IDK if calling them will do any good.

Is it possible that you did use that much power? Do you have:

A well? - Could be a leaking pipe causing the pump to run a lot.

An electric hot water heater? -Again leaks would increased use.

Space heaters or heat pump? -I know that you said wood heat.

Hopefully you can get it sorted out.

Is your partner mining Bitcoin?

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I have a single wide using a pellet stove for heat. All led lighting. Replaced all my element and thermostat on my water heater. Well is on another houses electric. We don’t use a lot of power my bill has been 600 a month since January. I know multiple people who are more the. 3000+ behind right now. It’s getting crazy and only getting worse.

Get verification on this, but I think CMP raised prices around then or the new year. Shouldn’t have doubled but might explain a portion of the increase.

>That's absurd.

I totally agree.

Welcome to discussion. CMP is fucking everyone. They are the Ticketmaster of (Maine) electric. Everyone knows what’s going on but there’s little that can be done without major bureaucratic intervention

What does the kWh used say on your bills?

Who is your supplier? It will be listed on page 3 of your bill. Standard Offer or one of the competitors? Supply prices for all suppliers went up considerably in January and I bet that is the biggest factor. That is not CMP's fault, as CMP only delivers power; supply comes from another company and CMP does not get revenue from that; but they are required to bill on the supplier's behalf.

Additionally, have you looked at Energy Manager on your CMP account? You can compare your usage to prior years and see if it has gone up.

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CMP prices have not increased in three years, but supply prices have shot thru the roof in that time. That is not CMP's fault; they have been out of the supply side since 2000.

Our bill went up about $300 a month and we didn’t change anything in our power usage routine. Versant is our power company. It’s terrible

Use CMP Energy Manager to find out when the bulk of your usage is happening. You can see an hourly breakdown of usage, then try to think about what devices are using energy during that time.

https://www.cmpco.com/wps/portal/cmp/smartenergy/understandyourusage/energymanager/

We have heat pump and heat pump water heater. 1400 sq feet. No gas or wood at all. We only pay 400 on bad months. So I have no idea how you spend that much

Have fun. Never in the history of r/maine has anyone who complained about their electric bill posted their actual usage.

People also pretend that CMP Energy Manager doesn’t exist. Or that there’s no way to look at hourly usage charts and figure out what in their home is using so much energy during a certain hour.

https://www.cmpco.com/wps/portal/cmp/smartenergy/understandyourusage/energymanager/

Folks, look at your usage by the hour. Look for patterns, look for hours that you are using many KWH. Running a space heater during that time? Hot water tank recovering? Ancient freezer using a ton of energy around the clock?

Absolute truth.

Have you looked at the amount of KWH being used per cycle? Tried to identify any mysterious increase?

Space heaters? Old freezer in the basement that’s super inefficient? Sadly I don’t think Versant offers hourly usage data like CMP does via Energy Manager.

Edit: I think Versant has this in the Bangor Hydro District.

https://www.versantpower.com/my-account/

You can also access daily and hourly usage information from the electric meter at your home through our website at My Account.

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Look at CMP Energy Manager, and look for patterns in your usage. What hours are you using a lot of energy? Is it like this every day? Only on weekdays?

Space heater? Secondary old fridge/freezer? Identifying patterns in your usage will help you reduce it.

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https://www.wmtw.com/article/get-ready-pay-more-power-maine/41983953

Standard offer went up and supply increased. That’s all I meant.

Who is your energy supplier? CMP delivers the energy but you can choose different suppliers and some are above the .17 per Kilowatt which is the cost of the standard offer (my friend was using a different supplier and they were being charged .40-.60 per kilowatt and had a bill of like $500). I would check who your supplier is and see if there is a lower rate

So…check your hourly usage and find out what times during the day there is excessive usage. Look for patterns and go from there.

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You don’t seem to be responsive/wanting to learn more about your energy consumption.

If they aren’t reading your meter, check if the PDF/paper version of your bill states “estimated usage.” The vast majority of homes are on Smart Meters that don’t need to be read.

If you are being billed for 2000kwh, find out if that’s an estimated billing or actual usage. Energy Manager can show you all of that in a few clicks. ✌️

1 thing you can do is seek advice from the Maine Public Utitities Commision, in addition to CMP directly. Record what CMP tells you.

Good luck, they won’t listen or care. I am hearing from so many people that their electric bill has jumped $1000. Our oldest has an $800 electric bill and has no idea why. I’m wondering how many people have smart meters? There was a huge debate about them years ago.

Here I am thinking my 230$ bill is alot. It was 80 three years ago.

Use CMP Energy Manager to look at usage by the hour. Identify patterns in usage like what times of day there is high consumption. That’s the benefit of smart meters.

Once you know when the high usage is happening, you can backtrack and think “what might be running during that hour?”

Same thing to us in Bangor. February was over $220 more than January and absolutely nothing changed. I really don't understand it. We've run a space heater in our bedroom overnight and one on a timer upstairs. None of this has changed since like December

Tell everyone you know and get them to vote for Pine Tree Power

If the Maine PUC was doing its job, we wouldn't have this problem

Meters are smart, there is no “reading” if you have a smart meter, they automatically update usage. The only reading that is done now is if the meter fails to check in or to verify accuracy.

Are you sure if the months that the bill was for? The rates went up significantly in January, as well as CMPs delivery fee. Which offer are you using, standard?

Mine also went from about 320 to 550 with no change in use. CMP busy having its customers fund ads against Pine Tree Power and exacting revenge of the overwhelming no vote for the corridor.

The last thing I want to do is defend CMP, but my bill doubled last month and it was entirely Electricity Maine’s supplier rate.

>my bill doubled last month and it was entirely Electricity Maine’s supplier rate.

Please tell me you have switched to a less expensive option. Electricity Maine has been ripping off customers for years... Far worse than CMP.

>Standard offer went up and supply increased. That’s all I meant.

You wrongly blamed CMP for standard offer/supply price increases. That is all I meant.

>as well as CMPs delivery fee.

CMP's delivery fee has not increased since 2000. The only increases have been on the supply side

CMP is not perfect but people here seem to think it is okay to spread false information and blame them for supply prices they have zero co trol over.

Blame New Brunswick Power and NextEra for standard offer increases. The other electricity supply ripoff artists like Electricity Maine are far too numerous to list here.

Please give us your kilowatt hours per month

Dang, I'm pretty lucky... Over the last 8 months my bill has been an average of $22.63.

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CMPs lobbying power in uncanny

Do you really not think that CMP also benefits from the rate hikes? They collect more supplier fees when the rates go up. They lobby for more rate hikes every year. Their profits are at a record high. This isn't a not for profit electricity company, although one is going to be on the ballot!

In addition to the suggestions here, when you do call, ask them to confirm the meter number attached to your account. (Not sure if you recently had a new meter put in or any changes like that?) One time (albeit in a different state), the power company transposed two numbers on my meter during some update, and I started getting crazy bills. Took months to straighten that one out.

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Pine Tree Power is a great name too. 👌

Can you tell me how CMP gets money from increased supplier fees? Won’t delivery be the same since it’s based on unit?

Yep, old bill LWH usage and new bill KWH usage. I find it hard to believe with the old rates you were burning $260 worth of electricity a month without some sort of electric heating/cooling involved, or some other major draw, because you're probably well north of 1000 KWH/month.

Agreed. My power consumption is outrageous and even I don't use that much electricity.

I had no problem with them for years, until last month. I want to just switch to the standard offer and be done with it, but my wife is determined to try to get some kind of refund first. 🙄

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Good question, anybody know if CMP has had increased profits this year? I assume it should be down since it was a milder winter.

That would be a good argument that CMP isn’t making money off of the increases

There are other reasons for increased profits. Lower costs from cuts. Capital investments in previous years paying off. Fewer storms. No pandemic. Increased fuel costs meaning poor people are resorting to electric heat more.

Of all the things to hate CMP for, why focus on blaming them for higher supply fees? The more likely story is that all those suppliers need to recoup their anti-corridor campaign funds and cash in before a huge green investment.

Do you use any electric heat sources ? Like a space heater for backup? Baseboard heating ?

Almost always when electric spikes massively in the winter months, it’s due to heating.

Compare your delivery fee 2021 to now and tell me again the CMP didn't increase their supply rates. take a chill pill and stop yelling.

CMP did increase delivery rates on standard offer by 49% in 2023 so that could contribute I would think.

That they did. Maybe I misread it, but the poster I was responding to said that CMP benefitted from higher supplier rates.

Right, sorry if I sounded aggressive! I wasn’t really targeting you, just wanted to add to that thread.

I just feel like a lot of people are saying cmp isn’t making any money and isn’t the problem at all and I just don’t get where that message is coming from.

No worries. It sucks since I’m no CMP apologist but I certainly feel like one for suggesting they’re not 100% evil.

Look at and compare usages by kw/month. It could be you are using the same amount as in the past, but unfortunately price per kw/hour is through the roof from last year.

They don’t “read” your physical meter anymore. It’s all digital. He’s suggesting a logical step to rule out an appliance issue causing to much draw which is much more likely than a CMP meter error.

Ignoring the good advice given here won’t lower your bill.

you can always try your state rep if calling cmp doesn’t clear up the mystery/issue

Thank you!

I did not yell. However, CMP does not have supply rates. Since 2000, CMP has been out of the electricity supply business. Period. This is a fact.

The increases in supply rates are from another company. CMP is in the unenviable position of being required by law to bill on suppliers' behalf. It is strictly a pass thru.

Again, CMP only delivers power, like a FexEx for electrons. CMP is not allowed to supply power. They get no revenue from the supply portion of your bill. so calling it "their" (CMP) supply rates is inaccurate.

Janet mills is in their pocket…

>I had no problem with them for years, until last month. I want to just switch to the standard offer and be done with it, but my wife is determined to try to get some kind of refund first. 🙄

If you have been with Electricity Maine for years, you have been getting ripped off. They started overcharging years ago. And it is not up to CMP to refund what you paid to a supplier. It is not CMP's fault that you signed up with a disreputable supplier.

Good luck with getting a refund. You might want to check with the MPUC's consumer assistance office or the Public Advocate. Not sure they can help but the more complaints logged against EM, the better.

Shhhh. Reddit users love the democrat side of politics

>CMP did increase delivery rates on standard offer by 49% in 2023 so that could contribute I would think.

The delivery rates have not changed in 2023. The supply rates did. Please place the blame where it belongs... with the supplier, not CMP

>Can you tell me how CMP gets money from increased supplier fees? Won’t delivery be the same since it’s based on unit?

CMP does not get a single nickel from higher supplier fees. Not. One. Nickel. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

Do you have standard offer for supply or do you have an alternate supplier that might have raised their rate without notifying you? If you do have an alternate supplier, you can change that. Check if there's a difference in that rate from December to January. This is different from CMP's delivery rate and is spelled out on your bills.

I pay 900 a month in the winter months

I prefer Janet mills to lepage but Janet is an obvious shill for versant and CMP and I don’t like the nepotism in her administration..

Same. They all kinda suck.

And lights do not draw that many KWh. Especially led. I leave lights on every night all year and only costs me a couple dollars more per month

Check who your supplier is. I process numerous cmp bills, and some of the suppliers are way MORE expensive than the standard supplier.

You said the quiet part out loud……

People in Spain gotta eat too, bub.

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1-800-CALL-JOE

Not sure about before that, but in January the standard offer rate went from .09 to .17 per kWh. It literally almost doubled. Our bill has been over $500 a month since.

Last delivery rate for cmp increased August 2021 (of 11.5%) and they requested a 30% increase last year but were denied. So not for lack of trying.

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Same, my 1250 square foot apartment has never cost more than $65 in a month, winter or not. Confused at all these $800 CMP bills. I get I’m in an apartment and not a full house but still, something isn’t right

My two cents. Get a Kill A Watt and check your appliances, etc. An old or dying fridge, etc can play havoc with your electric bill. How old is the hot water heater? A bad element can draw lots of juice. Do some investigating.

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Any chance a neighbor may be hooked into your setup? I did have a neighbor’s security lights on my bill years ago. A screw up on their end is always a possibility. I hope you can talk a a real person who can help you. A $500 bill would give me a heart attack.

The only thing I can think of is we had a new Heat pump water heater in our basement and to get sufficient hot water it had to run on hybrid or electric mode once the basement temp got below 55. It was horrendously inefficient. There was one cold month where the basement got to 48 degrees for a week. The unit ran nonstop and the electric bill spiked by $250+ alone.

The worst part was after 2 years the unit started failing. Company came out to look at it. Spent hours, couldn't figure out why. Warranty replacement but guess what? Warranty only covers the cost of the unit, not the removal and installation of a new unit. So I was out another $700.

I didn't know about Maine's implied warranty laws then so I never tried to recover that $700, but I totally would now.

How many different times are you going to spam this info on this thread? You like the Energy Manager, we get it

Human trafficking unit here using others for their electronic harassment grow rooms and general electricity bills. Many used my childhood phone number and claimed I was everything under the sun to hurt me. 2077970285 upside down cross and was being used by a "Central Maine Phlower" copy cat mimic tax evasion. See also Josh Gates.

So what is the term used for CMP chagrinning customers to deliver the electricity, provide customer service, equipment repairs etc ( I used deliver fee) I understand that cmp does not generate the power and does not sell power, I switch my provider every 6 months or when ever the contract agreement runs out.

Get a clamp on ammeter and test at your main electric panel to see how many amps your house is using. You can then turn off one breaker at a time to find any high draw circuits. Maybe you have an appliance or well pump that is continuously running.

You better preach for the people in the back!

I'm in New Hampshire right now and if you want to take NHEC I'll happily trade you for CMP. NHEC is literally just CMP with 1/8 of the employees needed to keep the service functional.

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You must be super fun at parties.

Unfortunately, so were the alternatives to Mills.

Mills was the best of shitty options. Which should be the Democratic Party's motto.

At CMP parties she’s a blast

According to the energy manager my house is spiking in usage at 4am every other day or so, when everyone in the house is fast asleep. There are spikes again throughout the day when appliances and the furnace are not running. It’s helpful to recommend the energy manager tool to people, but to us it just proved that there is an issue on CMPs end. It shows high usage at 10am when my husband is working, my baby is sleeping, and I’m folding laundry. I don’t run appliances then, the lights aren’t on and the furnace doesn’t run. We have been keeping a log and comparing it to the Energy Manager and it is completely wrong. CMP asked us to keep a log and when we showed them they said it was probably a freezer running for too long. And that our chest freezer from 2017 is “getting to be pretty old”.

Have a sense power monitor installed. You can get one from Amazon, install it yourself if your handy. It will tell you what’s running and you should be able to see any issues.

I didn’t know this! I just signed up - thank you!

Does your partner use toys by chance when you are gone?

Bad or old wiring? You can always rent a kilowatt from a library to check appliances to see how much they are drawing power. Could check breakers (on/off) to see what’s drawing power.

Could be a sign of a dying well pump if you have one. Or a sump pump.

The Public Utilities Commission.

I live alone and am rarely home. My bill is close to $500/month now, too.

As a woman, I love mills. As a mainer I'm shakes angry fist

But lepage would have been shitty all around.

Our prices also doubled from November into December. Having electric heat really effed us

They're giving you really good advice, if you really want to figure out what the problem. Where is CMP getting those numbers from? This is how you would find out.

Not sure if someone else posted, but in the fine print of your bill is the number for the Public Utilities Commission. In 2019 I spoke at their hearings w/CMP lawyers present. I plan to again in the very near future. Possibly contacting your town's legislative representative.

This is why we have on the fall referendum the option to vote for Pine Tree Power, which is consumer owned. Madison Electric, Kennebunk, Boothbay Harbor and other towns have their own community based company. I have friends that live in those areas and swear their bills are lower and don't have the outages like the rest of us.

There was a rate increase in January. Oh and CMP is going to the P.U.C. to request yet another rate hike. So their stockholders can get more profits.

I had a heat pump in my previous home, a small ranch. It was highly inefficient and expensive.

I know more than one person who had CMP billing them for the wrong meter number and claimed to have fixed it only to not have fixed it.

I say follow the other user’s investigation suggestions but if you really can find no cause and CMP totally refuses to budge, consider involving the AGs office by filing a consumer protections complaint. I had excellent luck with them when Nordx refused to bill my insurance, ignored my messages for like 10 months and tried to send me to collections. AG put the right pressure on them.

A relative's neighbor had bills like this when the house was unoccupied for a couple months. CMP won't budge.

Yes. Kennebunk residents always speak highly of KL&P. I'll be voting for PTP.

Definitely call CMP customer service, they will walk through it with you. Just call them and explain your situation

They've been doing this for decades and get approved for opposite reasons. - raise rates because we didn't generate enough and had to buy... Or raise rates because we generated too much and had to sell at a loss. Stupid.

There was a thread yesterday where a whole bunch of people did 🤷

Mills vs LePage wasn't about democrats or Republicans.

It was someone who is an all around let down vs someone who is a complete idiot and a raging asshole who continuously cut essential programs.

LePage also took money from donors and gave special attention to them.

We went with the letdown and anyone who voted only because of the R or the D next to their name probably never learned to breathe through their nose.

Yeah they seem to have tripled their rates overnight a couple months ago. No doubt it’s to pay for all those ads they are spamming everywhere to convince us that we can’t live without them.

I think everyone is in the same boat.

I left Maine just in time.

Yikes. I hate that state government... But I love the state itself..the outdoors part...

You really think people in Spain are profiting from CMP? Spare us the appeals to xenophobia. An international class of investors who happen to have offices in Spain are profiting from CMP. The average Spaniard doesn’t see a penny of that.

he might be one of the luddites that opted out of the smart meter because radiation or something

In our current home we have on-demand tankless propane. Is it the most eco-friendly? Highly debatable (most of Maine's electricity is powered by natural gas) unless you're comparing to solar. But it is awesome. Never run out of hot water, completely independent of ambient humidity and temperature.

I don't feel fucked by CMP, I feel fucked from the supply companies like NextEra and Electricity Maine. The PUC has approved rate increase, after rate increase over the last year totaling over 120%! Why would we take on a multibillion dollar debt when the seizure would still leave us vulnerable to the companies who are responsible for over 60% of our bill and unapologetically jacking our rates left and right?

Quite possible. Talked about his meter being read, refuses to look up his hourly usage, then deletes his post when everybody asks him about his energy usage.

a great tool that people should really access more!

High usage during the 10am hour after your husband got ready for work and you’ve just done laundry— washer, dryer, hot water heater recovering?

No other units/tenants in the building that could be sharing your electricity?

What if you do something energy intensive at a certain time of the day, like run your oven for 20 minutes? Are you able to see the spike in Energy Manager?

That specific 10am example, no one showered that morning and no appliances had been run except for the coffee machine at 730. The laundry was washed the day prior waiting to be folded.

We are in a single family home.

In the evenings we cook dinner, give our baby a bath, wash dishes, and shower ourselves. That shows a moderate increase that correlates with the Energy Manager.

ETA- the spikes I’m talking about are sustained usage of 4-5kwh. There is no correlation, especially the recurring 4am one.

Our usage has remained double our normal amount since July of last year. Nothing about our lifestyle has changed and all of appliances have been checked.

Something must be running during that 4am hour. Selectively turn off stuff in the breaker panel and try to find out.

Turn off the electric hot water heater (if you have one) before bed, see how everything looks that next morning. Turn it back on at a recorded time and check the usage.

Then try with the range/stove, and other big appliances.