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A woman from New York was stunned when a long battle with her electricity provider led to a shocking revelation—she had been paying her neighbor’s electric bill for years.
Ten years ago, Nicole Niceforo noticed her Con Edison bill for her Manhattan apartment suddenly skyrocketed, prompting her to drastically cut energy use in a bid to reduce costs.
Niceforo shared with a local Fox affiliateFox 5 New Yorkthat she first asked for a meter inspection by a technician in September 2016, after growing suspicious of the unusually high charges.
‘I put in so much time and effort calling them… it was beyond frustrating,’ she said.
For ten years, Niceforo lived in fear of using her air conditioner, enduring sweltering summer heat and even unplugging devices when leaving the apartment to try and lower her electricity costs.
She contacted Con Ed several times, but was informed that the increasing charges were a result of summer heat and other outside influences.
Con Ed referred her to the building’s management, who conducted a meter check by having her activate her microwave to verify it was functioning properly.
With the meter operating as expected, she continued paying her electricity bills for nine more years until she requested another inspection.
It was then that the building manager discovered her meter had been incorrectly connected to another apartment, meaning she had been covering her neighbor’s energy costs for nearly ten years.
Niceforo brought the matter to Con Ed’s attention, which admitted the mistake and issued corrected bills—revealing a staggering discrepancy. In one instance, she was billed just under $180, despite her actual usage costing only $41.
The New Yorker reported she felt deeply upset by the situation. Con Ed reimbursed her $6,000, though only for the past six years due to their internal policies.
In a statement to Fox 5, Con Ed said: ‘Con Edison values its customers and collaborates with them when they believe their energy consumption is inaccurately reflected on their bill.’
The company added that the meter’s electrical components are typically the responsibility of the building owner.
Exclusive: A New York City tenant unknowingly paid her neighbor’s electricity bill for ten yearsA Queens resident claims she suspected something was wrong with her Con Edison statement for a full decade, yet it took years to uncover that she had been covering her neighbor’s electric costs. Nicole Niceforo said she routinely washed dishes by hand and avoided using her air conditioner due to rising bills—unaware that the charges were actually for someone else’s power consumption. FOX 5 NY’s Kelly Kennedy reports.
YouTube • FOX 5 New York
Niceforo isn’t the only New Yorker to have faced incorrect billing from Con Ed.
Another Queens resident, also named Nicole, shared her experience withCity Reporterin 2024, explaining she first noticed discrepancies when she went on vacation and saw her charges hadn’t changed.
It wasn’t until she’d lived in her apartment for a year and her neighbors left, causing her usage to drop to zero, that the issue became clear.
A Con Ed technician later inspected the building and confirmed a wiring error. The utility company stated such errors are uncommon.
Jacob Mnookin, a Brooklyn tenant, also told the City Reporter that Con Ed began charging him for his tenants’ electricity after they installed solar panels.
The Daily Mail has contacted Con Ed seeking further comment.
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