back in New Haven

[krasnoludek]

Got back to New Haven this afternoon and found an unpleasant surprise. The landlord had sent either himself or a painter this week to repaint a corner of our ceiling that had had water damage before we moved in. We had arranged this repainting to happen while we were gone. Since it's the middle of a hot summer, we told them they could use the air

Comments

[aquinasprime]

I don't think its worth the hassle.

[easwaran]

It really doesn't seem worth the hassle. My electricity bill has always been so low that I've never even bothered paying attention to it. Some quick googling suggests that the average price of electricity in Connecticut is 17 cents per kWh, and a room air conditioner uses about 1 kW. 168 hours times 17 cents per hour multiplies to around $30. How much time will it take to argue with your landlord about this? How will it affect your relationship with your landlord (which is only just beginning)? Is all that worth only $30? Maybe next time you talk to your landlord about something you should mention it for future reference, but it really doesn't seem worthwhile to argue about it unless your electric bill comes and this month is substantially more than $30 above other months.

[krasnoludek]

yes, you're right. I'd forgotten how little energy costs in the US compared to France. If someone had left our electric heaters on in our first French apartment for a week while we weren't there, I'd have a fit, since it would be around 100€ for nothing. In comparison, $30 isn't enough to raise a huff about. My initial hesitation and resulting post on LJ before acting, was precisely because I didn't want to sour our relationship with our landlord early on, especially if it wasn't a big deal.