I paid my electricity bill this month and was shocked by how high it was. It was well over $100. My electricity bill has tended to average between $40 and $70 since I moved into the apartment. Normally I wouldn’t think about a high electricity bill in the summer given air conditioning use. However, this summer I decided that I would try to avoid installing the window AC unit if I could. So far this summer, the heat has been bearable and I felt good about my lower electricity consumption. Working in the energy industry, I cheer hot weather and AC use as it adds to the company and my personal bottom line. At the same time personally, I think excessive air conditioning on peak electricity days is one of the least environmentally friendly actions there is out there. If more people really knew how much more expensive electricity is during peak energy days, they might rethink their electricity usage. Unlike winter heating, air condition is luxury for most people not a necessity.

So, it was quite a shocked when I got my bill. First thing I did was call NStar (the local utility). The woman who answered my call was ready to dismiss me as another unjustified complainer until I told her that I didn’t put in my AC unit. Her demeanor quickly changed for the better. She proceeded to tell me that could get someone out to my apartment in about 3 weeks between the hours of 8 and 12. I took it.

Serendipitously, that night when I got back home, my neighbor came down to my apartment and asked if I could check my circuit breakers. Apparently some of his outlets tripped and believed that those outlets were connected to my circuit breakers, and vice versa. I quickly checked my breakers, and sure enough two set of breakers had tripped. I flipped them back on, and my neighbor was good to go.


  
A close approximation of what my building looks like 
I live in an old brownstone that once was very nice residence for some affluent family a century ago. Today it’s a 4 different apartments. Apparently much of the wiring from it’s days as a single family residence. I learned from the neighbor that ten years ago, they tried ripping out the old wiring and rewiring the place appropriately as 4 different units. The electricians were able to rewire 90% of the building, but the remaining 10% required demolishing walls which was deemed cost prohibitive. As a result I have breakers that control a few outlets on the 3rd floor, and the 3rd floor has a breaker or two controlling the 1st floor. More importantly I’m paying for electricity I’m not using. On the most part I imagine the give and take is relatively equitable, but not this summer. I’ll take the issue up with my landlord, but I’m not sure exactly how much he can do. The money itself doesn’t bother me too much, but the fact I can’t get any measured feedback of my energy conservation does.