In this situation ,I would be talking more of consumption that Money wise.

Prices change all the time around here .

IMO, It's best to monitor consumption.

Have someone watch the meter while the other person shuts things off to see what is drawing the most.

Maybe read this .

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/recs/rec...il_tables.html

 

I can't offer any sympathy and anyone; (out here in CA anyone using PG&E will agree)...my avg. monthly bill was 301.00 and that was without runnig the AC all summer. We average 22 days over 100...anyways I installed a 5KW solar system and last YEARS bill was $6.00.

 

bczolone, what part of Ca. are you located in?

Just curious.

 

Sierraben: Near Modesto

 

> Most houses/apartments should come standard with a locking ****

Why? So when the tenants lock themselves out of the room and damage not only the door, but, the trim work too they can then say its management's fault for having locking door ***** on? Or that the lock got "stuck" so they had to break the door down so it is not their fault. Or sometimes you get an honest tenant that actually says their boyfriend broke the locked door down during a heated "discussion".

I did rental property upkeep for someone that owned ten rental houses and we ended up taking out all the locking ***** for the above reasons. A tenant is only owed what is in the contract, nothing more, including things to make them happy.

Before I left the last house I rented, for a house I bought, I painted every room, fixed everything that needed fixing with my own money, which I had been doing anyways since I leased for two years, replaced all the light bulbs, etc. so it was ready to move in when I moved out. Plus, I thanked the land lord for providing my family with a place to live.

If you think its such a hassle being without a locking **** for a bathroom, try being homeless and having to pee in the gutter and taking a dump behind a "dumpster" every time you have to go.

I am pretty sure the 100,000+ soliders in Iraq do not have locking doors on their bathrooms.

Only in America would someone complain because their rented apartment with creature comforts, that 3/4 of the world could only dream about, does not have a locking **** on the bathroom door in an apartment they share with their girlfriend. Really.

As for your bill, if you have a cheap room A/C unit that sits in the window, they are really juice hogs and can pop up your bill like nothing. What we ended up doing is ditching the room A/C units and installing whole house A/C because it actually lowers the bill compared to just two window units being on. This saves tenants $100+ a month on the electric bill.

If everything else checks out and your bill is still high, what I would suspect, knowing people, is someone might have pulled the wiring out of the wall on their side and wired their appliance into your outlet if the apartments are modular (laid out the same). Most likely the frig because in apartments you will find one kitchen laid out on the wall to the kitchen to the next apartment so you can run all your pipe (hot, cold, waste, vents) and wires cheaply and to the same place.

Why the frig? Usually on its own circuit and all the newer outlets have connectors where all you have to do is strip the wire and push it in. So ... just strip wire, push them into the top unused outlet, push into theirs, and done. No need for undoing screws etc. Cheap, dirty, and goes unnoticed.

So, if your power is off, so is their freezer, so you would not notice movement on your meter. The thing to do is leave everything off (unplug freezer and everything else - not just turned off) and leave the breaker on and see if there is movement on the meter.

That bill is pretty excessive for one apartment.

 

I think he just means a regular Bathroom lockset that can be popped open with a bobby-pin through the hole.

I just bought one for $7.00 brand new lever style.

It's a passive locking courtesy device. Not a "Bulldog Extreme keep the bad guys out" style lock

 

well guess what, i'm not in iraq, if i was in iraq i probably wouldnt even be on this site because i wouldnt know what a computer was. And i wouldnt even expect a locking entry door. But guess what, i'm in the good old USA and when i'm paying someone upwards of $6720 dollars a year to live in a place I expect them to be able to install a 7 dollar locking **** in the bathroom. like million said, its a a courtesy locking **** i'm after. Just something so when the goobers come into our apt to change the furnace filter they dont "accidentally" open the door on someone. Or my GF's mom doesnt get walked in on by my brother

Most locking bathroom ***** have an anti-lockout device of some sort on them so if you lock the **** with the door open, when you close it it will unlock.

 

Good return Peter,

The privacy/bath locksets also come with a pinhole access from the outside to where if one did lock the door and left it, just use a nail or the pin key that came with it , to unlock it. Security deposits are held for damaged bath doors and related tenant damages. Forget the landlord and get the lock and save your future mother in laws dignity.

 

our power prices are regulated by the government. i pay $100/month and that includes what i use to heat 5-6 months out of the year.


these rent threads just make me want to cry.

 

mine has a locking bathroom door, it also has that little hole in case it gets locked with no one in it.

i wish the gov would regulate the power prices here in some areas!

 

Small apartment here (about 400 sq feet). Bill for August was about $36. Fall and spring run me about $22-28. Summer is usually around $40-45. Highest was $57 in July 2002. During the summer I run two wall air conditioners all day. The later part of the evening are usually in the low 70's here, so normally I don't run them overnight and summer mornings in the upper 50's usually keep the place cool till around 10 AM. The apartment has poor insulation. Two computers on 24/7, usually a few stereo components idling a well.
I would post how much electricity I used, but I threw it in the trash.

I'm in California, but not on PG&E, so that is the reason why it appears cheap.

I'm guessing the fridge costs about $13 a month. I tried turning the computers off when not in use. The next bill was about $10.00 less. I was also gone for a week and didn't run the air conditioner, so I don't know how much it really saved. Using 15-watt flourescent bulbs in place of the standard 100-watt bulbs made a noticeable difference, since I have a habit of leaving lights on.

 

Thats how the guy makes money,

 

That's slightly ignorant... Several members from this board regularly post from Iraq

 

Fomhoire, Edison Electric?

 

I kinda meant it as if i was one of the people who live in the 3/4's of the world that could only dream about "creature comforts" such as a computer... and a locking bathroom doorknob. I'm sure there are people in Iraq with computers, But i can bet there are a plenty of people in Iraq that dont know what one is.