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Approximately
every 30 days your meter is read by an EES meter reader. Our four
meter readers read from 250 to 400 meters each day for a total of
over 24,000 per month. Yes, they actually read every meter they
can possibly get to. Readings are estimated only when it is impossible
to get to a meter (usually due to bad roads, locked gates, bad dogs,
etc.)
It
takes under five seconds for an experienced meter reader to read
your meter, record the entry on a hand-held computer, and be on
the way to the next meter. If you want to learn how to read you
own meter, see How To Read Your Meter.
The
information is then brought back to our offices, where it is downloaded
to our main frame computer for processing. Once processed, the bills
are printed and sent out to our customers. For more information
on how to interpret what is on the actual bill, see Understanding
Your Light Bill.
All
EES revenues come from bill payments. We pay TVA for the energy
they produced for us. We buy new poles, wire, transformers, bucket
trucks, and pay our employees with what is left over. For a description
of this process, see Where Your Electric
Dollar Goes.
For
tips on how to save money on your bill by reducing wasted energy
in your home, go to the energy
right®
web site. You can find information and make cost comparisons between
gas furnaces and electric heat pumps.
Your
bill amount is directly proportional to the weather outside. Well
insulated homes will not cool down or heat up as quickly, but energy
is required to maintain a steady temperature. Of course, the outside
air temperature is anything but steady. Wind, humidity, and cloud
cover also play major roles in the amount of energy required to
keep our homes comfortable. The way this energy requirement is measured
is called "Degree Days" (either Heating Degree Days or Cooling Degree
Days). The number for each day is the amount of change (in degrees
Fahrenheit) necessary to bring your home to 65 degrees; the temperature
most comfortable for humans. To see the Degree Days posting for
each month in our area, go to the NOAA
web site.
If
you have any other questions about your bill, please contact the
EES Billing Department,
or call them at (423) 542-1100.
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