KHOU-11 decided to check out how accurate utility meter reading is:
Sanford Dow is one of thousands of customers who feel they’ve been ripped off.
Dow explains that the water bill was outrageously high, as if someone was making it all up. “Yeah, that’s what it certainly appeared to me.”
What 11 News found was when it comes to you, the residential customer you are on your own. Nobody’s independently checking to see if your utility meters work, or if the utility companies are doing an accurate job reading them and billing you.
Patricia Dolese says it’s the consumer’s responsibility to check.
Dolese used to handle customer complaints for the Texas Public Utility Commission.
The PUC regulates how much electric companies like Reliant charge, but has no systematic way of checking or auditing a company’s metering and billing.
Centerpoint Energy says it does have an auditing arm — its customers:
“We read 3 million meters a month,” says James Sheppard of CenterPoint Energy.
CenterPoint Energy says its meter-reading is nearly 100 percent accurate.
“I don’t think there’s widespread inaccurate billing, no,” says Sheppard.
But how do they know?
“I think we have 3 million customers that audit a month,” says Sheppard.
So then is it really up to the customer to make sure that the bill seems to reflect accurately what they used?
“Sure, and I’m one of those customers,” says Sheppard.
The story also says that big customers, such as HISD for example, hire consultants to check meter readings. HISD says it now saves $1 million per year by checking utility bills.
A staffer in Councilman Michael Berry’s office went out and read some meters, compared the readings to previous bills and discovered discrepancies.
As for the gentleman at the beginning of the story with the disputed water bill, he gave up and paid it:
Sanford Dow says he fought with the water department, but finally gave up and paid a $1,300 bill.
“I figured I needed to shower every day and move on with my life,” he says.
$1,300! Apparently, you really can’t fight city hall.
RELATED: Houston’s tricky water billing method (blogHOUSTON)
