JCP&L Estimated Billing
Has anyone else received an inflated estimated bill from JCP&L? I just received my bill for August and it's way over my normal usage and cost. See attached graph.
Estimated billing is supposed to be based on previous usage. However the estimated bill I received if far greater than anything previous.
I plan on calling JCP&L to inquire about the excessive amount of my estimated bill. I'm sure they will say things will even out when the next actual read is done. However that doesn't help when I'm stuck paying the high cost of this month's estimated bill.
It's challenging enough with the poor economy and high prices especially for food. Paying this month's inflated electric bill means buying less food for the month.
I would appreciate knowing if anyone else has had a similar experience with overinflated estimated bills from JCP&L and what did you do about it.
Navy Vet Navy Vet
I read my own meter and called them. they corrected my bill. If you check the next meter reading date on your bill, you can read it yourself and call it in. I think you can also record it online when you sign into your online account. It usually beats the alternative.
I've also done that before, when it seemed as though my bill was much higher than it should be. It turned out that the meter reader made an error and read one wheel as if it was already past the next 1,000 mark, when it was actually below it.
Phil D. It appears the other they have made a mistake here or something has changed and their computations.
They used to basically just flatline the previous month. Now, if you’re in the summer months, and they flatline the last month of spring, the estimate can be severely under your actual.
Conversely, if you’re exiting somewhere and going into fall, and they flatline August, your September bill will be overstated at which point you all get a discount in the future.
But, your bill seems to have another spin on it and while you added four days in your billing cycle, they’re also seems to be a spin based on temperature.
Since electric is highly skewed based on air-conditioning days, you can see where this gets much more trouble in this summer. If you look at your previous response, you can see where your trajectory was heading up, and it appears that instead of flatlining, they basically just continued the trajectory, or applied a higher trajectory due to air conditioning days.
In any case, getting them an actual is the best way to potentially get an accurate price. I do not know why they cannot do a better job with this. I’ve been in this house for 30 years, my oil guys come out , one day before I run out or close to that almost every single time and have only missed once in 30 years the electric guys are never even in the ballpark with the estimates. Weird.
Babbit They overestimated mine a couple months ago so high, I ended up with a $91 credit.
Whip Call billing. They will walk you through on how to read your meter while you are on the phone with them. My wife just did it and our bill was adjusted and they took off $58.00
TJS I'm pretty sure they raised the rates by a good chunk, I just looked real quick and it said the avg customer increase was around 8%. So more money for us, for the amazing infrastructure they provide.
YesOk TJS and others
It actually shows you how to read your meter on your bill. No need to call. I just walk outside to my meter, though I haven't needed the instructions in years. Take the bill outside with a pen or pencil and write it directly on your bill. That way you have the information right at hand when you call or report it on their website. Easy peasy! You can also take a picture of the meter and take your time reading it from the picture to make sure you didn't make any mistakes.
I just got my bill today and not only were the degree days higher, but there were several extra days in the billing cycle. I noticed my bill was close to the same as last month's bill. That means the reprogramming I did on my thermostat paid off, otherwise my bill would have been higher if I had left it the same. Yay me;-)
Many thanks to all for your responses. From now on I will be reading my meter and comparing it to the bill I receive from JCP&L.
We do the equal payment plan year round and yes the last bill in the cycle is always inflated. They have been able to spread that high month over 3 months for us.
I think estimate bills are a joke. Don’t they have someone riding around in a truck reading the meter from the street now?
3wbdwnj Your 2024 usage is 17% higher than 2023. So, your August estimate should have been 1.17x 500 kWh (from last August) or 585 kWh... not the 690 they hit you with.
ianimal "In the United States, the average price of electricity increased nearly 11% from 2021 to 2022, and then 5.69% in 2023. This is almost double the historical rate of increase, and the highest increase the U.S. has seen in over 40 years."
Something to tale into consideration as well as the estimated bill..
Greg Look at the charge per kilowatt hour on the current bill, and compare it with what you used to pay. I think they raised the rate significantly. I brought this up last week, and a friend said that was the case.
I used to figure around 14 cents per kWh, but I think it's close to 17 now.
Jim Beckman
Great Meadows
Jim BeckmanLeave a Reply
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