Complaints about ComEd's estimated bills more than double
Karl Schulz typically saw ComEd electric bills totaling $45 to $48 a month for his Des Plaines apartment in late 2009.
Then, last year, ComEd started estimating Schulz's bill instead of reading his meter. The estimated bills jumped to about $70 to $90 a month. When he complained he had just put in energy-saving light bulbs and couldn't be using that much power, ComEd dropped his bill to zero for four months.
ComEd later read his meter again, the school bus driver said, and hit him with a $169 charge for a surprising 2,000 kilowatt hours of electricity the utility said he'd used but had not paid for.
Schulz is among a growing legion of consumers facing so-called balloon bills. That's when a consumer gets estimated bills for a period of time and later gets hit with a big makeup bill after an actual meter reading.
Complaints about balloon bills from ComEd have more than doubled in the last year, according to state and local consumer advocates.
The Illinois Commerce Commission, which regulates utilities, received 1,283 complaints in 2010 regarding ComEd balloon bills, compared to 524 complaints in 2009, said ICC spokeswoman Beth Bosch.
Complaints could be on par or even higher this year, with 346 for January, February and March, according to ICC data.
ComEd reads meters every 21 days, unless severe weather, dogs in the yard, or other hazards or impediments prevent access, said ComEd spokeswoman Arlana Johnson.
“Typically, estimated bills are fairly accurate, especially for customers with at least 12 months' history at the same address,” Johnson said. “Once a meter reader performs an actual read, subsequent bills will include any adjustments to reflect actual electrical usage.”
She said ComEd received more complaints on estimated bills in 2010, compared to 2009, but could not say why, except to say factors could include a rate increase last June and more power usage during a hot summer.
The utility has not reduced the number of meter readers, she said.
The Citizens Utility Board, a Chicago-based watchdog group, said consumers who filed complaints said their bills typically were estimated for about 6 months or as long as 12 months. They then would be hit with an actual reading that would result in a $300 to $1,400 balloon bill, considerably higher than their typical monthly bill.
If customers think a bill is too high, ComEd call center representatives can provide information about reading their own meter and providing the information to ComEd, Johnson said.
ComEd also sends automated phone calls to customers who've had two or more unsuccessful meter reading attempts because of “a failure on our part, such as when a meter reader is assaulted and pulled from the assignment for safety concerns,” Johnson said.
Customers who get balloon payments can spread the payment out over time without paying interest, she said.
The utility cannot back-bill anyone for more than 12 months, CUB and the ICC said.
Currently, state rules say a company should try to read every meter at least once every 60 days. The company also must clearly mark your bill “Est.” or “Estimate” if it didn't actually read your meter. Such bills then are based on typical usage the year before along with an adjustment for weather, said CUB spokesman Jim Chilsen.
CUB and the ICC also said they're working with ComEd to provide more consumer-friendly regulations. Those discussions date back to a rate case in 2005.
The proposal under discussion includes more clear notification to customers if the utility is having problems accessing their meter. The utility also should be required to read meters every month, or go through a special waiver process to say why they're not actually reading the meter every month. And penalties are being sought, if the utility doesn't read meters more regularly, Chilsen said.
“We hope that negotiations are completed by the end of the year, but we'll go longer if that's what it takes to help protect consumers,” Chilsen said.
As for Schulz, he filed a complaint with CUB and is paying off the balloon bill over time.
ComEd apologized for his situation but said he had the option of reading his own meter and calling the results in to ComEd, as well as participating in a budget billing program that spreads out payments equally over the year to avoid seasonal fluctuations in costs, which Schulz declined.
“I'm paying $50 a month now,” Schulz said. “That's all I can do.”