As if you were freezing and living with it for days power attacks weren’t bad enough, some Texans are now dealing with the storm’s steep financial fallout. The latest blow came through the electricity bills, some of which have hit outrageous amounts reaching $ 5,000 or even $ 17,000 in a matter of days.
Customers of the energy supplier Griddy have voiced their despair and frustration with these bills in the wake of one of the worst winter storms to hit the state in recent years. Griddy offers its customers variable wholesale plans with kilowatt-hour rates tied to market prices, which have risen to their maximum state-mandated limit of $ 9,000 per megawatt hour for five days this week. Sometimes plans like Griddy’s mean that customers save money when energy costs are low. However, if prices go up, this can cause problems.
These kinds of plans are not the normMost Texans have flat rate energy plans. In comparison, Griddy has 29,000 customers
Ty Williams, a Griddy customer from Arlington, told one local Fox branch that he and his family were lucky because they never lost power during the storm. Apparently, that luck didn’t come cheap: Griddy charged him $ 17,000 for five days of use.
Meanwhile, another Griddy customer in Dallas said she had received a $ 5,000 bill for use for her 2,700-square-foot home since last Saturday, according to the Dallas Morning NewsThe outlet reported that another Griddy customer was also stuck with a $ 5,000 bill for his 900-square-foot two-story townhouse.
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Social media was also full of screenshots and accounts from Astronomical Griddy accounts.
Last weekend, Griddy his customers warned that it expected significantly higher prices in the near future. It even told them all that they should switch to another provider.
But that was easier said than done. Williams, the Griddy customer from Arlington, stated that he tried to switch providers, but was told the change would take at least a week. Griddy customers who like it Morning news reported similar experiences. Fox reported that Williams was finally able to switch at the end of this week.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called an emergency meeting with other state officials on Saturday to discuss spike in utility bills.
“It is unacceptable for Texans who have suffered freezing temperatures for days without electricity or heat, are now hit by skyrocketing energy costs,” Abbott said in a statement. pronunciation“To protect families, I actively work with the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House and members of the legislature to develop solutions to make sure Texans aren’t chasing unreasonable spikes in their utility bills . ”
At this point, it’s unclear whether Texans can get help for their sky-high electricity bills. There’s one option on the table: a federal block subsidy recently received by the state, which includes lighting for utility bills. We tried to find out more about the grant from the Website of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, which Texans should be checking, but it was out on Saturday.
Griddy said he did on Friday search for help of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the entity that operates the state’s electrical grid and controls the deregulated energy market.
“On Tuesday, Griddy started with ERCOT and the [Public Utility Commission of Texas] looking for help from customers. Griddy continues these efforts and is committed to rewarding customers for every lighting received, dollar for dollar, ”the company said.
It also claimed, oddly enough, that “customers who left to avoid the non-market prices were quick to request to re-subscribe and return to our platform.” Considering this week’s prices, that’s hard to believe. But if it is True, it’s even more worrying that Texans are still allowed to sign up for plans like the one offered by Griddy.
Earthing reached out to Griddy for comment, but we got no response from the company. We have received an automated response informing us that Griddy has a deferred payment option to help members pay off negative balances in installments and ensure their flow is not interrupted. It was not reassuring.