My average consumption is 50-70 kilowatts per month. That’s about 200 to 400 pesos depending on Meralco’s scheme to suck money out of us through generation charges. There was even a time when I did not pay anything because of their infamous refund.
This is my normal consumption considering that I only have a few appliances in my rented unit. Just the basics: TV, ref, electric fan and stove. I have a DVD and oven toaster which I seldom use. Plus I am only home from 10PM-8AM and most of this time I am passed out with the lights off. I’m not even there on weekends.
I’ve consumed 50-70 kilowatts in the last 3 years. Winter, spring, summer or fall notwithstanding. So can someone please explain to me why my April bill reached record high?
150 killowatts or 1,800 pesos!
My neighbour friend who has aircon and at home most of the time has the same bill amount.
I am no pea-brain so I know something’s wrong. Even if Meralco sweetly attached a letter explaining that it is summer and consumption rises with the mercury and generation charges are inevitably higher, there is no way I could have consumed that much electricity.
Theory #1: Manong Meralco read the kuntador (meter) wrong. This is because the dial comes close the next number when it is almost that number, adding a quick 100 kW to the reading. Like reading 395 as 495.
But when I checked, the meter is already digital. My neighbor said they replaced it with digital after Ondoy. I therefore conclude that the theory is false. Even a 2-year old can read a digital number.
Theory #2: Someone tapped on my electrical lines. So I made a public rant to my neighbours about my bill and that I am calling Meralco. To scare the theoretical culprit off.
As planned, I called Meralco Roosevelt to report my predicament. A girl answered with a bored voice and asked my billing details. I did not finish my horror-over-electric-bill story because she cut me off and told me someone will just check the next day.
Well to be fair, someone came the next day. Seconds before I was to leave for the office. He checked my place and took note of the appliances and number of light bulbs. That was all. He never asked anything which would have explained my kW usage. But I volunteered some information that I only come here to sleep. He smiled and said “Hideout lang?” As if I was a not-so-proud husband using this place to house the concubine. Or a drug lord who uses this for pot sessions. “Yes, hideout lang,” I said. I almost told him “You can think what you want, just correct my effin electric bill!”
That was last Friday. And I don’t know what will happen next.
I know how to read the kuntador and compute my current kW. It is telling me that I have consumed 80 kW in the last 15 days. Unbelievable!
Theory #3: I am having electric dreams and my body is absorbing electricity as I sleep.
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