WAPA and defective meter

Curious to how you computed your numbers.

Your reference NIS standards, can you post this information and or provide details how it could be found on the internet.

Did you factor in line loss?

Exactly how did you figure you usage, any tools ?

numbers are computed with the use of a known wattage item versus the time it takes the disc to do a quantity noted rotations on the meter.
Plus the data for the manufacture indicated upon the face plate of the meter.

Sorry, that should have been NSI, National Standards Institute...who set the standards for all things that a "retail charged for"

Line loss has nothing to do with the accuracy of the meter...that is charged for in a separate line item on the bill at a preset rate!
That line loss is based upon the data supplied by the dials on the meter....whether wrong or not...WAPA charges for the reading data!!!!

tools necessary are a large known wattage item, designed for the line voltage of meter being tested, plus a good stop watch and ability to count rotations of the disc to at least 10, 20 or so...again the speed is proportional to the known wattage used.

maybe I should start a company to "test" watt hour meters on the island???
don't even have to open the WAPA seal to test!!

Having been a auxiliary power engineer for the past 25 years I know it is something easy for me to do from past experience....maybe not so for others!

We recently had our meter replaced for net metering. Would you think the digital meters are accurate?

I unfortunately believe that without certification traceable to NIST standards whomever qualifies the meter is subject to error or mistakes.
Anything electric or electromechanical has tolerance to power variables during certification...would guess that if supplied by WAPA, I am sure that your have a question of critical technical ability to test and certify a device....since I was originally told by WAPA that it was impossible to error to the positive only to a negative rate, I have learned that anything adjustable goes both directions....easily put!

If you purchased the meter for your usage the mfg can give you a certificate of compliance to NIST...I don't think WAPA can do that!

"maybe I should start a company to "test" watt hour meters on the island???
don't even have to open the WAPA seal to test!!"

Please do!!! We never use AC and our bills are $1,600 per month. Something has to be crazy wrong with ours. Months when we're off island and have only a frig/freezer and pool filer on are $650 (for no one living in it).

WAPA has been known to steal from and cheat their customers and can't be trusted. Perhaps you can sue them.

If you lived in STT, I'd have you over to my house in a flash!

Please do!!! We never use AC and our bills are $1,600 per month. Something has to be crazy wrong with ours. Months when we're off island and have only a frig/freezer and pool filer on are $650 (for no one living in it).

Have you checked your actual usage based on the estimated energy pull of the appliances/pool pump? Have you called an electrician to come out and check your wiring? If an electrician determines there's something amiss which requires WAPA's intervention, they'll come out to check. Notwithstanding all the usual horror stories about WAPA I've never had a problem getting them to come out to both commercial and residential properties when either things have gone wrong or readings have become skewed.

we've had our wiring checked by our electrician, with no problems noted. I haven't done a pull calculation, but part of it is not knowing what % of the time the frig/freezers are running, etc.

we've had our wiring checked by our electrician, with no problems noted. I haven't done a pull calculation, but part of it is not knowing what % of the time the frig/freezers are running, etc.

You can check the model's average consumption on line and I've found them to be pretty accurate. Did quite a bit of research when replacing old refrigerators and freezers with new energy-saving appliances and, between that and replacing my light bulbs (inside and out) with energy-saving alternatives and replacing old toilets with low flushers, I finally saw a reduction of over one third on my WAPA bill and that was a real thrill. Every little helps!

Buy a Kill a Watt meter at the hardware or on line. Plug your appliance into the plug and after a couple of days look at display on the meter and it will tell you exactly how many Watts any electrical appliance used. Survey all your appliances and you will find out which ones are the energy hogs.

Unfortunately the Kill a Watt won't help you check out your AC, electric stove or dryer. There are whole house meters which you can connect to your electrical panel and will send the data directly to a display and your PC. This will cost you a couple hundred dollars vs thirty bucks for the Kill A Watt meter.

Buy a Kill a Watt meter at the hardware or on line. Plug your appliance into the plug and after a couple of days look at display on the meter and it will tell you exactly how many Watts any electrical appliance used. Survey all your appliances and you will find out which ones are the energy hogs.

Unfortunately the Kill a Watt won't help you check out your AC, electric stove or dryer. There are whole house meters which you can connect to your electrical panel and will send the data directly to a display and your PC. This will cost you a couple hundred dollars vs thirty bucks for the Kill A Watt meter.

One of the whole home devices can be seen here. http://www.currentcost.com/products.html

Good Morning - Have used the kill a watt meter, some surprises, frig not that bad, cable box and tv (off) $5= a month. What I wonder is the effect of KW usuage when the current isn't 60 cyle)? Varys 58.x, 59, 60 etc,

CHRIS MI you have a $1600 WAPA BILL???????? WTH are you doing and how big is your home!?!?! We have a 2bd 2bath and never over $150. Thats INSANE. Honestly I would MOVE if my bill was that expensive.

as can be totally expected...contacted WAPA customer service, by e-mail, since nobody could be found when I called!
That was Tuesday morning, no answer or comment to date.
Guess it is just as easy to ignore a phone call as an e-mail.
going to try the phone again today....lets see what happens!

Email? WAPA? You're kidding us right???

Actually friends of ours had really good luck with email! I'll see if they still have the address and if so will share! I think they mentioned it was someone higher up the chain!

Good luck captpete!

caribe, i have had to email for work and have had pretty good luck

CHRIS MI you have a $1600 WAPA BILL???????? WTH are you doing and how big is your home!?!?! We have a 2bd 2bath and never over $150. Thats INSANE. Honestly I would MOVE if my bill was that expensive.

Well, we'd have to sell the place first 😉 We figured it would be about $1k a month, but it's been a pretty consistent $1,600-$1,700 a month. We had one month where we were off island the whole month and it was still $650. The people that lived in it before were getting in the high 2s in the summer, but they were wasteful with AC (leaving windows and doors open, leaving the hot tub cover off), while we really do not use AC at all, even in summer. It's not like I have a 1,000 sf hydroponic grow room or something 😉

That's crazy. Our bill has never been more than $550, even running the pool pump eight hours a day.

You should ask WAPA to test your meter.

You should take care of this the American way. Find a couple of dozen people whose WAPA bills are only about $200-300 per month, and have the government FORCE them to join a power "exchange" with you. Then average all of your monthly bills. You would all then pay $600 per month. Sounds fair, right?

Congratulations on lowering your electric bill!

I have made 9 phone calls to WAPA...customer service.
when they answer they are helpful and always have to transfer you to the correct extension....holly crap, every transfer has put me to a phone message that the "box is full" please call again later!
I have never connected to a person for any help past the operator...who doesn't know anything!
In the past I would have an answer within a day of sending an email...guess they are having a tough time in that department too..
Have sent 3 emails...two to customer service and one direct to a "WAPA" person!!!
Oh well... not one answer.
I would like to have as many as possible persons on the island of St Croix who would like to have their meter tested and willing to join into a class action suite again WAPA for non-compliant meter systems.
I believe that most every meter will be out of compliance with NIST regulations for utilities charging rates as calculated by an electro=mechanical device.
All fuel pumps at gas stations and scales in stores need to be certified compliant of that business can be fined...that is also true for utilities like WAPA...I'm ready.
I have talked with many persons and all have belief that they are being overcharged...so now I am on my warhorse to prove they have been systematically overcharging for usage billing for years, and years!.
Let me know if you would like your meter tested....overall cost would be less than $5.00 added to your bill due to the large wattage test that will be consuming your power for a few minutes!
The test doesn't break the meter seal...and works best on any house that has a generator / WAPA power diverter transfer switch, although I can adapt to any house with a meter panel with master line breaker.
If you willing after the test provides results of "non-compliance" of meter data...add yourself to the list of those who wish to press the issue with the power company.
Let me know, I know I might be fighting city hall...but this may also be a good start against the crap we have been getting for years!
My understanding from the meter companies I have been in contact with....this test works with any meter, digital, analog or reversing for net metering...al long as it has a spinning "disc" to indicate the flow of minimal current.

Don't know how this will work but you could also try contacting all the Senators. After all, isn't that why they get paid the big buck$?

info@judibuckely.com;
dcapehart@legvi.org;
dcole@legvi.org,
kgittens@legvi.org,
cgraham@legvi.org,
ahansen@legvi.org,
mjackson@legvi.org,
senatormalone@gmail.com, also smmalone1@yahoo.com,
troach@legvi.org,
cpayne@legvi.org,
teamnellie@gmail.com,
jyoung@legvi.org,
payne.clarence@gmail.com,
sammuelsanes@yahoo.com,
positive__1@hotmail.com
craig@visenate.org,
edorsett@legvi.org (think this guy answers for Hansen)