High Electricity Consumption Due to Excessive Humidity

Hello, (I would appreciate it if you could read to the end, it turned out a bit long.) About a year ago, we (a young couple) lived in a unit in Jerusalem. A dispute arose between me and the landlord (the son-in-law of the apartment owner) regarding electricity payments. I would appreciate it if you could enlighten me on what I should do. First, I will describe the subject and the dispute between me and the landlord: In the last six months of our stay in the apartment, the bi-monthly electricity bills sharply increased in an unexplained and illogical manner. If the average price for two months was 250-300 shekels, it rose to 550 shekels, and in the next two months to 780 shekels. These are completely illogical amounts. I refused to pay such an exorbitant amount, claiming that the meter was probably faulty. The landlord was not willing to call a professional to check the meter, only on the condition that if the problem was not with the meter, I would have to bear the cost of calling the technician. I, of course, did not agree to this, as it is not possible for me to pay both excessive bills and a technician. I will note that not only did we not use electricity unreasonably, but on the contrary, we economized on electricity because we knew we were paying a high price. For example, we turned on the boiler on a timer for the minimum possible time, as well as the one air conditioner in the apartment. To clarify the matter, I will add that today, we live in an apartment with higher electricity consumption (a dryer that was not in the previous unit, 2 air conditioners, a bathroom heater, 2 fans - none of these were in the previous unit), and we turn on the air conditioner almost 24/7 (the unit is in a basement with insufficient air). Thus, the electricity consumption in the previous apartment is completely illogical. After investigation and thought about what takes so much electricity, we came to this conclusion: Due to the unit being almost windowless and partially underground, the humidity levels were very high. This was manifested in mold formation on the apartment walls, on various foods, and more. The landlord refused to deal with the mold in winter, claiming it was normal, and suggested using a special device in the apartment that absorbed the humidity. It has now become clear to us that the device consumes a lot of electricity, as from a conversation with the tenants after us, it emerged that they pay reasonable electricity bills. This is also claimed by the landlord. They do not use the device to prevent humidity, which explains the large differences in the bills. I claim that there is no justification for a landlord who does not deal with mold, which is the most basic, and instead offers the use of a device that consumes a lot of electricity, without us knowing that the solution (which did not help) costs us a lot, there is no justification for me to pay for the problems in the apartment. The landlord, on his part, claims that we received the apartment with its contents, and its humidity levels (I will note that we did not know when signing the contract about the high humidity in the apartment) and with this device, and if we used it, it is our problem, and we must pay the excessive electricity cost that the device consumes. I have long wanted to pay him the debt, and even though it is not justified in my eyes, if I had the possibility, I would pay him everything. But I do not have it. I suggested we reach an agreement, a compromise, but the landlord claims that the apartment belongs to his mother-in-law, and she cannot at her age deal with it, so there is no possibility on his part to reach a compromise. My question is who is right in this dispute? Should I pay for electricity consumed by a device that was supposed to solve a basic problem that was not addressed, and therefore I should perhaps pay a normal amount, or is the landlord right, and since I used the device, I must pay even though the device was intended to fill the place of the landlord's negligence in not dealing with the problem, and the need for an apartment without mold. I would appreciate a detailed and reasoned answer. Thank you very much.

Hello, 

It is not possible to obligate the landlord, as you actually used the device for your own needs in reducing humidity. 

[If the humidity situation was unbearable, there might be grounds to discuss a defect in the rental due to renting out a defective unit. 

However, even this is difficult to obligate, as you knew its location].