Alright, screaming silently in my head.

If I kill someone, will y'all take up a pay-pal donation for my bail?

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Thanks tommy- I just can't figure out how my average use per month last year at this time was 213kwh, and now it is 877!!! I leave nothing on all day and turn my heat down to 60, so the fan is never going on. I didn't use my crock pot or even my oven this month. I have a gas water heater.

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Thanks tommy- I just can't figure out how my average use per month last year at this time was 213kwh, and now it is 877!!! I leave nothing on all day and turn my heat down to 60, so the fan is never going on. I didn't use my crock pot or even my oven this month. I have a gas water heater.

Hmm... could also be something like a bad fridge motor that is running continuously or something.

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Hmm... could also be something like a bad fridge motor that is running continuously or something.

I guess the first step would be to call the landlord, the second the electric company. I hate doing stuff like that, but I can't afford this!

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Do you have access to your electrical meter? If so, you could check it from time to time to see if the little wheel thingie suddenly is spinning faster. Or if it is always fast, you could unplug things one at a time and see when it gets slower.

I did that at my last place. Actually, I would shut off one of my computers, look at the meter, shut down the other computer, etc. I was amazed at how much power they used.

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If nothing has changed for you lifestyle-wise, Sophia, something is going on. That's crazy.

One of the more interesting books I've read came out in 1999 and was called Centenarians, and was interviews and photos of (you guessed it!) people who were born in 1899 or earlier. They included a woman who was Strom Thurmond's babysitter (!), a man who, when he was 7 years old, spent part of a train ride through Wyoming chatting with an old guy across the aisle who he found out later was Buffalo Bill, and other really fascinating people.

I'll have to pick up that book. My dad's father was born in 1899. He died in 1990. I remember watching all the hubub about the Berlin Wall with him, and being struck when he said, "I remember when that wall went up." He was a WWI Vet, too.

Even the WWII Vets are getting scarce -- which makes me kind of weepy.

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Definitely ask the power company. Were the earlier values (like from last year) read or estimated? Because if they were based off the place being vacant or something, that might have thrown things off. Because you call them, go read you meter.

Mine is read electronically now, and for comparison, my monthly usage for a 750 sq ft apartment, with gas heat (means electric blower) runs on the order of 200-250 kWh in the winter months (I don't wanna talk about summer.) And I'm not particularly energy efficient. Computer is always plugged in, as are all other appliances and a filtering fan. So. I'd think something is crazily up with your bill unless you have all electric heat.

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Sophia, you might also want to check and see if any part of the building besides your apartment is on your electrical circuit. Not sure exactly how you'd check that. (Your landlord might tell you, but s/he might not know or might just tell you that only your apartment is on your circuit just so you'll leave him alone.)

Maybe your electric company could tell you. Or maybe you could call them and just tell them your electricity consumption is way higher and you aren't doing anything different - they might help you investigate.

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[link]

clearly we do not have magic in our hearts.

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That's the cheapest excuse I've ever read.

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