I'm in a prewar six-floor walk-up in Washington Heights, and my building's meter room is locked behind the super's door. Con Ed has been estimating my bill every other month for years. The estimated month is usually low, then the actual month arrives and swallows whatever slack I thought I had. This would be manageable if it were the same month every year, but it isn't. Last winter my actual catch-up came in January, and this year it hit in March, right when I had already committed to a rent increase and a dental bill. I'm not saying the charges are wrong, just that the timing is hard to absorb.

I've considered Con Ed's level/budget billing, but I don't fully trust the true-up. I know they average the previous 12 months and recalculate periodically, and if you have a heavier summer or a cold snap, you can end up with a lump at the end. I'd rather not trade a February spike for a September surprise. So my question for this board: do you actually use level billing in an older building, and has the true-up been painful or negligible? Or do you just call in your own meter reads every estimated month? My super says the meter room is locked because of past vandalism, but he might let me take a photo if I ask at the right time. Does submitting a photo reading even work if the estimate has already posted, or does Con Ed just ignore it until next cycle? I'd rather hear from people who've done it in a rental than from the call center script.

We're in a two-bedroom in Jackson Heights, radiator heat included, but our cooking gas and outlets are on one meter. I've used Con Ed's level billing for three years. The true-ups have been small—one year a small credit, one year a modest catch-up, one year near zero. I don't want to promote it as a savings tool, because it absolutely is not. It's a cash-flow tool. If your actual usage is steady, it works. If you know you'll run a window unit in July and August, the new average recalculates. The problem is if you enroll mid-cycle or move mid-cycle; then the true-up catches up quickly. For us, the convenience of the same amount each month matters more than the occasional true-up.

On the reading question: I submit a photo through the app or website when the bill says Estimated next to the read. I do this a day or two before the next billing date, not after the bill generates. It doesn't always trigger a rebill immediately, but it prevents the estimate from compounding. The meter room in our building is open, though. If the super locks yours, that's a different issue. You might have a right to access your own meter, but in practice, the super controls it. I'd try the polite photo route first.

I just lean into the spike months. Level billing messed me up one summer because I had a mild June and the recalc put me on the hook for a true-up before I moved. Not worth it. What does work for me is putting a flat amount in a separate savings account every payday. When the estimated month comes in low, great, the extra stays. When actual hits, I have a cushion. My super keeps the meter room locked too but I caught him on a Tuesday with the panel open and took a photo. Didn't submit it, just used it to sanity-check.

Jay, the photo sanity check is smart. I think I've been obsessing over submitting the reading when maybe I just need access to verify whether the estimate is even close. queens_college_q, does the app let you flag an estimated read, or is the only route to upload the photo as a meter read? I'm also leaning away from level billing because I don't want another true-up when I'm mid-lease renewal. I'll probably do the separate account method. Do you fund it based on your highest actual month from the past year, or a rolling average? My old paper bills are a mess.

Add me to the no level billing pile. I did it for exactly one year in a West Village walk-up and the adjustment at the end wasn't huge, but it hit after I'd already moved. Took two calls to sort out. Now I just overpay a couple of dollars every estimated month so my account holds a small credit. It also helps when they estimate high in a month I actually used less. If you can't get into the meter room, that small overpayment is the easiest buffer.

I'm going to disagree slightly with level billing being universally fine. The true-up is based on your last twelve months, but if your old apartment had different consumption—maybe college roommates mining crypto, a deep freezer, or a terrible window unit—the monthly number can be badly off. In a rental, that's common because the previous tenant's data follows the account. I had a friend in Astoria with level billing from a previous tenant's usage, and the first-year adjustment was substantial. That's not a knock on the program; it's just that the average is backward-looking.

For budgeting, I do a rolling envelope: every month I set aside the average of my last three actual bills. On estimated low months, the envelope grows; on actual high months, it drains. I don't submit my own readings unless the estimated line is wildly low, because I'd rather keep the cash until the actual arrives. But if your estimated bill comes in very low in January, and the actual is in March, I can see why you'd want a correct read sooner. The photo route usually works if you can get to the meter before the schedule resets, but you need to check Con Ed's meter read dates. Oldyork, your super should not be able to permanently block meter access in a rental, but practically, the super route is less drama.

Con Ed bills are like the weather. You can plan all you want and then a heat wave says otherwise. I gave up on level billing after one bad true-up. Now I just assume every other month will be ugly and keep the card paid down. If I've got extra, that's takeout money. Works okay unless the fridge dies.

Astoria_arch, that's a good flag about previous tenant history. I'd never thought about it because our prior tenant was a single person who worked in an office, so our usage was close. Oldyork, the app does let you submit a meter read when it asks for one, but I'm not sure it lets you open a dispute after a bill generates. I usually upload the photo and then call only if the next bill still shows estimate. Also, WestVillage_W's tip about holding a small credit is very New York. I do that with gas because our gas estimate in summer is always ridiculous.

Oldyork, if you take a photo, make sure the meter number in the photo matches what's on your bill before you upload. In bigger buildings the little tags fall off and you can end up sending someone else's read. I've seen it happen. If you're not sure, just show the photo to the super and ask which one's yours. Usually he knows, even if he won't give you a key.

This is exactly what I needed. I'm going to skip level billing for now, do the envelope method with a rolling average, and try to get one clear photo of my meter before the next cycle. If the super won't let me, I'll call the management office and ask for a meter access appointment in writing. That usually gets a different answer than asking in person. I'll also compare the meter number to the bill, as Jay said. The main takeaway is that level billing is a cash-flow tool, not a budget miracle, and the real issue is my building's locked meter room. I'll report back when the next actual bill lands.

One more thing, Oldyork: if you end up in a dispute over estimated reads, keep your own 12-month log. The calculator on Con Ed's site can show your average daily use, but a simple notebook page with the actual reads and dates has saved me more than once. Also, if you're in a heat-included rent stabilized unit, make sure the bill really is only for your own meters. Sometimes the house gas for the boiler gets folded into a 'common area' line, and you don't want to budget for that surprise. Ask for a copy of the tariff line items if you see a charge that doesn't match your usage.