POWER usage tripled and I wasn't running trains!

Do the math.

How many amps is your house service? 100 ? 200?  You probably use a small fraction of that capability on a day-to-day basis.

To treble your usage, you would need to have used three times the amps that you normally use. Even if that usage were to be spread out evenly over every 24-hour day in the month, you would be taxing your house's wiring system

If the soldering tool uses 1200 Watts, that's 10 amps.  Ten amps is certainly not three times what your house uses for everyday functions.  And I suspect that you did not have the tool running 24/7.

It sounds more like the meter reader transposed a digit or two when he came around the last time.  Most electrical bills these days, to guard against this exact problem, show a little diagram (in the case of mechanical meters) or statement of the past reading (in the case of digital meters) so subscribers can compare their own meter reading with the one on the bill.

Wait for the next bill to arrive, and it will probably be settled accurately.

oh! Math???

What a concept?  Thanks!

If you haven't done so already, I'd suggest you take a look at the reading on your meter and compare it with the reading on your bill. If, as Arthur suggested, there's an error, you don't have to wait and see what happens on the next bill. 

Whether your resistance soldering rig made a significant difference on the electric bill or not depends on what your base is and how much time you were actually using the tool. It is only drawing current when you are actually soldering; it should't draw anything significant when it's just plugged in. I'm with Arthur on this, even an arc welder shouldn't triple your bill, let alone a resistance soldering tool. 

If the usage is real, Con Ed should be willing to send somebody out to do an energy audit and find out what's wrong. Something could be shorted out or running all the time when it shouldn't be. If you have A/C, an electrical fault could cause power usage to skyrocket. If there's something wrong with your compressor motor, like a bad capacitor, the starting load could go through the roof, and if a bum thermostat is causing the unit to short cycle, you could be getting frequent starting loads.

My electric bill in the summer is triple what it is in the winter because of the need to run the A/C in Tucson's 100 degree summer heat, and my compressors all have start kits to reduce the amp load at startup. 

Now that I think on it the tweezers are only powered for a second or two; then I release the power with the foot pedal while still clamping the pieces together as it cools.

so the actual energy usage is even less; its got to be a meter or a faulty reader.

We had a similar occurrence with Comed some years ago. We eventually discovered that the "meter reader" for our sub-division was "curbing", i.e. sitting/sleeping in the automobile instead of actually READING THE DARNED METERS! Thus, we were all receiving bills based on "estimated meter reedings", instead of actual usage. The reason we got such a high electric bill was,,,,,,,someone finally actually READ THE DARNED METER! 

What Hot Water said or they didn't read it this time so this is the estimate. They like to estimate high.

Meters go bad, meter readers often make mistakes, and a few just guess rather than walk back to read it.  You did the right thing.  No way a resistance welder could have tripled your electric bill unless you were using it 24/7 in constant production. 

POWER usage tripled and I wasn't running trains!

 

Seems like the obvious way to lower your power usage is to run some trains.  Or am I missing something?  

We had the same problem here in Pa. a few years ago. Apparently we were using 4 times the electricity in February than in December even tho the Christmas lights were on almost all of December. The lady on the phone asked me if I was running any new appliances or had electric heat or anything that I hadn't thought would raise the usage. I told her that I was doing full power tests on the time machine I was working on but I didn't think that would cause it, she didn't think that was funny. Long story short the meter reader was new and didn't fell like walking around the back of the house to read the meter, he said there was a fence in the way, he didn't mention that there was a gate right next to the meter to his supervisor.

Jerry

I am not a ConEd customer but have experienced swings in gas/electric utility bills, because the utility company sometimes estimates usage instead of reading the meter.  A few months underestimating results in a higher than normal bill the next time the meter is read.  The swings go both ways; one month I called to ask why I had not received a bill and was told the utility's billing system did not allow statements to be issued with negative balances due.  They had overestimated my household's usage!  The utility representative with whom I spoke told me smart meters coming soon will end the guesswork, but that was three years ago.  

Duquesne Light (Pittsburgh, PA) has done a systems wide change of meter that are automatically read via cell phone technology.  There are problems and at least a once a year meter reading. You see additional equipment added for problem reception areas and in some cases phone lines installed to the metering equipment.  The technology easily goes beyond just reading the meter.  All energy becomes more expensive, its great to see system wide attempts to save, save, save.  IMO   Mike CT

If per chance your resistance soldering machine was using that much electricity, all the energy (watts * time) should go into heat, which would heat your house. Assuming you have gas heat, your gas bill would go down.

The previous owners of our house thought the wife was allergic to natural gas (yes CH4), and had the heat changed over to all electric. I have never changed it back.

Smart meters will be a bane to the consumer.  I heard (from a power company employee) they will allow the power companies to reduce capacity at will, charge variable rates for time of day usage and other things detrimental and more costly to the consumers.

Bob

The variable rates have been in effect here for a while. It's just another way for the consumer to get smacked I guess.

Larry

We've had a smart meter, and TOU(Time Of Use) rates,  for over 23 years now and it has been an incredible money saver.

The intensity of energy management continues to ramp-up.  Pennsylvania's Universal construction code, at the least, on the commercial end, requires motion sensors for office space lighting, and system controls on all energy consumption systems via photo control, timing, or motion. HVAC and lighting are primary concern. New construction and large remodel jobs have to meet specific energy consumption criteria, all dictate by the state approved drawings based on square footage and type/purpose of the structure, before construction begins.  You also see energy management installed as standard equipment on HVAC systems.  We have installed energy management systems on residences.  Not common, yet, they were usually involved in heavy electric use, electric heat homes. So it's not just the power companies, it us, (via the government), in attempt to use energy resources wisely. The electric meter becomes a key part of this(these) system(s).   IMO, Mike  Best example is something call a Novar Energy management system, commonly install in all Walmarts.  If you see the lights in the store going on and off during the day, (Pennsylvania), it's because the roof skylights in the structure are to provide primary lighting during the day.  Cloudy days in Pennsylvania are an issue.  These energy management systems are usually not controlled on sight, but at a central management location, often in another states.   

Whether smart metering helps or hurts your electricity cost depends on your lifestyle. If you are in a situation where you have to use more electricity at peak hours, you will get hurt. If you are in a position to shift usage to off-peak times, you will come out ahead. Being retired and home most of the time, I have to run the A/C all day in the summer, which of course is peak time. So, if I get smart metering, I'm probably going to be paying more. If I was gone at work all day, I could let my thermostat go to 85 during the hottest time of day and then crank it back down to 78 before I get home, and I'd be cutting my peak usage. 

Sooooooo, what has this to do with trains?

Train room area is considered living space, requiring both heat/conditioning and lighting, major energy consumption, add the train operation usage/minor.   All part of dollars spent.  If the area was not considered living space and now ramps up, there is an energy consumption that needs to be considered.  IMO.  Between vehicles and the home, energy use has to be one of our major cost.