“We have friends who are without power for 48 hours who came (over to my house), and I said, I mean, we’re paying for this electricity, might as well have other people use it,” said Upshaw, adding that he’s thankful he’s alive and healthy.

Neighbors and friends who have accounts with Griddy told Upshaw that the charges “knocked out their entire checking account, went into their savings account, they can’t pay their rent,” he said. Yet even as he has been conserving power, his bill continued to rise, he said. On Thursday Griddy said that it is seeking relief from Texas utility regulators and is “committed to crediting customers for any relief, dollar-for-dollar.”įor the time being, Upshaw, the Dallas resident, has switched his credit card on file with Griddy to one that has been maxed out to ensure he can’t be charged for more. “While we value our members, we want what is best for their wallet and family even more, even if that means helping them switch away to our competitors,” the company said. In Texas, customers can choose to pay for a fixed plan instead, and Griddy began to encourage them to do so, in a statement on Monday. Its website says that customers “pay exactly the price we buy electricity at.” But with the winter storm wreaking havoc on Texas’ power grid, Griddy’s pricing shot up. Griddy charges customers at a market rate that varies depending on current power prices. Upshaw told CNN he attempted to switch from Griddy to another electric provider, but the new company kept pushing back his start date.ĭallas resident DeAndre Upshaw received a $7,000 electric bill this month. One energy company called Griddy suggested that their customers look for another provider if the prices were too high. “To protect families, I am actively working with the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House and members of the Legislature to develop solutions to ensure that Texans are not on the hook for unreasonable spikes in their energy bills.” “It is unacceptable for Texans who suffered through days in the freezing cold without electricity or heat to now be hit with skyrocketing energy costs,” Abbott said.

Greg Abbott is convening an emergency meeting to look into the situation, he said in a statement. It’s also giving customers a way to use an emergency provider in the event their current provider is not available, but it’s likely that this program doesn’t apply to people who voluntarily changed their electricity company.ĬNN reached out to PUCT for clarification but did not immediately hear back. Texas’ utility regulator, Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), said Saturday that it is investigating “the factors that combined with the devastating winter weather to disrupt the flow of power to millions of Texas homes.” Texas officials say they are investigating. “While I’m trying to get gas and groceries and make sure that my pipes don’t explode, the last thing I’m thinking about is a $7,000 bill from my utility company,” Upshaw told CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield via Skype Saturday.Īs Texas struggles to recover from a deep freeze that has killed dozens, some customers in Texas like Upshaw are facing unprecedented price hikes in their energy bills as a result of the recent snow storm. Dallas resident DeAndre Upshaw said it was “very shocking” when he opened his latest electricity bill.

Texas utility bills skyrocket