California Man Accidentally Pays Neighbor's Power Bill for 18 Years

A California resident recently found out he has been paying his neighbor's power bill for nearly 18 years. Ken Wilson, who has resided in his apartment since 2006, noticed a sharp increase in his Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) bill, prompting him to seek ways to lower his energy consumption.

After not seeing any improvement in his bill, Wilson contacted PG&E for assistance. He expressed concerns, stating, "I thought there was a leak or someone was stealing my electricity or the meter was faulty because something wasn't right," during an interview with CBS Sacramento.

A utility company technician assessed Wilson's meter and discovered the error: he was being billed for the neighboring unit instead of his own. Wilson believes this mistake could have persisted throughout his entire time in the apartment.

In response to the situation, PG&E acknowledged their fault, stating, "We acknowledge an error occurred in this instance, and we are fully committed to rectifying the situation with the customer and make the customer whole."