Saturday, April 20, 2024
A combination of skyrocketing electric bills, the installation of new smart meters, rate increase notifications received by email and a rate request made to the city of Gatesville have some people seeing red when it comes to their utility bills.
Gatesville resident Tommy Welch is among those who say he has been hammered by the recent rise in his electric bills.
Welch said he has seen his bill "triple and quadruple" from about $200 per month to $892.
"We've got to do something – it ain't right," he said. "I have a friend whose bill went up from less than $100 a month to $1,200."
He said he planned to contact representatives of the Public Utility Commission and anybody who would listen in order to help resolve concerns.
Another local resident, Paige Burkham, told media that her bill for a one bedroom, one bath home increased from $94 to more than $600. Included in her bill was a notification of almost $200 for Texas New Mexico Power delivery.
Over the summer, Texas New Mexico Power (TNMP) replaced many of the old 3G meters throughout Gatesville with 5G meters, and during that same timeframe is when some Gatesville residents saw significant increases on their bills
TNMP refers customers to its website, which said the NextGen meters were required when "AT&T decommissioned its 3G network, in which more than half of TNMP's meters communicate.
"During the meter change-out process, TNMP may have had to estimate some meters for two to three months, during a time in Texas which was seeing unseasonably high temperatures….
"The new meters are tested before installation, and meter reads are accurate."
TNMP further states: "A customer's bill may show an estimated amount, which is intended to reflect a normalized consumption based on estimation routines in place. Every effort is made to try to ensure the customer is not charged for any consumption they did not use. If a billing error did occur, TNMP will be cancelling and rebilling. Customers should work through their REPs (retail electric providers) with billing concerns.
"However, the issue of higher bills is not directly correlated to the replacement of the meters."
The statement from TNMP said the influx of higher bills is not just one experienced locally: "It's important to note that this issue is happening statewide. Customers throughout the state of Texas have been impacted by higher energy bills, not just those within TNMP service territory."
TNMP then provided links to several stories about electric bill increases statewide. More information is available at www.tnmp.com/customers/update-meters.
On top of possible fluctuations following installation of the new meters, notices have been sent out alerting people of an increase in electric delivery charges which went into effect Sept. 1. According to one email, the delivery charge from TNMP will increase by $0.007 per kilowatt hour.
"These charges are set by Texas-New Mexico Power Company and approved by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT)." the email states.
"Two important notes about delivery charges:
1. Delivery charges historically change twice per year, typically increasing in September and decreasing in March, so this increase is likely to be temporary.
2. Delivery charges for your home are the same without regard to which retail energy provider you choose…."
In June, the Gatesville City Council suspended a rate increase request from another electric delivery company, Oncor, that would have gone into effect June 17 so that attorneys for the city could look through a 5,000 page statement of intent that Oncor had filed.
According to a memorandum given to the Council, Oncor's proposed rate would increase residential rates by 11.2%, which would increase the company's revenue by about $251 million.
The Gatesville area is primarily served by TNMP and Hamilton County Electric Co-Op, but Gatesville City Manager Bill Parry told the Council in June, "When one electric company raises rates, all the others follow suit."
Additional action regarding Oncor's request could occur this month following a review by Herrera Law & Associates.
