“AITA for telling my roommate I’m not paying for utilities they waste?”
I (22M) live with a roommate (23M) and we split rent and utilities 50/50 The problem is he’s constantly leaving lights on in every room runs the AC at full blast even when he’s not home and takes 30+ minute showers.
Our electricity bill has been insane the past few months and when I brought it up he just shrugged and said that’s what utilities cost I started keeping track and he’s definitely the one driving up the costs.
Last month the bill was almost double what it normally is I told him I’m only paying my fair share based on my usage and he needs to cover the extra he’s wasting He got pissed and said we agreed to split everything 50/50 and I can’t just change that now.
I told him the agreement was fair when we were both being reasonable but I’m not subsidizing his wastefulness He called me cheap and said if I can’t afford utilities I shouldn’t have moved in.
Now it’s awkward as hell and some mutual friends are saying I’m being petty over a utility bill. But I don’t think it’s fair that I’m paying for his carelessness. AITA?
Here’s what people had to say to OP:
LiveKindly01 said:
YTA only because you “think” you know how much extra his habits are costing, but you don’t know. Unless and until you can find a way to calculate that, then there’s nothing you can do really…
You could see if he’d be game to try for one month, shortening showers, watching the AC, etc (lights are BS and don’t really contribute especially in an apartment and everything is likely LED) and seeing if it makes a difference. Then you’ll both have a little more knowledge about how much or how little effort it takes to affect your utility bills.
Willing-Helicopter26 said:
YTA here. How do you even track your usage? There is no way this is going to be a situation you’ll be able to reconcile with any certainty. You can talk about economical use of utilities, but there’s no way to track individual usage.
SoccerProblem3547 said:
YTA. How the heck would you even calculate that?
ohnoshedidntox said:
YTA you don’t get to go back on an agreement when you can’t even reliably calculate how much he’s using. A conversation needs to be had about him changing his habits and if you’re even compatible as roommates at this point.
Aidyn_the_Grey said:
YTA. You don’t move in with someone and decide to dictate their usage of utilities, nor use their habits as an excuse to not pay your half. Don’t like it? Live alone.
