After sharing her story of struggling with skyrocketing electric rates, a York County woman is getting some relief.
Stephanie Thompson first spoke with FOX43 Thursday after getting an electric bill for nearly $900. See that story by clicking here.
A viewer reached out and offered to help her pay the bill, but a few hours later that good deed would prove unnecessary.
Her electric provider, North American Power, contacted her Friday afternoon and offered to knock about $350 off her bill.
“I was flabbergasted when I got on the phone,” said Thompson.
She entered into a variable-rate plan last summer, not expecting her rate would climb as high as it has.
In September she paid about 8 cents per kilowatt hour. That rate more than doubled to about 18 cents per hour during her last billing cycle. On top of that, her usage more than tripled due to this winter’s cold weather.
“And now I know the questions that need to be asked, and what I need to know from them before I even make that initial decision next time,” said Thompson.
The state’s Public Utility Commission is looking into the recent rate hikes, which utilities have attributed to the weather and issues of supply and demand. The commission had received more than 800 complaints from customers as of Friday, said spokeswoman Jennifer Kocher.