Some homeowners in Texas see their electricity bill skyrocket in the wake of the winter storms that left many without power this past week.
Jose Del Rio told NBC News that the bill for his two-bedroom home is usually between $125 to $150 a month, but this month his bill exceeded $3,000. He said the house is empty and he only ran the heater at 60 degrees to prevent pipes from freezing, and lights and other utilities remained turned off.
Another Texan, Veronica Garcia told NBC that she usually pays $63 a month to cover electricity for her one-bedroom apartment but her next bill is projected to be as high as $133.
Royce Pierce and his wife, Danielle, who live in Willow Park, were fortunate to not have their power go out during the storm but, they told NBC news that their electricity bill went up by nearly $10,000 in the last few days for their three-bedroom home.
Dallas-area resident Ty Williams monthly electricity bill soared from $600 last month to nearly $17,000 so far this month, according to the local station WFAA.
“How in the world can anyone pay that? I mean you go from a couple hundred dollars a month…there’s absolutely no way‚ it makes no sense,” Williams said.
Customers who saw their bill skyrocket were on a variable-rate plan with energy provider Griddy. Their rates are partially controlled by market demand.
Prices increase because Texans who didn’t lose power cranked up the heat amid brutally cold temperatures this week. The price of power rose from $50 to $9,000 per Megawatt in some cases due to the increased demand.
As prices continue to soar, Griddy is directing consumers to consider temporarily switching to other electricity providers to save on their bills. The company didn’t explain what kind of relief might be available for customers with tremendously inflated bills, WFAA reports.
