MONTGOMERY COUNTY — People are concerned about a jump in their power bills due to the extreme cold.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, people are dealing with large snow piles and extremely cold temperatures after this winter blast.
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A man told News Center 7’s Amber Jenkins that his power bill doubled this month. But he said it was worth it during a winter storm.
“I mean, I just paid it, but I wasn’t expecting that,” said Jonquell Hunter.
He said that his power bill increased by almost $200. But he added that his heater has been working a lot.
“It’s been on 24/7,” Hunter told Jenkins.
Mary Ann Kabel from AES Ohio said there are several ways to lower those bills.
“A majority of the use is with heating and cooling,” she said. “That makes up 56 percent of your energy bill. Now, take this weather that we’re having now. You can set your thermostat at like 68, but it’s working harder to maintain that temperature.”
Kabel told Jenkins that having an energy-efficient home can lower power bills. But AES crews are doing heavy lifting to keep homes warm.
“They go out with another crew member so they can have a rotation, because dealing with these extreme conditions is hard on our employees as well,” she said.
Kabel said that the investments AES Ohio made into improving infrastructure for substations and power lines have helped prevent outages.
However, Hunter and his wallet are both ready for warmer weather.
“When it gets a little hotter outside, I typically don’t turn on the air or heat,” he said. “So, I don’t use it that much.”
Jenkins says with this frigid weather not leaving anytime soon, there will be no rest for our heating systems.
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