A New York woman has expressed outrage after discovering that she had spent a decade paying for her neighbour’s electricity because of incorrectly connected electricity meters in her apartment building.
Nicole Niceforo, a Con Edison customer, began experiencing unusually high electricity bills around 10 years ago.
The rising costs forced her to significantly reduce her energy consumption, including limiting her use of air conditioning during the summer.
Speaking to Fox 5 New York, Niceforo said she first questioned the accuracy of her electricity charges in September 2016 and requested that a technician inspect her meter.
She described years of repeated calls and correspondence with the electricity provider as an exhausting experience.
“I spent a lot of time and energy repeatedly calling them… It’s frustration beyond belief,” she said.
Decade of Conserving Electricity Failed to Reduce Her Bills
Despite the unusually high charges, Niceforo said she continued taking measures to reduce her electricity consumption.
She avoided using her air conditioner, endured high temperatures during summer and regularly unplugged electronic devices and household appliances whenever she left her apartment.
She also sent several emails to Con Edison questioning the amount she was being charged.
However, the company attributed the increased bills to factors including high summer temperatures and other external conditions.
Con Edison subsequently referred her to her building management, which carried out a basic meter test by asking her to switch on her microwave to establish whether the electricity meter was functioning.
After the test confirmed that the meter was working, Niceforo continued paying the bills, despite her concerns about the unusually high costs.
Building Manager Discovers Electricity Meter Wiring Mix-Up
The issue was revisited approximately nine years later when Niceforo pushed for another inspection of her electricity meter.
During the subsequent investigation, her building manager discovered that the meter assigned to her apartment was connected to a different apartment.
The wiring error meant Niceforo had been paying her neighbour’s electricity bills for approximately 10 years.
The discovery left her outraged, particularly after years of restricting her electricity consumption in an attempt to manage what she believed were her own high energy costs.
Con Edison Issues $6,000 Refund
Following the discovery, Niceforo contacted Con Edison, which acknowledged the billing error and provided corrected electricity statements.
The revised calculations revealed a substantial difference between the amounts she had been charged and her actual electricity consumption.
In one instance, she had been billed nearly $180 for a month when her correct electricity bill should have been just $41.
Con Edison subsequently reimbursed her $6,000.
However, the company only refunded payments covering the previous six years, citing its reimbursement policy.
A Con Edison technician also corrected the faulty electrical wiring.
In a statement to Fox 5 New York, the company said it valued its customers and worked with those who believed their electricity consumption was not being accurately reflected in their bills.
Con Edison also stated that electrical equipment associated with individual building meters was generally the responsibility of the building owner.
Other New Yorkers Have Reported Similar Billing Errors
Niceforo’s experience is not the only reported case involving incorrectly assigned electricity meters among Con Edison customers.
In 2024, another Queens resident named Nicole told The City Reporter that she became suspicious of her electricity bills after noticing that her charges remained unchanged while she was away on vacation.
Her suspicions grew when her neighbours left their apartments and her recorded electricity usage dropped to zero.
After living in the building for approximately a year, she eventually had a Con Edison technician investigate the issue.
The inspection confirmed that the electricity meters had been incorrectly connected.
At the time, Con Edison described such wiring mistakes as rare.
Another Brooklyn resident, Jacob Mnookin, also told The City Reporter that Con Edison had begun charging him for his tenants’ electricity after solar equipment was installed in their apartments.
