MACON, Ga. — It’s normal for your bill to go up in the summer. You may now have some ideas on how to deal with the price.
Electricity companies say that you should either turn up your air conditioner a few degrees or stop using your washer and dryer at certain times of the day. But some of those tips aren’t helping enough for many Macon families to lower their bills.
Jennifer Morton said, “It’s hot, but I’m from Texas, so it’s not the same.”
She said that even though she is used to the heat, she still looks for cheap ways to cool off in Georgia.
“We don’t do rugs; we run our fans.” “My house has thermal curtains,” she said.
Her bill stays below $500 a month, she says, because her thermostat is set to “auto.”
“I have no preparation for the bill that we were receiving,” he said.
The last bill she got was for $1,200, she said. A lot of Facebook users also said that their bills went up by two times. A lot of people said they spent between $600 and $1,300.
“We went through a couple of power outages, so for me, I couldn’t figure out anything that would justify that,” he said.
She says she called Georgia Power to talk to someone about the bill. She said that she got an automatic message in the middle of the call.
We got in touch with Georgia Power on our own.
“We feel it and know what you mean.” Amanda Arnold, a spokeswoman for Georgia Power, said, “This is one of the hottest summers in years, so we’re really sorry for our customers.”
Morton says she thinks the one bill that was especially high this summer should be taken out of the total cost of the budgeted bills.
“Don’t factor that bill in, because you see it’s completely different from the other bills,” he said.
She says that users’ higher energy use is to blame for their high bills.
“It’s still 100 degrees outside even if you don’t change the temperature.” Arnold said, “Your air conditioner is still working really hard to cool you down.”
She says that this also affects cheap billing plan users.
“It’s going to average out throughout the twelve months, so hopefully you’re seeing the middle rate,” he said.
We’re also paying to send natural gas to Ukraine, says Tim Echols of the Public Service Commission. This is because many plants in Georgia use natural gas.
He says it’s important to have a method that you can count on and that works well.
“We do want them able to provide reliable service to everyone and we want as few outages on this grid as possible,” said Echols.
She said she could pay the bill this month, but she’s thinking about how it will affect other people.
“I wouldn’t want to have to decide between feeding my family or paying my mortgage to pay a power bill,” said Echols.
What will happen with the rest of the summer bills? When will people really be able to relax?
The people at Georgia Power say they are getting calls. To get in touch with Echols about long wait times, you can email him at [email protected].
The company wants you to use their website to see how much you use each month.
Georgia Power has a scheme to help customers who are having trouble with their money. The program is made for people who don’t make a lot of money.
Customers who qualify can get an extra $33.50 off their monthly power bill.
You must meet the income requirements or get Social Security disability insurance or supplemental security pay to be eligible. You may also be eligible if you use the government housing voucher program.
