NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Power bills are causing sticker shock for some Nashville Electric Service customers (NES) after they say their bills recently doubled.
With cold winter weather forecasted for next month, one Madison man told News 2 he’s worried his bill could reach up to $800.
Cam Sandow’s maintenance business is typically busy during this time of year.
“We’re just slammed. I got one employee running three jobs right now,” said Sandow.
According to him, the last added stress he needs is a high bill, but that is exactly what was delivered to his home for the holidays.
“It’s horrible. It’s horrible. I’ve been in this house 4.5 years and I’ve never had a bill that high,” he expressed.
In fact, Sandow showed News 2 his $397.00 power bill from NES. He said that amount is much higher than his typical power bill, which usually averages $150 to $180 a month.
Charged up about the bill spike, customers let their frustrations known on social media. One person said their bill spiked from $157 up to $431.
News 2 reached out to NES. While they did not have a representative to talk on camera, they did provide this statement, which reads in part: “Even if your thermostat remains on a constant temperature, energy bills will fluctuate according to outside temperatures.”
“There’s something wrong, because November wasn’t even that cold,” explained Sandow. “We had a couple cold days, but it wasn’t even that cold.”
Sandow said he reached out to NES for help and they recommended that he turn down the thermostat two degrees, and keep a lower temperature overnight. He said he’s taken their advice, but is still not sure what surprise the next bill will bring.
“I can’t even imagine December and January when it really gets cold what my bill is going to be,” he said.
NES recommends customers use what they call their Powerwise Bill Analyzer in order to monitor bills.
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The power company also provided some money-saving tips for customers:
- Set thermostat to 68 degrees or lower.
- Put water heater temperature at 120 degrees.
- Don’t overuse exhaust fans, as they will pull warm air out of the home.
- Open curtains during the day in order for sunlight to naturally heat the home.
- Replace air filters so HVAC units can run efficiently.
If you have trouble paying your power bill, reach out to NEShelps.com for assistance.
