Summer electric bills are rising across the country. And in El Paso, Texas, bills are arriving with totals that, for many customers, are sharply above what they paid in May.
What happened?
Three pressures are coalescing to drive these enormous bill increases, as El Paso Matters reported. These factors are newly approved higher rates, heavier air-conditioning demand during 100-degree weather, and the disappearance of a short-term fuel credit.
After the latest bills arrived, complaints spread across neighborhood forums and social media.
“Is it just me or did anybody else in the neighborhood get an extremely high bill for June?” one Upper Valley resident wrote on Nextdoor. “I know I used electricity a little more than last month but not $200 more than last month. El Paso Electric, what the heck is going on?”…