Check your utility contract to avoid big bills this winter

It’s normal to see utility bills rise during the colder months, but last winter, some saw their residential electric bills hit record highs.

It’s normal to see utility bills rise during the colder months—people use more heat and electricity in the winter, and fuel costs more when there’s higher demand. But last winter, some saw their residential electric bills hit record highs–up to thousands of dollars.

Robin Tilley, a spokesperson for Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, said last winter’s weather conditions spiked fuel prices—and customers with variable rate utility contracts were particularly vulnerable.

“Because of the polar vortex and the bitter cold temperatures last year that were almost unprecedented,” said Tilley, “those bills skyrocketed. And some people’s rate sometimes doubled, tripled, and in some cases even quadrupled.”

Tilley said to avoid this scenario this winter, customers should check their contracts to see what kind of rate they have and consider switching suppliers. You can do that at PA Power Switch. And it can be done quickly–PUC’s new regulations effective this month have cut down the waiting time for switching suppliers from upwards of a month to 3 business days.