New to Real Estate · Lilburn, GA · Member since 2021 · 13 posts · 1 vote
2 of the tenants in a 4plex I manage have been complaining that their electricity bills are almost double their normal amount. They both say that they have not been using more energy than normal but the bill for a unit with a single tenant was $200 and another unit with 2 tenants that are gone for most of the day was a little over $300.
Is there anything that I can do as a landlord in Macon, Georgia to either get the bills down for them or help them understand why it’s so high? Are these just topical prices in the summer time? Should I simply tell them to keep their AC units at 78 degrees when they are not home?
Georgia Power is not sending people out to do energy audits right now because of COVID-19 concerns.
Investor · Shelton, WA · Member since 2017 · 6k+ posts · 6k+ votes
5y
@Austin Sanders Someone coulda' left a window open, setting temp to 78 is a good idea when not there. The PUC does not always read the meter-they do averaging for a number of months and 'catch up' in a month where they actually read the meter; that is very likely the case. Last but not least someone could be stealing power from an outside outlet. All the best!
Investor · Shelton, WA · Member since 2017 · 6k+ posts · 6k+ votes
5y
@Austin Sanders Someone coulda' left a window open, setting temp to 78 is a good idea when not there. The PUC does not always read the meter-they do averaging for a number of months and 'catch up' in a month where they actually read the meter; that is very likely the case. Last but not least someone could be stealing power from an outside outlet. All the best!
Investor · Warner Robins, GA · Member since 2021 · 97 posts · 51 votes
5y
@Austin Sanders this is normal in our area. My electric bill is normally $100+ more in Jun-Aug. unless the owner made some recent changes to the place, it’s probably the A/C usage.
New to Real Estate · Lilburn, GA · Member since 2021 · 13 posts · 1 vote
5y
@Philip Joseph got it. Thank you for the reply! Wanted to make sure this was not something out of the ordinary that was a symptom of a larger problem. I appreciate the wisdom.
Investor · Marietta, GA · Member since 2015 · 382 posts · 258 votes
5y
@Austin Sanders
Could be some inefficiency in the HVAC units. Check to see the evaporator/blowers / conduits are leaking cold air from their seals / paths.. Change filters yourself. See if outsiders compressor coils are dirty. At the end of the day, probably just regular old August/September middle GA / Macon heat.
New to Real Estate · Lilburn, GA · Member since 2021 · 13 posts · 1 vote
5y
@Jonathan G. Got it. We’ve only checked condensate lines thus far because of some water accumulation in the ceiling. I’ll sure to get on that. Thank you for the info!