Problem with Landlord Repair…

By Francine

I need help and I have no idea where to turn. My GA Power bill for the service period of 11-25-08 thru 12-30-08 was $330.38!! I have lived in this apt complex for 5 years and I have never had a GA Power bill that high before. I live in a one bedroom loft apartment 1013 square feet. I have spoken with other tenants in the complex with larger units whose bills are a THIRD of my bill. GA Power suggests that I set my thermostat at 68 degrees if I were to set my thermostat that low I’d freeze. I have always (at the direction of maintenance) had to set my thermostat to at least 78 degrees in the winter in order for it to be a comfortable temperature in my unit. And even in that I have never had a $300 GA Power bill. Management at my apt complex tells me maintenance came out and says there’s no problem. I always turn the thermostat down each day when I leave for work and after I got the first high bill I did whatever else I could to make the next bill lower but it was even higher $345.41!!! I was getting no assistance from the front office and maintenance so I called a heating & air company for an independent inspection. At which point I was told the apt has an electric heat pump system and the technician found the system empty with an “existing leak on the system”. When he left my apt was warmer than it has been in a very long time. Well that quickly ended last night I ended up having to just turn it off all together b/c once again it was not heating. The temperature is getting ready to drop again here in GA. I do not know what to do. I already feel like I have been overpaying on my electric bills for several years now b/c as far back as I can remember I have had to call maintenance out each summer and each winter b/c of the system wasn’t cooling or heating. My bills have always spiked but I thought that was normal. It wasn’t until it spiked to $300 and until I spoke with other tenants in larger units whose bills were only $125 that I really knew there was a problem. My electric bills have never been that low in the winter/summer. I have to pay the $330.38 by 2/25/09 or the electric will be shut off I used $231 of that when I called the technician out for an independent inspection. And now I’m back to square one on not having any heat. Please help. What do I do?

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