three SDG&E reps just kept saying that we are the ones generating that much electricity and I say no way! What the heck can we do about this??? Something's very wrong and we can't just accept what they're saying. I'm furious!

I just added a garage with a tv, lights and a computer and a fridge my bill is now 400 dollars. I noticed on my bill that 130 goes to some program to help others. Don't you think I should get to write my donation off? My house also donates about 250 a month.

I need solar and a generator

I've read every post on this page and the same exact thing is happening to me; All I am seeing on this site are the complaints, has anyone heard of a potential solution or course of action that might help us all out? Since we know without a doubt that we are being stolen from, does anyone know who is helping us or if anyone has been able to get these ridiculous bills reduced?

My average bill for my 1200sf home is between $20 and $40 a month. I am VERY good about conserving energy. The first bill after the smart meter was installed was $185!!!!! My current bill is $270!!!!! I called SDG&E right away after receiving the first bill to ask what the heck could be wrong. She said she has seen ZERO problems with these new meters, but sent someone out to "re-read" the meter...and soon I received a letter saying that the meter was read correctly! This couldn't be right!? So I called again today after checking online and seeing my bill went up again by over 600% - this time the story was different. Apparently they HAVE been having problems with the meters getting stuck. So she said that she would fax my billing issues over to the billing dept. and they would adjust my bill. BUT meanwhile I have to set up an appointment for someone (contracted out) to come check and possibly fix my meter. I encourage anyone who is having issues to CALL and keep calling!!! It seems as though a lot of San Diegan's are having the same exact problems. Come on SDG&E!!! FIX this!!

My bill last month was $102. At that time I was running the TV at night sometimes so I decided this last month I'd shut it off and see how much more I could save.

I get my bill this month and it is $383. For an 800 sq foot single bedroom apartment. Seriously? I hardly run anything at all. Its insane considering the way I live-- I cannot pay this bill.

I recently had a gas leak on the outlet side of my gas meter. My normal bill was between 75-100 dollars. After I called them, they replaced my meter and gave me a "brand new" one. Since then my gas bill in my 1000 sq ft house jumped to $180 which I chalked up to the original leak.
From http://www.yahoo.com

I just called SDG&E because my bill went from a two month average of $50/month to $238. It just happens to be the month they changed my meter to a Smart Meter. I have disputed the charge and the reply was only that they would give me the "Benefit of baseline" rate . . . not accepting that the amount used might be incorrect based on them misreading the meter. It is not possible that our usage changed this much. Has anyone heard of a class-action suit developing because of all the current problems developing?

I HATE SDGE!!!!!
At my old house I had to call them twice a month for an entire year because some how they had my meter registered to the wrong address and I was getting charged for someone elses's bill and they kept turning off my power. They told me I was lying but refused to send a tech out when I was home so I could prove it.
I finally got it taken care of and then moved. Everything was fine for 9 months, but... my last bill was 4 times what it usually is mostly from electrical charges. I bought a forclosure and am having the electrical completely redone, so most of my outlets don't even function right now. I called SDGE and they are sending someone out to read my meter, but I have a bad feeling about this. They told me over the phone that the reason the bill went from $40 to over $200 was because they replaced the meter and the old one was reading wrong. I find it very difficult to believe that 2 people who work and arn't even home most of the time used $159 in electricity in 1 month.
I WOULD BE GLAD TO JOIN IN A LAW SUIT. Please contact me if you can help. ktkat444@aol.com

Sounds like what is happening to us. If anything, I think we used less energy last month and our bill is $200 more than usual and $100 more than our highest bill ever. And we ran AC for 2 days for a few hours compared to several days the month before. I agree. Something is up!

i just opened my mailbox today and received an 800 dollar bill from SDGE

last month my bill was 100 dollars

if u saw my bill, u would think it reads like a SCI FI novel.

800 dollars ... and not even for a full month. so many charges on it. i live in a SMALL studio .. very small and there are 8 studios in this building just like mine.

i am new to the whole complaint process and IF you guys know some ways to get this bill corrected, please let me know at activesarger@yahoo.com

thanks for reading this and helping me

Friday the 13th of March, 2009-

I just discovered that, in addition to my sdge bill doubling, tripling or quadrupling in the last few months for inexplicable reasons, sdge has been charging me at the baseline for homes with gas heat when I've had electrical heat for all of the 2 years I've lived in my 594 square foot condo (Can you imagine paying $300 dollars a month to heat a 600 square foot condo?).

The difference in the base line is:
If you live in zone 1 and have gas heat your baseline for electrical consumption is 10.8 kWh/day or 324 kWh/month
If you live in zone 1 and have electrical heat your baseline for electrical consumption is 16.6 kWh/day or 498 kWh/month

This discrepancy multiplied by sdge's obfuscated billing practices and multi-tier pencil whipping unintelligable bill means I've been overcharged for electricity by 150-200% or more for the entire time sdge has been billing me.

SDGE -This is a time for you to go notice- I further the notion of a class action lawsuit against sdge. Thieves!

I'm currently polling my neighbors to find out how many of us are being robbed blind, I wonder who the executives at sdge are who are pocketing the profits from their corruption and robbery of the San Diego public at large.

Rot in a very warm place with no AC sdge! I hope you burn.

My electricity bill usually runs 95-100 dollars a month December it was 193 and January was a shaocking 225. The apartment complex I live in has had the AC redone in December when my bill spiked. I have had the meter re read by Direct Energy and they say it is fine. The apartment complex says every thing is wiried corectly. I feel like Iam getting the run a round do I have any options.

We live in Scripps Ranch for over 10 years. Our house is 3300 square feet. Last month our SDG&E bill was over $750.

We have neighbors that have the same exact model home. For many years we have shared bills. They seem to average from $150 to $350. Some have pools, etc. We do not.

Our bills average $375 to $750. We don't have any old appliances or anything like that. We know we don't leave lights on or do anything that should make our bill 2X everyone else's.

We complained to SDG$E and they blamed it on us but they did replace the meter. Bills remained the same.

How do we start to test where all this electricity is going? Any one know any electricians or people that have a way to REALLY find out where all this electricity is going in our home?

Any suggestions or help is appreciated.

Thanks.

I move out my apartment a year ago and the current tenants have gas on in my name since I moved out and Dominion People Gas company is stating that I am responible for tht bill even though I can provis proof that I haven't live at the address in ove a year.

Others here in Ramona have had no increase and others have had an immediate jump in usage starting June, of +100 percent. SDGE says that my '144 percent' is due to increased usage in KHz. This is completely false. SDG&E seems clearly, to be shaking down our area. Last year, we used more electricity and paid less.
I've verified my appliances are functioning perfectly and my electrician has me taking daily readings off their connection and pictures of their meter readings and charting my actual usage. Given the correct venue, it will not be a problem to prove. And I will collect my Electrician costs from SDG&E.
I'm disputing the bills with CPUC. I want to believe that the system can regulate itself.
However, it seems to take an 'Erin Brokovitch' to curtail out of control utilities.
Anyone who's bill has 'jumped over 100% in June' should immediately file a complaint
with CPUC, and send a letter informing the community to the Sentinel.

My May SDG&E bill was twice the amount of the previous bill. I called them, they had me read my meter to them. They said that there must've been a mistake. They reissued a bill based on my reading, which reflected our normal KW usage.
Next month, they issued another bill claiming my usage had doubled. This time, they
when I read the meter they said it was accurate. They suggested that my neighbor had
attached a cable to my service or, an appliance had malfunctioned. I'm an electrician (lucky for me.) It's physically impossible for 'an appliance' to 'malfunction' in such a manner. I suggested that they check their meter. They confirmed it was okay, but replaced it. (Not before I took a picture of it.) They sent another engineer who was supposed to look for an irregularity. He spent the visit apologizing to me for the bizarre
'suggestions' from their Customer Affairs & both engineers agreed my problem was most likely a meter reading problem. I'm filing a PUC complaint, although I don't expect them to help me. I am simlpy following their procedure in preparation to sue them. Many of my neighbors are experienced the same problem. This matter is in our local Ramona newspaper. We think they're trying to recoup the money that they spent repairing their infrastructure here after the fire. Which their equipment also started.

When you have numerous appliances plugged in you must be careful not to overheat the electrical system. If there's a gas leek as well then there's a big change of an explosion if the wires make a spark and the gas quantity is somewhat high. I always get my appliances for Sears Parts because their equipment has a device that reduces these risks. It's better to prevent than treat!

I recently had a gas leak on the outlet side of my gas meter. My normal bill was between 75-100 dollars. After I called them, they replaced my meter and gave me a "brand new" one. Since then my gas bill in my 1000 sq ft house jumped to $180 which I chalked up to the original leak. The next month (1/14/08-2/14/08) my bill has jumped 400% I now owe 405 bucks, how do I dispute this charge? My wife called their customer service line and they had said they already looked into it and the charges are correct. This cant be right. I have a gas water heater, a dryer and my gas furnace which we barely use. I dont even have a gas stove. Is there anything I can do?

For me, disputing < $26, but possibly million$ for SD County!
Recently got my 5/7/2007 SDG&E bill, due 5/26/2007. Back of "Energy Notes" insert explains that in 2001 CPUC ordered rise in Electricity rates 5/1-9/30 to discourage usage. My bill covers 29 days (25 in April, 4 in May), but both Baseline and 130% Baseline rates for 4/29 days are nearly DOUBLE the corresponding 25/29 days rates. Presumably the 4/29 are May and the 25/29 are April so, applying the 2001 CPUC order, it appears that SDG&E made an "unfortunate error" of reversing the charges which, however, raises their charges significantly! NOTE: The "Electric EnergyCharge" rates are consistent with 2001 order. It is the first set of electric charges that appear wrong.

SDG&E Consumer Affairs agent on phone refused to seriously address question, giving me a run-around that equated to "Trust us, SDG&E does not make mistakes." But no details.

CPUC lawyers have advised me to file formal complaint with them and are (painfully slowly) researching the details of the 2001 CPUC order cited by SDG&E and promises to get back to me sometime in June.
Then I remembered you! If an error was made, this would be a real feather in your cap to uncover it and should yield lots of favorable publicity. If no error, I will pay bill and we can all just move on.

SDG&E Consumer Affairs agent on phone refused to seriously address question, giving me a run-around that equated to "Trust us, SDG&E does not make mistakes." Perhaps!?

CPUC people have sounded much more sympathetic, but have not yet been helpful. CPUC lawyer gal has advised me to file formal complaint with them and is (painfully slowly) researching the details of the 2001 CPUC order cited by SDG&E and promises to get back to me with that info sometime in June, after she returns from vacation. I will have to do that if you cannot clarify the situation.

I just moved in a house in dec. and the first bill from SDGE is $271, claiming I used 1500 KWh averaging 50 KWh/day. In February, another bill came for $351, claiming I used 2006 KWh at 69 KWh/day. I started calling SDGE and the realty company to resolve this. SDGE said they can't fix anything. The realty after almost two months sent Electricians out to the house they said that everything tested good, but that the electric meter was running too high. I started turning off the circuit breakers everyday just so i would consume less energy. Finally SDGE came out and tested the meter, they reported that the meter was good. At the same time they change the meter and a new bill came. If the meter was good why did they change it? This time the bill was at $176.31, claiming that I used 1006 KWh averaging 33 KWh/day. This bill reflected the old meter while I was shutting off the circuit breakers every business day from 0630-1700. I have been keeping track on an Excel spreadsheet for the past 2 months. The next billing cycle is on April 06, this bill will reflect the new meter. SDGE installed the new meter on March 8, 2006 and to date I have only used 300 KWh. I really need some help to resolve this issue with SDGE. Today they actually turned off my gas, now I cannot cook anything on the gas range. PLEASE HELP!!!
Jason