Here’s something interesting. Well, maybe. We got a thingy in the mail from our local utility company. I knew the bill wasn’t due yet, so I when I saw the envelope I assumes they were trying to sell us something, or disseminate utility company propaganda or some such. In fact it was a so-called “Home Energy Report” and it compared out use of electricity to that of our neighbours, which they define as “up to 100 occupied apartments or condos” and average of 0.00 miles from us. There are quite a lot to chose from in a radius of 0.50 miles, for example, but 0.00 miles seems pretty close. Anyway, UI suppose they know what they are talking about.
According to this, we are positively extravagant with electricity. July and August, the air-conditioning I suppose. Yes, on the basis if this, we should cut down… But wait!! We also, it seems, used quite a lot from December to January. Look how the graph slopes upwards. That’s strange, considering that from 12 December to 5 January we weren’t here. We were in England and there was no one in the house except our three cats. The only power used were a couple of lights on time switches, the central heating ready to kick in if the temperature fell below 65° and the refrigerator stayed on. That was it. We had a pet sitter visit to feed the cats and empty their litter tray while we were gone, but I doubt that she did more than switch on a few lights for 15 minutes while she visited. No one used the really heavy users of electricity – dishwasher, washing machine, toaster, electric kettle, microwave – while we were gone, and I am sure we didn’t have neighbours breaking into our place to make use my wife’s hair dryer. So, what’s occurring, GRU? Is this a genuine report, or just a lot of porkie pies (Don’t worry if you don’t understand that last sentence either. I used that term because it’s the Brit in me!)?
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Or do they? I was all ready to look at their chart and be alarmed at our apparent profligate use of “electrickery” as Catweazel used to call it (don’t worry if you don’t know who that is – I just put that in for my sister), when I noticed something. This is what they sent.
According to this, we are positively extravagant with electricity. July and August, the air-conditioning I suppose. Yes, on the basis if this, we should cut down… But wait!! We also, it seems, used quite a lot from December to January. Look how the graph slopes upwards. That’s strange, considering that from 12 December to 5 January we weren’t here. We were in England and there was no one in the house except our three cats. The only power used were a couple of lights on time switches, the central heating ready to kick in if the temperature fell below 65° and the refrigerator stayed on. That was it. We had a pet sitter visit to feed the cats and empty their litter tray while we were gone, but I doubt that she did more than switch on a few lights for 15 minutes while she visited. No one used the really heavy users of electricity – dishwasher, washing machine, toaster, electric kettle, microwave – while we were gone, and I am sure we didn’t have neighbours breaking into our place to make use my wife’s hair dryer. So, what’s occurring, GRU? Is this a genuine report, or just a lot of porkie pies (Don’t worry if you don’t understand that last sentence either. I used that term because it’s the Brit in me!)?
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