My landlord pays the water bill for my apartment complex. Today the water was shut off in the middle of the day. When I called the water company, they said that the complex was shut off due to non-payment. Are there any legal requirements about notice or use of rental fees by the property management? [more inside]
posted by slavlin on Dec 16, 2009 - 16 answers

Is it common to remove a utility pole but leave a small chunk of it still in use twenty feet up? [more inside]
posted by longsleeves on Nov 28, 2009 - 12 answers

Tell me all you know about electricity markets. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 21, 2009 - 11 answers

Does my landlord have to give me advance notice if he's going to shut down the building's water for a few hours? This is in Ontario. [more inside]
posted by Beardman on Oct 2, 2009 - 8 answers

Is there a Windows utility that will add buttons to the taskbar for windows that normally don't get represented there? [more inside]
posted by odinsdream on Aug 28, 2009 - 7 answers

I have a text file containing a list of image filenames and I'd like to be able to point at a folder and have it select, move or label based on the list of filenames. Is there software, script or tool that makes automating this possible? [more inside]
posted by tinamonster on Jun 25, 2009 - 22 answers

In Washington State, can a landlord legally make a profit off of a business tenant's utility payments? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on May 12, 2009 - 2 answers

Offline blog reader? I've backed up my blog into an XML file. I'd like to read it offline. Open Office has XML support but this is not an efficient solution. There are online solutions--importing the xml file into a new blog, for example--but I'd just like to read while offline from the xml file. Is there a program that will permit this?
posted by tesseract420 on Mar 12, 2009 - 6 answers

We've been in our apartment for six months this February. We have yet to receive an electric bill. [more inside]
posted by meghosaurus on Jan 31, 2009 - 17 answers

Should I ask my roommate to pay her share of the utilities when she was gone all month? [more inside]
posted by bluefly on Jan 16, 2009 - 26 answers

Why does my electric furnace use twice as much energy as my neighbor's? I live in a townhome development and we have the same floor plan. [more inside]
posted by PFL on Jan 13, 2009 - 14 answers

My heating bill is about twice as much as my downstairs neighbors'. What's going on, and what can I do to mitigate the cost? [more inside]
posted by backseatpilot on Jan 3, 2009 - 17 answers

Looking for the best deal on Comcast! I'm moving into a new house in the Denver Metro area tomorrow and I'm looking to get Comcast service. I need television service and high speed internet. I'm willing to commit to up to a year of service. Where can I get the best deal/discounts/perks for signing up as a new customer? [more inside]
posted by shew on Nov 26, 2008 - 6 answers

I would like to learn more about electricity markets, electrical infrastructure, utilities, transmission systems, generation technologies, applicable regulations, etc. Where can I find up-to-date and comprehensive information on these topics? [more inside]
posted by theexpgen on Nov 20, 2008 - 6 answers

My new roommate (of 2 weeks) lied to me about why the gas was turned off. I'm subletting, and I'm getting out. Do I have any option for recourse? [more inside]
posted by sacrifix on Nov 14, 2008 - 28 answers

Telephone lines: whose obligation? Renting in an unincorporated area [more inside]
posted by small_ruminant on Aug 28, 2008 - 4 answers

Can someone suggest a Windows utility to search for non-duplicated files on different hard drives? I've got multiple hard drives with tens of thousands of files on them. Many are duplicates, but not necessarily in the same directories. I need to identify the files that are on one drive, but not on the other, regardless of their location in the directory tree. [more inside]
posted by cosmac on Aug 23, 2008 - 6 answers

Help us to estimate utilities? [more inside]
posted by laskagirl on Jul 16, 2008 - 3 answers

Why do electric utilities either not take credit cards for payment or charge ridiculously large surcharges ($5) to do so? [more inside]
posted by OTA on Jun 22, 2008 - 9 answers

I will be moving to Marina Del Rey from NY soon. I've been a New Yorker all my life, and don't know much about west coast economics. I do come from the 10th most expensive-to-live-in county in the country, so I'm sure I won't be terribly ruffled by the prices. I was hoping I could get some insight on how much it typically costs for: Electric, Gas and Heat, Water, Cable/Net, and any other utilties I may have missed. Thanks!
posted by FireStyle on May 25, 2008 - 10 answers

I am new to renting and I just called the power company and they said that I have to pay a deposit no mater what my credit is. Is this normal practice? [more inside]
posted by stevechemist on May 16, 2008 - 31 answers

I'm helping out a small not-for-profit with their financials and cost-containment. I've received a letter from our local natural gas provider which is confusing and (of course) it has been impossible to find anyone at the company who can give me a straight answer. So, it is up to me to decide, should we take their offer or not when it comes to signing a contract for gas rates? [more inside]
posted by jeanmari on May 12, 2008 - 3 answers

For example say I have a quicktime file open and I want to open the folder where the file resides...is there a program that will do this...? [more inside]
posted by matthelm on Mar 13, 2008 - 7 answers

I bought a house a few months ago, shortly thereafter asked a friend and former housemate to move in with me, and am now feeling almost constantly enraged by behaviors that didn't bother me so much when I didn't own the house we shared. In fairness to myself, I think some of the behaviors are genuinely unfortunate--but I need some advice on what are reasonable limitations and how to stop my own complete transformation into a raging, miserable Nazi. [more inside]
posted by vegsister on Feb 21, 2008 - 15 answers

I recently went out of town for 10 days and had a sprinkler valve fail, and flow for about a week. I just got the water bill 257,200 gallons in water usage (good thing we had a lot of rain this year in Austin) and around a $2000.00 bill not including wastewater. So, I'm going to call the city to see if they'll cut me some slack. Does anyone know if there are any magic words to say that would make the city of Austin ( experience with other municipal utilities would be helpful, I'm sure a lot of them have similar policies) wave some of all of thier charges?
posted by TahitiBlue on Jan 7, 2008 - 20 answers

Last week with the help of AskMetaFilter I installed a new hard drive and a fresh install of Windows XP. Thanks! Now I would like opinions on software and utilities. Hopefully free. [more inside]
posted by snowjoe on Oct 20, 2007 - 24 answers

Is there a utility (freeware or not) that will allow me to specify a directory in Windows XP and monitor that directory for any changes to files (access time, modified time, etc..)? [more inside]
posted by KevinSkomsvold on Oct 8, 2007 - 7 answers

Any software out there that can match files from a folder based on a list of keywords, and move the matches to another folder? [more inside]
posted by nataaniinez on Sep 12, 2007 - 9 answers

My external drive has gone pfft. Now what? [more inside]
posted by Gilbert on Jun 29, 2007 - 2 answers

How to be a (cheapskate) grown-up in Toronto? [more inside]
posted by twistofrhyme on May 30, 2007 - 8 answers

Are there any Windows utilities that manage the status information for multiple IM clients? Skype, MSN, Yahoo... [more inside]
posted by fsmontenegro on Apr 24, 2007 - 2 answers

The cost of apartment living in Vancouver, Canada...? [more inside]
posted by johnsmith415 on Apr 2, 2007 - 8 answers

Why is my ConEd bill so high? [more inside]
posted by cgs on Feb 9, 2007 - 19 answers

So I found a new home. Its great. Only catch is this: there is a washer dryer hookup but I'm pretty sure its hooked up to only one of the unit's electric/gas (I'm not sure who's). This seems like this would ultimately lead to conflict. I'm trying to figure out a low stress solution to this problem. [more inside]
posted by mrgreyisyelling on Jan 25, 2007 - 8 answers

I'm a serial reinstaller of windows. Help me located freeware/shareware programs to properly protect my machine from affects which will make me want to wipe the slate clean again. I’d like to reinstall and do it right from the beginning. Feel free to post any useful utility. [more inside]
posted by JakeLL on Jan 9, 2007 - 13 answers

After a last minute sale of my condo, the deal on the house I bought closes on Thursday. I need to arrange for utilities, insurance, and some repairs, and have next-to-no time to do research. If you have a satisfactory provider of any of these things and said provider's services are available to a Torontonian, recommend away! And of course I'll think of you all when I'm doing my happy dance on my rooftop terrace;-) [more inside]
posted by orange swan on Nov 20, 2006 - 8 answers

Is it legal for landlords in the United States and the State of Colorado to pay the utilities for a building and then evenly divide the sum between all of the apartments? Someone told me that there was law against this but I have been unable to locate it. They said that essentially all units must be metered or the rent can be raised to "include utilities" but that they could not pass utilities on without metering apartments so that each pays their share. [more inside]
posted by occidental on Nov 18, 2006 - 6 answers

I used to have a little software application that would assess my hard drive and display a colorful pie graph of folders and subfolders, so that it was very easy to visually determine the location of the file bulk. Does anyone remember what I'm talking about? Bonus points for freeware.
posted by abbyladybug on Aug 25, 2006 - 14 answers

I want "send to a new folder" to be on my "send to" right-click menu (XP) [more inside]
posted by Kwantsar on Jun 11, 2006 - 12 answers

I just found out our new neighbors are stealing our power. What to do? [more inside]
posted by radioamy on Jun 5, 2006 - 61 answers

I accidentally deleted my Utilities folder (OS X 10.4.5) in a moment of madness. Was there anything in there I actually needed? I am kind of missing Grab. Is there somewhere to download it, or do I need to dig out the install disc?
posted by roofus on Apr 13, 2006 - 5 answers

I'm moving to London in October. Help me decide on phone, internet access etc... [more inside]
posted by smcniven on Mar 16, 2006 - 23 answers

How to calculate the likely cost of my winter Gas heating bill (UK)? [more inside]
posted by lemonpillows on Mar 3, 2006 - 9 answers

Does a utility company have the right to run a cable over my property to my neighbor's house? [more inside]
posted by bondcliff on Feb 23, 2006 - 27 answers

What would you put on a CD to give to non-technical Windows users to help them clean spyware off of their PC and doing other related easy technical tasks? [more inside]
posted by furvyn on Jan 2, 2006 - 9 answers

New Mac UserFilter - Loading up a new iBook: What software and utilities should I put on it. [more inside]
posted by clarkie666 on Dec 16, 2005 - 19 answers

What useful programs/utilities can I put on a thumbdrive? [more inside]
posted by EmuBite on Nov 14, 2005 - 14 answers

I like what VisualCD does (makes a browseable catalog of a given disk), but it is bonking on files bigger than 2GB. This is a deal breaker for my needs. Anybody know a more robust alternative for Win32, that does the same thing?
posted by everichon on Nov 8, 2005 - 0 answers

I'm looking for a Windows tool that will allow you to "Copy as Text" from Windows Explorer. Anybody know of anything? [more inside]
posted by bwilms on Oct 15, 2005 - 12 answers

How much does it cost (or what is the amount of electricity / volume of water used) to do one full load of laundry, as an average. Or, how would I go about getting precise figures for this? I want to know how much too much we pay to operate the pay-per-load laundry machines in our new apartment building.
posted by ChrisR on Jul 16, 2005 - 5 answers