Customer Service Corner October 2022

From Ghoulies and Ghosties to long-legged Beasties and Things that go Bump in the Night,
life is scary enough without having to worry about phantom utility usage!

Phantom Usage

Phantom utility usage is when electricity or water is being used unintentionally or unknowingly at your home or business. Electric appliances and devices left plugged in while they are not being used can continue to use power, even if they are turned off.

To reduce the waste, unplug those devices when you are not actively using them. From small kitchen appliances to phone and computer chargers, anything left plugged into an outlet can continue to draw an electrical current, and that can add up on your utility bill.

It’s also a good idea to check your large appliances and home comfort systems for efficiency. Clean the coils and fan blades on your fridge and freezer, and make sure your furnace/air conditioner blower and ceiling fan blades are dust and cobweb free as well.

Phantom water usage can really come back to haunt you if it isn’t discovered and corrected quickly. The most frequent culprit is a toilet that isn’t sealing properly at the flush valve. A leaky toilet seal can slowly drain the tank, causing it to refill frequently, which can increase usage each month by hundreds, or even thousands, of gallons.

IMU offers free color tablets in our office, or you can drip a few drops of food coloring into the tank water. If the color appears in the bowl without flushing the toilet, you have a leaky flush valve. Other areas to check for phantom water usage are dripping faucets (be sure to check the outside spigot, too) and leaking service lines to ice makers or water heaters.

Checking for phantom water usage is easy for most customers. If the dial on your water meter is turning when no one is intentionally using the water, you have a leak happening somewhere. Once you find and correct the problem, confirm the fix by checking the meter again. The dial should be still, and the numbers unchanged.