Liz Stanton lives in the Sandhills community of Marlboro County. She called NewsChannel 15 when she learned her December power bill, and those of many of her neighbors, nearly tripled.
Some bills were as high as $800.
NewsChannel 15 agreed to meet with Stanton and a few of her neighbors Friday morning. When we arrived, we found 40 people had gathered to express concern about their electric bills.
So many people showed up, we had to move the interview to a nearby community hall to accommodate everyone.
Many of the residents told us their normal bills averaged around $200, but last month those bills jumped to $600- $800. The families say they're having to choose between paying their power bills and buying food and prescription medications.
We took their concerns to John Powers, with the Marlboro Electric Cooperative in Bennettsville. He says the company didn't increase rates in December, the temperatures were just colder, averaging about 38 degrees.
He says what the residents don't understand is that you don't have to change your raise your thermostat in order to use more electricity. If you set your thermostat at 65 and it's 60 degrees outside, your home's heating system doesn't have to work as hard or as long to keep the inside temperature at 65. If it's 30 degrees outside, it will have to work harder.
Powers says in many cases some heating units probably had to run all day and night. He says customers need to look at the amount of energy used, and not the dollar amount, to see why the bills went up.
Although most of the residents we spoke with know that having better insulated homes will lower their costs, they say simply couldn't afford it.
Powers also explained that many mobile homes come equipped with central electric furnaces, which use more energy. Heat pumps use less energy and help to lower your bill, but they also cost more.
Marlboro Electric Cooperative is willing to work with customers who contact them, to arrange payment plans. They're also referring customers to energy assistance organizations to help out.
How high was your December power bill? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
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