Burning The Money Wasn't My Goal
March 22, 2019 12:28 PM Subscribe
So my gas usage in February went a little haywire due to a couple of mechanical failures - both of which have been fixed. But that left me with a higher bill than usual. Is there any way I can plead a credit at all, or just suck it up?
For the record, this is NOT going to break me, so "just suck it up" is actually dealable. The bill is just under half of what it usually is, so it's not that out of wack. But I just wanted to check anyway. Here's the sitch.
* I am in one of four units in my building. Each unit has its own separate boiler, and its own internal thermostat (an old-school mercury bulb kind). My thermostat is usually set somewhere between 65 and 68 (my roommate and I like it on the cooler side, and we're at the top floor so we get residual heat from other tenants anyway). The actual heat comes from hot-water baseboard units around almost the entire circumference of the apartment.
* In the first week of February, right when we had a big cold snap in the city, my heat wasn't working. I called the super - and it took a week and repeated visits from an electrician to sort it out; first we thought it was frozen pipes, so I dragged out a couple of space heaters and blasted them at the baseboards; it didn't seem to work, but kept us warm in the interim. In the meantime, at my super's direction, I had the thermostat set to 80. Ultimately we discovered it was a crappy motor in the boiler; they swapped that out, bled the pipes, and within an hour I had heat again. I turned the thermostat back down to 68 again.
* Third week of February: another cold night triggered the heat coming on at about 3 am. Except....it never switched back off, and the heat climbed up to 68 degrees, then 70, then 75, then...I left for work, and it was about 85 in my apartment by the time I got back home. I called the super and he advised me to try doing a couple things to the thermostat itself. None of them worked; I actually finally fixed it by trying a hack I saw in the movie 1408 of all things (opening the cover and tapping the bulb). But all told that was about 18 hours of my thermostat telling the boiler to turn the heat all the way up.
* Last week of February - another issue with the thermostat and another fix-by-me (this time, I turned the thermostat all the way up to match what it was putting out, and then turned it back down, and that worked right away), only about 3 hours of excess heat this time. The thermostat has been behaving itself perfectly since.
So. For all intents and purposes, from the perspective of the gas company, I was indeed using about a weeks' worth of high-heat setting on my thermostat all this time, but in reality it was a mechanical difficulty situation. And the machine that was having the difficulty was not a machine managed by the gas company. And the machines that were having difficulty have since been fixed.
My questions:
1. given that situation, do I have any grounds to request any kind of credit from the gas company? I'm dubious that they'd give me anything, and it's actually my roommate who is urging me to follow up (I only asked him to cover what he usually covers for utilities this month, so he wouldn't have to eat it, but his conscience was bugging him on my behalf because he is an awesome roommate).
2. Should I consider replacing the thermostat even though it seems to be working now, just in case? I was going to request that if it goes out a third time, but some friends are urging me to consider that as a preemptive measure. (I'd like to avoid it if possible, since my lease is up for renewal this year and I'm already leery of the impact the boiler repair is going to have on the quote for next lease's rent.)
For the record, this is NOT going to break me, so "just suck it up" is actually dealable. The bill is just under half of what it usually is, so it's not that out of wack. But I just wanted to check anyway. Here's the sitch.
* I am in one of four units in my building. Each unit has its own separate boiler, and its own internal thermostat (an old-school mercury bulb kind). My thermostat is usually set somewhere between 65 and 68 (my roommate and I like it on the cooler side, and we're at the top floor so we get residual heat from other tenants anyway). The actual heat comes from hot-water baseboard units around almost the entire circumference of the apartment.
* In the first week of February, right when we had a big cold snap in the city, my heat wasn't working. I called the super - and it took a week and repeated visits from an electrician to sort it out; first we thought it was frozen pipes, so I dragged out a couple of space heaters and blasted them at the baseboards; it didn't seem to work, but kept us warm in the interim. In the meantime, at my super's direction, I had the thermostat set to 80. Ultimately we discovered it was a crappy motor in the boiler; they swapped that out, bled the pipes, and within an hour I had heat again. I turned the thermostat back down to 68 again.
* Third week of February: another cold night triggered the heat coming on at about 3 am. Except....it never switched back off, and the heat climbed up to 68 degrees, then 70, then 75, then...I left for work, and it was about 85 in my apartment by the time I got back home. I called the super and he advised me to try doing a couple things to the thermostat itself. None of them worked; I actually finally fixed it by trying a hack I saw in the movie 1408 of all things (opening the cover and tapping the bulb). But all told that was about 18 hours of my thermostat telling the boiler to turn the heat all the way up.
* Last week of February - another issue with the thermostat and another fix-by-me (this time, I turned the thermostat all the way up to match what it was putting out, and then turned it back down, and that worked right away), only about 3 hours of excess heat this time. The thermostat has been behaving itself perfectly since.
So. For all intents and purposes, from the perspective of the gas company, I was indeed using about a weeks' worth of high-heat setting on my thermostat all this time, but in reality it was a mechanical difficulty situation. And the machine that was having the difficulty was not a machine managed by the gas company. And the machines that were having difficulty have since been fixed.
My questions:
1. given that situation, do I have any grounds to request any kind of credit from the gas company? I'm dubious that they'd give me anything, and it's actually my roommate who is urging me to follow up (I only asked him to cover what he usually covers for utilities this month, so he wouldn't have to eat it, but his conscience was bugging him on my behalf because he is an awesome roommate).
2. Should I consider replacing the thermostat even though it seems to be working now, just in case? I was going to request that if it goes out a third time, but some friends are urging me to consider that as a preemptive measure. (I'd like to avoid it if possible, since my lease is up for renewal this year and I'm already leery of the impact the boiler repair is going to have on the quote for next lease's rent.)
I highly doubt the gas company will give you any sort of credit. The gas was used and it wasn't faulty equipment on their end. If you're going to pursue a credit from anyone, it would be your landlord.
posted by Automocar at 12:31 PM on March 22, 2019 [18 favorites]
posted by Automocar at 12:31 PM on March 22, 2019 [18 favorites]
I would be shocked if the gas company would give you any consideration besides mayyyybe a payment plan for gas you did actually use, because any mechanical problems you had with the equipment at your building are not their fault. If your landlord/super are reasonable I might bring this up with them and ask for a rent credit to offset your increased gas costs- but I think you’re barking up the wrong tree with the gas company.
posted by charmedimsure at 12:45 PM on March 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by charmedimsure at 12:45 PM on March 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
You used the gas you used. The utility company isn't going to reduce your bill.
If your thermostat, etc. are owned and maintained by the landlord, you could request an abatement to offset the extra costs incurred. I don't know that the landlord would be required to grant this, but if you have a decent relationship it's worth asking. Part of the issue is that there was a fair amount of fiddling that you did yourself, and the landlord could easily say that the excess gas use was your fault and use that as an excuse not to help defray your extra costs.
In any event, obviously the thermostat needs to be replaced. Just as obviously, it's the landlord and not you who should pay for it and perform the work.
posted by slkinsey at 12:52 PM on March 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
If your thermostat, etc. are owned and maintained by the landlord, you could request an abatement to offset the extra costs incurred. I don't know that the landlord would be required to grant this, but if you have a decent relationship it's worth asking. Part of the issue is that there was a fair amount of fiddling that you did yourself, and the landlord could easily say that the excess gas use was your fault and use that as an excuse not to help defray your extra costs.
In any event, obviously the thermostat needs to be replaced. Just as obviously, it's the landlord and not you who should pay for it and perform the work.
posted by slkinsey at 12:52 PM on March 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
In your situation, I would absolutely call and ask for a credit or discount. You have proof that the thermostat was broken, it's not your fault. The worst they can say is no.
posted by Aquifer at 12:56 PM on March 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Aquifer at 12:56 PM on March 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
A number of gas companies will actually let you appeal for reasons like you listed. It's definitely worth calling to see. I had an issue like this 8 years ago where a pipe burst and my bill was 4x normal and they just wanted documentation that it wasn't my fault.
posted by Nimmie Amee at 1:14 PM on March 22, 2019
posted by Nimmie Amee at 1:14 PM on March 22, 2019
I guess it never hurts to ask, but I wouldn't really expect much; it's not clear why the gas company would give you a credit. From their perspective it's like asking the power company for a credit because someone left the lights on.
Seems like the argument for a credit from your landlord is much stronger. It was their defective equipment that resulted in you getting stuck with the bill. In the electric analogy, they're the ones who left the light on. But it's not like NYC landlords are known for their kindness and generosity. I'd weigh fighting for it against all the many and various ways your landlord can try to ruin your life, and act accordingly.
posted by Kadin2048 at 1:16 PM on March 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
Seems like the argument for a credit from your landlord is much stronger. It was their defective equipment that resulted in you getting stuck with the bill. In the electric analogy, they're the ones who left the light on. But it's not like NYC landlords are known for their kindness and generosity. I'd weigh fighting for it against all the many and various ways your landlord can try to ruin your life, and act accordingly.
posted by Kadin2048 at 1:16 PM on March 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Yeah, this is kind of what I was thinking. Ah well.
I'll file this away as "something to bring up with the landlord when we're talking about the lease renewal later this year".
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:35 PM on March 22, 2019
I'll file this away as "something to bring up with the landlord when we're talking about the lease renewal later this year".
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:35 PM on March 22, 2019
While I hate to ask for something I'm not sure I deserve, I also believe that they can't say yes if you don't ask.
What will it cost you, in time, face, and anything else, if you ask and they say no? Not much; you aren't destroying a personal relationship-- a utility is about as impersonal as even business can get. That you are still willing to pay will keep you in their good graces.
If you could use a payment plan, you can also ask for that; just because you can cover the bill doesn't mean it's good for your finances to cover the whole bill right now. Just think about your cash flow needs, and ask about late fees.
posted by Sunburnt at 2:21 PM on March 22, 2019
What will it cost you, in time, face, and anything else, if you ask and they say no? Not much; you aren't destroying a personal relationship-- a utility is about as impersonal as even business can get. That you are still willing to pay will keep you in their good graces.
If you could use a payment plan, you can also ask for that; just because you can cover the bill doesn't mean it's good for your finances to cover the whole bill right now. Just think about your cash flow needs, and ask about late fees.
posted by Sunburnt at 2:21 PM on March 22, 2019
My city give a credit for water leaks which is water used defectively, just like your thermostat. I don't live in your city, but I am saying it never hurts to ask. They know your average bill and can see excessive usage.
posted by The_Vegetables at 3:04 PM on March 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by The_Vegetables at 3:04 PM on March 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
Not a credit, but it's possible your supplier will do average billing, in which they charge you the same amount every month. Once a year, they make an adjustment, and raise or lower the monthly charge (and bill more for that month, if your usage is up). It would spread out the hit from the problem you had.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 7:53 AM on March 23, 2019
posted by Kirth Gerson at 7:53 AM on March 23, 2019
Call them to see if they have any kind of deals on programmable thermostats. Anything Internet-enabled is an installation hassle, but programmable is really good. You had a high bill, maybe they have some leeway on merch.
posted by theora55 at 11:44 AM on March 23, 2019
posted by theora55 at 11:44 AM on March 23, 2019
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posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:28 PM on March 22, 2019