As if it freezes for days and lives on power outages was not bad enough, some Texans have to do it now with the steep financial consequences of the storm. The latest blow came via the electricity bills, some of which reached exorbitant amounts that could amount to $ 5,000 or even $ 17,000 for just a few days.
Customers of the power supply Griddy expressed despair and frustration over these bills in the wake of one of the worst winter storms to hit the state in years. Griddy offers its customers wholesale plans with rates per kilowatt hour linked to market prices, which rose to their maximum state farm of $ 9,000 per megawatt hour for five days this week. Sometimes plans like those offered by Griddy mean that customers save money when the cost of energy is low. However, if prices rise, it could mean trouble.
These types of plans are not the norm; most Texans have fixed-rate energy plans. By comparison, Griddy 29,000 customers.
Ty Williams, a Griddy customer from Arlington, told a local Fox branch that he and his family were happy because they never lost power during the storm. Luck did not turn out to be cheap: Griddy asked him for $ 17,000 for five days of use.
Meanwhile, another customer in Griddy, Dallas, said she had received a $ 5,000 bill for her home for her 2,700-square-foot home since last Saturday, according to the Dallas Morning News. The store 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 reports of astronomical Griddy accounts.
Last weekend, Griddy warned its customers that he would expect significantly higher prices in the near future. It even told everyone that they must switch to another provider.
But it was easier said than done. Williams, the Griddy customer from Arlington, said he was trying to switch from supplier, but that he was told the change would take at least a week. Red customers who Morning News similar experiences reported. Fox reported that Williams was finally able to switch at the end of this week.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott convened an emergency meeting with other government officials on Saturday to discuss the rise in energy bills.
“It is unacceptable that Texans, who suffered days in the freezing cold without electricity or heat, are now being hit with rising energy costs,” Abbott said in a statement. statement. “To protect families, I am actively working with the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the House and members of the legislature to develop solutions to ensure that the Texans are not on their guard against unreasonable spikes in their energy bills.”
At the moment, it is unclear whether Texans will be able to get help for their sky-high electric bills. There is one option on the table: a federal block grant recently received by the state, which includes relief for utility bills. We tried to learn more about the award of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs website, which Texans should check, but it was off Saturday.
Griddy said Friday it was seek relief of the Texas Electric Reliability Board, the agency that manages the state’s electrical network and the deregulated energy market.
‘On Tuesday, Griddy met with ERCOT and the [Public Utility Commission of Texas] seeking customer relief. Griddy continues these efforts and is committed to crediting customers for any relief they receive, dollar-for-dollar, ”the company said.
It also claims oddly that ‘customers who left to avoid the non-market prices quickly requested to re-enter and return to our platform.’ With the prices seen this week, it’s hard to believe. Still, if it is true, it’s even more worrying that Texans are still allowed to sign up for plans like those offered by Griddy.
Gizmodo asked Griddy for comment, but we received no response from the company. We did receive an automated response informing us that Griddy has a payment plan option to help members pay off negative balances in installments over time and to ensure that their power is not cut off. It was not comforting.