ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – It’s been very cold in southwest and central Virginia; plenty of people are cranking up the heat.
However, anyone who’s looked at their utility bill lately knows the comfort of a cozy home can come with a serious cost. One that many Appalachian Power customers say is only getting costlier.
“600 dollars in a two-bedroom apartment that is always lit up by me coming in and out of it and no major equipment on inside,” Terrica Truly, an Appalachian Power customer, said.
Others said they’ve noticed big changes in their bills, despite not using that more energy than before.
“I don’t understand why these companies seem like they can just change the prices at will,” Samuel Lunsford, another Appalachian Power customer, said. “I guess they feel like we have no choice, and whatever they set the price at, we have to pay it.”
State lawmakers are paying attention, including Roanoke Democrat Delegate Sam Rasoul.
He’s working across the aisle to pass a bill freezing rate increases for two years.
“We have to have more oversight and ensure that we are stopping the electric companies and any other utilities from gouging people,” Rasoul said. “Especially during this difficult time.”
Republican state Senator Travis Hackworth of Tazewell agrees.
“After doing some research and investigation, we found out that Appalachian Power is higher than the competing utilities in Virginia,” he said. “That’s why we ran this bill.”
For its part, Appalachian Power said it’s not clear yet exactly what this bill would do if it became a law. It insisted it does have customers’ pocketbooks in mind when it seeks to raise rates.
It said the money goes right back into the system, helping make it stronger and better able to withstand severe weather. Ultimately, it said it comes down to a simple question.
“Do our customers want to be restored in a day or two, or do they want to wait four or five days,” George Porter, the director of communications with Appalachian Power, said. “More times than not we make a decision; we do what’s right to get customers restored as quickly as we can and that’s something we have to recover in those costs.”
Appalachian Power also wanted to remind customers of its takechargeva.com website, where people can sign up for a plan that charges them the same amount every month, rather than wondering how much their bills may fluctuate up and down, depending on season.