A Texas resident had almost $ 17,000 automatically deducted from his bank account after Griddy, a Texas Energy Company, imposed surcharges on state residents after a devastating winter storm and subsequent electrical blackout.
Scott Willoughby, who joined the “Newsroom of America” on Tuesday to discuss the issue, explained that there is no limit to Texas’ unregulated power grids, which have increased average household electricity costs from 8 to 10 cents per kilowatt hour to $ 900 per kilowatt hour.
Willoughby, who had money in his account to pay the bill, expressed concern that hundreds of thousands of Texas residents will not be able to pay for the crippling electricity costs, which are on average about $ 5,000 per home during the seven-day blackout.
QUADRIPLEGIC TEXAS MAN ACCESS WITH A $ 3G ENERGY ACCOUNT AFTER THE WINTER STORM: ‘I DON’T KNOW HOW I WILL PAY THIS’
“For many people who [bill] will have a devastating impact, “said Willoughby.” No food on the table for your kids, no rent, no house or car – and there is no recourse because the money is gone. “
Despite this, Willoughby remained hopeful that residents would be reimbursed for the excess charges.
The Texas resident said the state legislature and Governor Greg Abbott called an emergency meeting on Saturday to study ways to help ease the burden on landlords and tenants.
Griddy said in a statement on his website on Thursday: “We know that you are angry and so are we. P —–, actually.” The company explained that wholesale prices soared because the Texas Public Utility Commission (PUCT) took control of the Texas Electric Reliability Council, which operates the state’s electricity grid, on Monday and raised the wholesale price to $ 9 per kilowatt hour at least until the network could manage the demand caused by the winter storm.
The company said it is about 300 times higher than the normal wholesale price and, while 99% of households had electricity on Thursday night, PUCT kept the price in place.
“The market must set prices, not political nominees,” said the company. “We intend to fight for this, and alongside our customers, for fairness and responsibility – to reveal why such price increases were allowed when millions of Texans were left without power.”
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Griddy told FOX 4 that bill payments can be made in installments, but offered no other immediate solution to customers’ excessive bills.
Bri Stimson of Fox News contributed to this report.