Our Customer Service Representatives are always ready to assist you with your usage and billing questions. Before you contact us, please read through the checklist below to help diagnose your inquiry. You can also log into your account to view your hourly, daily and monthly electric use along with temperature data.
Accurate History
Review how much power you’ve used for the last 13 months. We call this the kilowatt hour (kWh) history. Your usage history is provided for you on every statement in the mid-section and you can log into your account to view your electric consumption down to the hour. Compare your most recent month to that same month one year ago, keeping in mind that weather fluctuations may be a significant factor in any major differences.
The kilowatt hours you use are the main driver of costs on your electric bill. The average Egyptian Electric household will average about 1,800 kWh of energy use per month.
True Electric Bill
Check to be sure this is a true high electric bill. Are there other charges beyond electric service?
- Any additional service fees (i.e deposits, connection/disconnection fees or returned check fees)?
- Have any past-due amounts from a previous bill been added to the total?
- Are there ancillary charges added to the bill for other Egyptian Electric Cooperative products or services (security lights, etc.)?
Days of Use
Check the number of days that are billed for your electric use. This varies from bill to bill due to the number of days in a month and a billing cycle may be a bit shorter or a bit longer due to holidays or other circumstances.
Is the number of days greater than other months in question because of meter readings? Is the daily average significantly different from other months in question?
Seasonal Changes
Check the kWh total by month. From the history, are the winter months higher (indicating some form of electric heat, higher hot water heater use or heaters being used on water beds)?
The additional heating or cooling load will cause an increase in electric use. Heating and cooling your home can average over 40% of you total energy use. Using space heaters, fireplaces, livestock heaters or vehicle block heaters in the winter can dramatically increase your energy consumption. Running a dehumidifier or watering of lawns, gardens and animals in the summer months will increase your energy use. Hot tubs and pool pumps can also significantly add to your electric bill.
Egyptian Electric Cooperative offers Budget Billing to help average out seasonal fluctuations. For your benefit, we offer Budget Billing registration only in spring and fall months. Visit the bottom of our Ways to Pay Your Bill for how to sign up for Budget Billing details.
I Wasn’t Home…
If leave your home for an extended period of time for business or vacation, any appliance you leave plugged in or connected will continue to use electricity even while you are gone. Your hot water heater, freezer, refrigerator, HVAC system, landscape irrigation, well pump, etc. keep on running when you’re not home. Before you leave, make sure to turn off or unplug appliances that aren’t needed and adjust your thermostat to keep heating/cooling costs down. Home electronics & appliances that are considered in the “off” position can still can use electricity – called phantom loads. Top phantom load consumers are items such as televisions, computers, phone chargers, gaming systems, microwaves, standby coffee makers, satellite/cable boxes, surround systems, etc. Small amounts of consumed energy throughout your home add up as well, so we encourage leaving unnecessary cords unplugged and utilizing & turning off power strips for these items when not in use, especially those with illuminated controls.
We encourage our members to sign up for SmartHub in order to view your daily and monthly usage, compare past usages, and all compared in relation to temperatures.
Lifestyle Changes
No two households use energy the same way, so comparing your energy bill to your neighbor’s is like comparing apples to oranges. It’s best to compare your current use to your past use. Consider the following:
- Has the size of your household increased?
- Have you added a swimming pool, hot tub or aquarium?
- Have you had guests stay for an extended period?
- Was extensive holiday lighting used?
- Have you used space heaters or adjusted your thermostat?
- Have you had verified your HVAC system is running properly or had your hot water heaters inspected lately?
- Have you acquired hobbies that include the use of power tools, ovens or other high electrical resistance tools or appliances?
Lighting and Appliances
Lighting, refrigeration, cooking and appliances can account for over 40% of the total energy use in a typical household.
The location of refrigerators and freezers is very important: Never place a refrigerator or freezer in direct sunlight or in unconditioned space such as a breezeway, garage or out-building. The refrigerator or freezer will have to work harder to overcome excessive heat during warmer months. Make sure that your refrigerators and freezers have adequate ventilation.
Do you have an older fridge in the basement or garage? If an appliance is more than 15 years old, the efficiency of that appliance may be decreasing significantly and requiring more energy to do its job.
It’s important to clean or replace the condenser, coils or filters on some appliances regularly. You may need to replace the appliance itself. Many times old electrical wiring will have loose connections resulting in increased electrical use and create potential safety hazards.
Is My Meter Bad?
Meters are often blamed for a higher bill, but are rarely the cause. In fact, if a meter is malfunctioning, it’s more likely to run slow instead of fast. Fewer than 2 out of 1,000 meters prove to be defective when tested.
If a member requests a meter test, Egyptian Electric Cooperative will come out to test the meter in the presence of the member. The member CAN be charged a $25 fee for a meter test, which is refunded if the meter is found to be defective.
