This Month's Bill

Later today, I will be paying my rent.

I received my latest statement last weekend. Consumption in the apartment complex went down overall in April, but, as my entries here amply demonstrate, my consumption went down nearly two–thirds, while, because of the allocated billing we now are on, my utility bill went down about 13%.

My consumption has remained at about the same level this month, but I have noticed many air conditioning units running so I expect that, although my personal consumption has stayed low, I will be billed more next month.

I emailed the manager about this. Here was his reply:

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"Unfortunately while you and I may not agree it's the best form of billing it is the form of billing that corporate has chosen for this property and is completely legal with the Texas Utility Commission and State Laws."

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I told him that I will continue to monitor my usage and point out the discrepancies.

May 31, 2014

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Yesterday's high was in the upper 80s, and last night's low was around 70°.

So far, I have not used my air conditioning, but the forecast for the coming week tells me that won't last much longer. Daytime highs are expected to be in the 90s most of the time.

This morning's meter reading is 16149. Yesterday's reading was 16141 so my consumption was 8 kWh in the last 24 hours, an increase of not quite 7% compared to the previous 24 hours. It is about 58% lower than my consumption on this date last year.

My 30, 2014

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Yesterday was warmer than it has been with temperatures in the upper 80s. Astonishingly, though, my electricity consumption appears to have been unaffected. (I still haven't run my air conditioning in 2014, but I expect that to change soon. The forecast is calling for highs in the 90s on Monday and Tuesday.)

The chance for rain diminishes daily. By the end of the weekend, it should be out of the forecast entirely.

Last night's low was expected to be between 68° and 70°. The temperature when I got up was 69°.

This morning's meter reading is 16141. Yesterday's reading was between 16133 and 16134. Thus, my consumption in the last 24 hours was 7½ kWh, precisely the same as it was in the previous 24 hours — and it is nearly 32% lower than my consumption on this date in 2013.

May 29, 2014

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Once again, the skies were overcast, and the temperature was in the low 80s at its warmest yesterday — but mostly, I think, the temperature was in the 70s.

Last night's low was expected to be 66°. It was 68° when I got up.

This morning's meter reading is between 16133 and 16134. Yesterday's reading was 16126. Consumption in the last 24 hours was 7½ kWh. That's a drop of about 6% compared to the previous 24 hours, and it is more than 42% lower than my consumption on this date in 2013.

May 28, 2014

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The mild weather continued yesterday. It may have reached 80° at some point, but it was mostly cloudy during the day.

We even got some rain at times. It never lasted very long, but it kept the temperature down.

Last night's low was supposed to be 66°. It was 67° when I got up this morning.

This morning's meter reading is 16126. Yesterday's reading was 16118. My consumption in the last 24 hours was 8 kWh, which is nearly 7% higher than my consumption in the previous 24 hours — but it is half of my consumption level on this day in 2013.

May 27, 2014

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The sky stayed overcast most of the day. We even had some rain, and the temperature barely made it to 80°.

The low last night was expected to be around 68°; the temperature was 66° when I got up.

Rain is likely today, then the chance starts to ease off for the rest of the week.

This morning's meter reading is 16118. Yesterday's reading was between 16110 and 16111 so my consumption in the last 24 hours was 7½ kWh. That is about 6% lower than my consumption in the previous 24 hours, and it is nearly 52% lower than my consumption on this date last year.

May 26, 2014

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Yesterday started out like all the other days we have had recently. It was cloudy in the morning, then the sun came out in the afternoon and it warmed into the mid–80s — but its stay there was brief, the clouds returned, even brought some rain, and the temperature dropped into the 70s.

I don't know how cool it was overnight, but the temperature was 75° when I got up this morning.

It is still overcast this morning, and the forecasters say there is a 40% chance of heavy rain after 2 p.m. There is at least a slight chance of rain every day and every night this week. At some points, the chance is considerably higher.

This morning's meter reading is between 16110 and 16111. Yesterday's reading was between 16102 and 16103. Thus, my consumption in the last 24 hours was 8 kWh. That is nearly 16% lower than my consumption in the previous 24 hours, and it is more than 30% lower than my consumption on this date last year.