Man cut back on electricity, but his bill never went down. Then he found a one-digit error that made him overpay $14,000 over 14 years

Imagine spending years cutting back on your electricity usage, only to find out you've been paying someone else's bill. That was exactly what happened to Houston resident Peter Yang, a retired engineer and pastor. When his electricity bills kept climbing, even after several attempts to control it, he finally investigated it himself. Apparently, he'd been facing the same problem for more than a decade — 14 years, to be exact. KHOU 11 reported the special news on July 22, 2026.

The shocking revelation

Peter Yang had been overpaying his electricity bills for 14 years. When his bills kept increasing, even after several attempts to lower his electricity bill, he decided to track it. For months, he monitored his usage, adjusted his thermostat, and checked his meter readings. He told the news outlet, "So, I used to have like 78 degrees, but now it is around 79, or sometimes 80." Then he noticed a discrepancy. The meter reading didn't match his bill. He said, "I see a meter reading that’s completely off compared with my invoice, and also the meter number is totally different." There was a one-digit difference, but that was not the only problem. Yang also realized that the wrong meter was connected to his account.

A long-overdue apology

After discovering the root of his expensive electricity bills, Yang reached out to CenterPoint Energy to resolve it. "They keep saying they don’t believe me because they’ve been using that number so long," he said. On June 29, he finally filed a complaint with the Public Utility Commission and reached out to KHOU 11 for help. After KHOU got involved, CenterPoint Energy contacted Peter. For months, he worked on getting his money back from several retail electricity providers and was finally refunded more than $14,000 for overpaying for 14 years. Later, CenterPoint Energy apologized to Yang for the mistake in their earlier statement: "We apologize for the inconvenience this issue has caused and remain committed to working with the customer until it is fully resolved."

Lost in the electricity bill

Some people may not pay attention to their electricity bills, but when the number keeps going up, it's hard not to wonder what's going on. A survey by EPIcenter found that 30% of respondents never check their electricity bill. Another study by Consumer Reports found that among U.S. adults who do read their bills, 38% said it was very difficult or somewhat difficult to understand. While Yang checked his bills from time to time, maybe the complexity of the bills was one of the reasons why it took him 14 years to finally realize he had been paying someone else's bill.

'Sue them'

Several netizens hoped CenterPoint Energy refunded Yang's money with interest. Christian Cornejo asked, "Did the actual owner of the meter get charged more?" Sylvia Flores wrote, "God bless Mr. Yang for his patience! 14 years of errors; I hope the company has made some changes in their services!"

More on Scoop Upworthy

Houston man got an $820 water bill for an empty house. The city ignored him until one bucket test and a TV crew forced their hand

Tennessee couple gets billed $1,800 for a fire two houses down

Woman’s usual $250 water bill jumped to $1,800, then $16,000 and $32,000 with no sign of a leak — until a reporter emailed the city