Wala Blegay of Prince George’s County Council says these high bills have even forced folks in her district into payment plans.
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. — The first taste of winter weather has people checking their thermostats, as energy bills have skyrocketed in recent years. This winter promises more of the same, and many are wondering what lawmakers can do to help.
A lot of people woke up smiling to see snow on the ground, only to frown when thoughts turned to the first winter weather power bill.
In a time when energy costs are already up, Prince George’s County is trying to find ways to protect residents.
Mark Kidwell says that a few months ago, he noticed his electricity rates going up.
“Made my rates double,” Kidwell explained. “I was at 7 cents a kilowatt-hour hour and it went up to 14.”
Wala Blegay of Prince George’s County Council says these high bills have even forced folks in her district into payment plans.
“We were even seeing people that had $1500 bills per month,” Blegay said. “So the question is what’s going on? Why is this happening?”
There are multiple culprits behind the skyrocketing bills, including the explosion of data centers and the retirement of power plants to transmission lines.
“So what we’re doing on Monday is trying to make sure people understand what’s going on and basically what we need to do,” Blegay said.
The councilwoman plans to host a State of the Power meeting, a 101-course on why your bill costs too much. Several speakers will be attending, including a rep from the 13-state grid we all draw power from, PJM. The speakers will explain to residents what is causing the rate increases and what can be done.
“We need people to know that they need to start calling the state, calling the governor, everybody,” Blegay said. “We need all hands on that to figure out how we can save ourselves going forward.”
But as far as big bills this winter, Blegay says it’s up to the folks in Annapolis. State lawmakers will head to the capital city in January.