For most people, an unexpectedly high electricity bill is annoying.
For me, it was downright alarming.
I’m a 60-year-old widow who lives alone in a modest suburban home. My expenses are generally predictable, and I’ve lived in the same house long enough to know roughly what my monthly utility bill should look like.
So when I opened my latest electric bill and saw that it was nearly twice as high as usual, I immediately started wondering what had gone wrong.
Had the refrigerator finally given out?
Was the water heater malfunctioning?
Could there have been some hidden electrical problem?
I walked through the house checking everything I could think of.
Nothing had changed.
I hadn’t purchased a new appliance. I hadn’t started using the air conditioner more often. My daily routine was practically identical to the month before.
Yet somehow, my electricity usage had exploded.
At first, I assumed the utility company had made a mistake.
Then, one sleepless night, I discovered the truth.
And it was much more infuriating than a billing error.
