California man finds he’s been paying his neighbor’s electric bill for 15 years

A California man has realised that he has inadvertently been paying his neighbor’s electricity bill – for at least the last 15 years.

Ken Wilson, who lives in Vacaville between Sacramento and San Francisco, had been worried that his bill was higher than other people’s, which did not make sense to him because he often sought to save power, he told local TV station KMAX/KOVR .

“I’ve been trying to conserve electricity and lower my costs because it was getting really expensive,” Wilson said.

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Eventually he complained to the local utility, PG&E, which sent a worker out to investigate. “I thought there was a leak or someone was stealing my electricity or the meter was faulty because something wasn’t right,” Wilson said.

Instead, PG&E discovered Wilson’s meter was linked to unit No 91 in his building, not his own apartment, No 90. Records suggested the situation had been going on since at least 2009.

PG&E apologized in a statement on Monday and said a preliminary investigation revealed “the meter number for the customer’s apartment was being billed to another apartment since potentially 2009”.

But Wilson told KMAX/KOVR he moved into the apartment in 2006, and believes he may have been paying the wrong bill from the beginning – a total of 18 years. “I just hope this story is going to help others. I can’t be the only one,” he said.

For now, however, Wilson is still paying his neighbor’s bill – as PG&E said it can only be changed in the next billing cycle.