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quote:
Originally posted by Gail-:

If you live in Florence...and you have a dog or a locked gate where the meter reader cannot get in read the meter, you can request an "Extended Dial Meter". That extends and turns the meter to an angle so the reader can read it over the fence. Of course, that would only work if the meter is at the corner of the house. Generally, if they cannot read the meter, the first month they will estimate the reading...if the customer continues to not make the meter accessible, each month the estimate will be highter, until the customer calls to complain and work something out. The readers have thousands of meters to read within the month, and they can't take lots of time at each house trying to read something that is not accessible.


They offer them but charge you a fee for it. I refused to pay that so they told me I could call it in every month. No problems after that.
quote:
Originally posted by Gail-:
another thought is, calling the power company and finding out the day the reader will be reading in your area and tie your dog away from the meter and leave the gate unlocked for that day. That would protect the reader, the dog, and you, if the dog happened to bite the reader.


Awful idea. Ever seen a dog hang itself after jumping a fence when it wasn't used to being tied up? It was a bad day when I had to go tell my neighbor what had happened to their little boy's big dog after I found it hanging on my side of the fence. The chain they put it on was long enough for it to jump the fence but too short for it to reach the other side.
Originally posted by beternU:
"....I do not take 20-minute hot showers. I have a little control valve for my shower head that lets me regulate flow without adjusting the knobs and I use only a gentle stream of water and turn it off while lathering up."

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TOO MUCH INFORMATION, BETERN!!!


"....I burn well-seasoned hardwood ....About 4 1/2 cords will take me through the winter...."

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ALL THOSE TREES HAD TO BE CUT JUST SO YOU COULD STAY WARM AND SAVE A FEW BUCKS. AND ALL THAT SMOKE GOING INTO THE ATMOSPHERE, HOW SELFISH!

DID YOU CLEAR THAT WITH THE SIERRA CLUB?
hey Mrs. Carl, i saw a post on here the other day about someone whose dog had been let out over and over by the meter man. They said they put a note on the fence each month with the date and the current reading.

quote:
Originally posted by Mrs. Carl Brutananadilewski:
quote:
Originally posted by UNA LIONS FAN:
I think I have found the solution to my high rates!!!

The rates were being discussed at work the other day and a lady spoke up and said that she CALLS the readings from her meter in to the electricity dept every month! She said she bought the house from a lady that worked at the gas dept about a year ago, and she told my co-worker at that time that since she had a big dog inside the fence where the meter was, she could call them in. My co-worker has done that ever since with no problems or questions.

BTW- She was the only one standing there that was able to say that her utility bill did not go up this past month!

I think I may be putting up a fence this weekend.......


Interesting you should mention that, because I've been wondering; when we moved in to this house Nov. 1st I was concerned because we have a fenced in yard and a big dog! He is a sweetie, but cannot be let out of the gate w/o a leash, it's illegal, plus, he'll run off! He always will try to escape if the gate is opened. Our meter is back there, so I've wondered, how are they reading it? My parent's meter reader will not read their meter if their dog is out, and they will receive an estimated bill. Is there some other way they read the meter? Is there another meter? I hope no one is going back there and risking our dog running off.
I live in the city of Tuscumbia. My utility has more than doubled the last 2 months. December bill I paid $407.55, bill for January is $515.28. There is only 2 people in my house. During the week we are both gone all day and have the unit set on 68. At 3PM when my son gets home from school he turns it up to 70. Talked with the utility company they said that gas was cheaper then electric,as electric went up another 20%. Now the past 2 months I have paid a higher utility bill than my house payment..
1Girl and 1 Boy, it sounds like you could come out ahead dollar wise and comfort wise by investing in some good insulation, something like R20 to R22 value. TVA and some local companies in this business used to offer a "thermo scan" of your home to show where your heat losses actually were happeing. These scans are done on a cold day and allow visualization of the heat being lost from your home. Good luck.
quote:
Originally posted by SHELDIVR:
1Girl and 1 Boy, it sounds like you could come out ahead dollar wise and comfort wise by investing in some good insulation, something like R20 to R22 value. TVA and some local companies in this business used to offer a "thermo scan" of your home to show where your heat losses actually were happeing. These scans are done on a cold day and allow visualization of the heat being lost from your home. Good luck.


You beat me to it Sheldivr. Great advice. It can make all the difference and there's lots of help out there.

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quote:
Originally posted by dolomite:
quote:
Originally posted by Gail-:
another thought is, calling the power company and finding out the day the reader will be reading in your area and tie your dog away from the meter and leave the gate unlocked for that day. That would protect the reader, the dog, and you, if the dog happened to bite the reader.


Awful idea. Ever seen a dog hang itself after jumping a fence when it wasn't used to being tied up? It was a bad day when I had to go tell my neighbor what had happened to their little boy's big dog after I found it hanging on my side of the fence. The chain they put it on was long enough for it to jump the fence but too short for it to reach the other side.


Have you ever seen a meter reader being malled by a dog?? Not a pretty site...and the dog has to be put away

Tying was just a suggestion..the idea is putting the dog in another area the day of the reading.
quote:
Originally posted by SHELDIVR:
1Girl and 1 Boy, it sounds like you could come out ahead dollar wise and comfort wise by investing in some good insulation, something like R20 to R22 value. TVA and some local companies in this business used to offer a "thermo scan" of your home to show where your heat losses actually were happeing. These scans are done on a cold day and allow visualization of the heat being lost from your home. Good luck.


We live in a home built in about 1950, with plaster walls and the whole old kit and kaboodle. I know new energy efficient windows would help, and we could handle new attic insulation, but what is involved in insulating walls in an old home? Also, I love my hardwood floors, but I swear the floors are almost ice cold in winter. What can you do to a crawlspace to keep it warmer in winter?
Those walls can be filled with blown in insulation if you get the right contractor. They will need attick access. If you have sufficient crawl space under those hardwood floors, the contractor might be able to use blown on "flock" insulation. This is a high cellulose material with a sticky additive that allows it to adhere to the underside of your flooring. Insulation is a good investment for the long haul.

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