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<ul class="summary-list"><li>New Yorkers have reported large spikes in monthly energy bills.</li><li>One business in Queens, NY, is asking for customer donations to help cover its own electricity costs.</li></ul>After Bryan Calotta opened up the envelope, he screamed and yelled "profusely," he says. It was a <keyword id="13232922" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="con-edison" source="Orion">Con Edison</keyword> electricity bill for January, received in early February to the business he manages, Astoria Internet Cafe in Queens, New York, where customers can use computers, printers, scanners, and a gaming lounge. Between the two meters for the business, the bills added to $702.51, which is 26% more than the prior month's total. (The bills were reviewed by Insider.) "At first I was like, 'What is wrong? What happened?'" So Calotta checked the meters, which appeared to be working normally. Astoria Internet Cafe now has a tip jar out for customers to donate to cover the cost of the rising electricity bill. People have given about $300 so far, Calotta says. (The sign notes a "300% rise" from Calotta's calculation of the increase in per-kilowatt hour prices for supply and delivery charges.) Widespread reports of increases in Con Edison bills have prompted <a href="https://www.qchron.com/editions/central/queens-angry-with-con-ed-price-hikes/article_572c05e4-9019-11ec-b55c-8795e9a9f4b6.html">consternation</a> among New York residents and <a href="https://ny.eater.com/2022/2/11/22927772/con-edison-price-increases-electric-bills-nyc-restaurants-brooklyn-kolache-886-guevaras">small business owners</a>. New York Governor Kathy Hochul, via a letter from the state's Public Service Commission (PSC) <a href="https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-urges-con-ed-review-billing-practices-and-announces-actions-continue">called</a> on February 11 for the company to "review their billing practices and better communicate with New Yorkers," and encouraged residents to look into resources to help pay bills. Local officials also <a href="https://www.6sqft.com/new-york-lawmakers-call-for-investigation-into-soaring-coned-bills-in-nyc/">called</a> for an investigation into the utility provider from the PSC.Con Edison asked <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/con-edison-rate-increase-proposal-could-boost-electric-bills-more-than-11percent-in-2023-10976086">permission</a> to raise rates in 2023 – that would lead to an 11.2% increase in bills for customers – but this recent increase was unexpected, says Calotta. (Allan Drury, a spokesperson for Con Edison, noted the company put out a press release in November warning customers energy prices could be higher in the winter to come.) He plans to just fundraise for this set of bills and do his best after that. The business has not really recovered from the COVID-19: revenue is still down 30% or so from before the pandemic, he estimates. Con Edison <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-11/soaring-nyc-power-bills-prompt-coned-to-say-it-s-not-their-fault">cited</a> cold weather and rising gas prices for the bill increases, which is particularly relevant in places like the Northeast where electricity <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/-lot-people-need-help-soaring-electric-bills-leave-struggling-pay-rcna16347">relies</a> heavily on natural gas, per NBC news. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, electricity prices in the New York-Newark-Jersey City area <a href="https://www.bls.gov/regions/new-york-new-jersey/news-release/consumerpriceindex_newyorkarea.htm">rose</a> 28.2%, the biggest jump since the data series began in 1971. Con Edison shared the following statement with Insider:"The changes in customer bills in January were mainly due to the supply cost of the energy commodity. Natural gas is a driver of electricity costs as it is used by generation plants to create electricity. Con Edison does not make a profit on the commodity. We buy the energy on the wholesale market and provide it to customers at the same price we paid. Energy prices are volatile and can be affected by factors such as weather, demand, and economic trends.Con Edison is taking action to address the increase in energy supply costs and its impact on our customers. We are reviewing all of our practices that affect customer supply costs, including our energy-buying practices, the tools we use to reduce supply price volatility, the way we communicate changes in supply prices, and our programs to help customers who have fallen behind on their bills."Con Edison already offers payment agreements and payment plans. The utility increase comes amid <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inflation-cpi-january-price-growth-report-omicron-wave-supply-chains-2022-2">record-breaking inflation</a> and after two years of hard times for small businesses, which drove many to seek funding and support online on sites like <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/c/small-business-relief-initiative-and-fund-faqs">GoFundMe</a>.Calotta is just glad they unplugged the refrigerator and thus used less electricity in January. "If we didn't, God knows what it [the bill] would have been," he said.

This New York City internet cafe is asking customers for donations to pay its skyrocketing electricity bill

While on one side, citizens from major parts of the country are suffering because of mighty <keyword id="159810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="electricity-bills">electricity bills</keyword>, there are some areas with excess <keyword id="6356959" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="power-generation">power generation</keyword>, where electricity prices at power trading exchanges have dropped below Rs 1 for off-peak demand periods. 
 
In some areas like these, prices have dipped to 50 paise per unit, with others having electricity at around 80 paise per unit. These rates are about 20% down from last year. 
 
This has happened because of the combined effect of demand growth, which was less than what was expected, excess coal at thermal power plants, as well as the restrictions that were imposed by the National Load Despatch Centre on long-distance power transmission given the wintry conditions, as per the executives of India Energy Exchange. 
 
While consumers could see a reduction in their bills, not many utilities are taking advantage of the price drop as much as they can. 
 
"A large number of power utilities are not active in participating in power trading even when prices dip to such low levels," a senior power sector official told ET. "They seem to be happy buying power from the generators with which they have signed power purchase agreements even if the price at which they are buying the power is higher than exchange prices." 
 As per the recent trend, power generation in west and east India has had its prices dipped; these areas have <keyword id="3237187" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="surplus-electricity">surplus electricity</keyword> as compared to rest of the country. 
 
<a href="http://www.solareis.anl.gov/images/photos/transmissionROW.jpg">Image source</a>

Some areas in Eastern and Western India have electricity prices dropping below Re 1

<ul><li>The Delhi government has provided 50% subsidy for the consumer using 201-400 units of electricity. </li><li>The consumers will not have to pay any <keyword id="100242" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Electricity-bill">electricity bill</keyword> for using up to 200 units. </li><li>The price of non-subsidised LPG cooking gas will be reduced by Rs 62.50 per 14.2 kg cylinder in New Delhi. </li></ul>The residents of Delhi can breathe a sigh of relief. Chief Minister <keyword id="260213" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Arvind-Kejriwal">Arvind Kejriwal</keyword> government <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/arvind-kejriwal-says-no-bill-for-electricity-usage-upto-200-units-in-delhi-2078622">announced </a>that its low-end consumers need not pay electricity bills. As per the new tariff policy, <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/delhi-news/no-electricity-tariff-hike-in-delhi-for-5-years-tweets-arvind-kejriwal-2078381">the government won't impose any electricity</a> charges for those consuming 200 units of electricity or less. <div type="twitter" handle="ArvindKejriwal" handlename="Arvind Kejriwal" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/945853608389574656/REH_LpUJ_normal.jpg" favoritecount="17150" retweetcount="3019" status="Congratulations Delhi For fifth consecutive year NO electricity tariff hike. On the contrary, for fifth consecutiv… https://t.co/b6jt4jqTij" createdat="1564568739000" id="1156511234881011712"></div>

 New electricity tariffs They have much more subsidies up their sleeve. The Delh<a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1156823259159154688">i government provided 50% subsidy</a> for those consuming between 201-400 units of electricity. Starting August, The consumers will have to pay ₹252 instead of ₹800 for using 250 unit a month. Further, for 300 units, the government will charge ₹526 monthly. <keyword id="75088" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="LPG-cylinders">LPG cylinders</keyword> to cost less This is not the only good news that the national residents received today. The price of non-subsidised LPG cooking <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/news/lpg-cylinder-prices-cut-by-62-5-in-delhi-rates-effective-from-aug-1/articleshow/70475003.cms">gas will be reduced </a>by ₹62.50 per 14.2 kg cylinder. This is effective August 1, the company said. According to the Indian Oil Corporation, the price reduction comes on the back of prices in the international market and the Dollar-Rupee exchange rate. "Accordingly, the upfront cash payment by the consumers of domestic LPG will also reduce per cylinder. Domestic LPG consumers will now be required to make an upfront cash payment of Rs 574.50 only per 14.2 Kg cylinder in August 2019 in place of Rs 637," IOC said in a statement. (With IANS) See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/news/lpg-cylinder-prices-cut-by-62-5-in-delhi-rates-effective-from-aug-1/articleshow/70475003.cms">Cooking gas will get cheaper from today in India's national capital</a>.

Double bonanza for Delhi-ites — free power and cheaper gas

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Some Texans were billed $1,000 a day for electricity last week, <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/business/2021/02/20/griddy-customers-face-5000-bills-for-5-freezing-days-in-texas/">The Dallas Morning News</a> reported.</li><li>Some state residents have their home and office bills tied to wholesale electricity prices.</li><li>The wholesale price of electricity surged 10,000% as demand increased and supply fell offline.</li></ul>Some <keyword id="15710" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="texas">Texas</keyword> residents are facing a new obstacle after last week's winter storms: <keyword id="159810" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="electricity-bills">electricity bills</keyword> over $5,000 for less than a week's worth of <keyword id="6357014" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="energy">energy</keyword>.While millions of people in the state <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/texas-blackouts-millions-lost-power-in-storm-went-wrong-2021-2">endured lengthy stretches without power</a> last week, other customers are seeing the eye-popping, five-figure <keyword id="44011" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="power">power</keyword> bills because their plans are tied to the wholesale market rate. In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, some residents described being hit with $1,000-a-day charges for electricity, <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/business/2021/02/20/griddy-customers-face-5000-bills-for-5-freezing-days-in-texas/">The Dallas Morning News reported</a>. Residents have used social media or other means <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/texas-army-veteran-faces-16000-bill-due-to-rocketing-energy-prices-2021-2">to show $5,000 bills - or more -</a> over a period of about five days.CPS Energy, the <keyword id="6360326" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="electric">electric</keyword> utility in San Antonio, said it was working to avoid giving customers "exorbitant" bills in the coming weeks, <a href="https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2021/02/19/skyrocketing-price-of-power-leads-to-concern-over-next-cps-energy-bill/">KSAT reported</a>, perhaps by spreading the charges over more than a decade.Gov. Greg Abbott met with local lawmakers Saturday <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-texas-blackout-greg-abbott-climate-change-wind-2021-2">to address this latest crisis</a>. "We are moving quickly to alleviate this problem and will continue to work collaboratively throughout this week on solutions to help Texas families and ensure they do not get stuck with skyrocketing energy bills," Abbott said in a statement.Spiking bills won't hit state residents who had fixed-rate electric plans. The problem for many comes from index or variable-rate plans, in which rates to power their home or business change with the price of the wholesale market. In good times, a customer's bill can be lower than it might be otherwise - but if the cost to produce electricity skyrockets, so too do bills.Last Monday, as freezing <keyword id="6359992" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="weather">weather</keyword> rolled through Texas and much of the US, the wholesale price of electricity shot up 10,000%. It went from about $50 per megawatt hour to $9,000 - a system cap, according <a href="https://www.puc.texas.gov/51617WinterERCOTOrder.pdf">to data provided</a> by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the operator of Texas' electric grid.The price increase came as Texas' main sources of electricity, chiefly natural-gas plants, went offline in the freezing temperatures. At the same time, the unusually cold weather meant demand for energy went up, as people turned up their heaters to stay warm.ERCOT responded with rolling blackouts, it said, so as not to further damage the grid. The blackouts, which affected a few million residents at their peak, were among the largest in US history.President Joe Biden on Saturday <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-declares-texas-a-major-disaster-millions-without-water-2021-2">declared a major disaster in Texas</a>.ERCOT did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment about the wholesale electricity price and reports of spiking consumer bills.It's unclear how many Texas residents have variable or index-rate electric plans. Texans are allowed to <a href="https://www.texaspowerguide.com/texas-electricity-shopping/">shop for their power plans</a> in its deregulated retail electricity market.Griddy, one of the state's electric companies, provides access to wholesale electricity for a monthly membership fee. Last week, it <a href="https://www.griddy.com/post/how-to-switch" target="_blank" title="https://www.griddy.com/post/how-to-switch" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">urged</a> its nearly 30,000 customers to find a different provider if they couldn't afford the soaring rates, The Dallas Morning <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">News</keyword> reported.Some state lawmakers think some residents might not understand how their electricity is billed."The state needs to look into whether or not people are signing up for things that they don't really understand and signing up for things that could ultimately really hurt them," <a href="https://www.wnky.com/skyrocketing-electric-bills-add-to-texas-power-woes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gene Wu, a Texas state representative whose district covers part of Houston, said, according to The Dallas Morning News</a>.By Sunday, power had been restored across much of Texas, though many people remained without water after pipes froze and burst. Damage from the storm, which left dozens dead, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/winter-snow-storm-blackout-texas-damages-could-near-50-billion-2021-2">is expected to approach $50 billion,</a> AccuWeather predicted.Abbott <a href="https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-declares-ercot-reform-an-emergency-item">has called the blackout event</a> "unacceptable" and said he would call for changes at ERCOT as an emergency item for the 2021 legislative session.The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has also <a href="https://www.ferc.gov/news-events/news/ferc-nerc-open-joint-inquiry-2021-cold-weather-grid-operations">launched a task force to investigate</a> the loss of power in Texas and elsewhere in the US.Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated KSAT's reporting. It quoted CPS Energy as saying it was working to avoid "exorbitant" bills, not that some customers should expect them.

Why some Texas residents are ending up with $5,000 electric bills after the winter storms

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Mega mansions cost their owners between $10,000 and $50,000 in electric bills, reports say.</li><li>Residents across the country report higher electricity rates due to supply cost issues. </li></ul>Record-breaking heat waves mean California residents are spending more to keep homes cool – and some are paying thousands to do so.Multi-million dollar mansions require more electricity to power their sprawling layouts than the average home, and owners are shelling out more than $10,000 each month to cover the bill, the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-30/cost-electric-utility-bill-la-biggest-house-heat-wave">LA Times reports.</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-225-million-mansion-the-one-biggest-modern-home-us-2021-9">A record-breaking $141 million mansion</a> known as "the costliest house sold at auction," has monthly electric bills estimated at around $50,000. According to the LA Times, mega mansions like this one may have up to 50 HVAC systems compared to one system for a regular-sized home."In theory, a 100,000-square-foot home would have the same energy bill as 40 2,500-square-foot homes," A/C expert Lawrence Castillo told the LA Times. "That's two city blocks' worth of houses to cool one property."Although heat waves don't help, there could be more to why power is more expensive than before.California's San Diego Gas &amp; Electric raised its rates due to higher supply costs, and the new bills cost residents nearly 12% more than last year on average, the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-your-electric-bill-is-soaringand-likely-to-go-higher-11647250380">Wall Street Journal reported</a>.Energy company Consolidated Edison reported the same issue to explain a 23% increase on customers' bills in January.A New York City resident told the Journal his utility bill "literally doubled overnight," having to spend $1,000 on electricity for the month.Castillo said those hoping to cut down on electricity bills should focus more on their A/C units instead of turning off lights and appliances. In the LA Times report, he said that makes up 70% of electric bills during the summer."People think that leaving appliances running or turning off lights will make a big difference, but the main difference-maker is the age and usage of the A/C unit," he said.

Electric bills hit $50,000 for California mansion owners amid heat waves and high supply costs for power companies

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="15710" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="texas">Texas</keyword> should pay residents' huge <keyword id="6357014" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="energy">energy</keyword> bills from last week's storms, according to US officials.</li><li>Texans have reportedly been charged up to $16,000 for electricity, after its wholesale price surged 10,000%.</li><li><keyword id="100821" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Houston">Houston</keyword> mayor <keyword id="3691420" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="sylvester-turner">Sylvester Turner</keyword>, Texas Rep. <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/21/politics/texas-utility-bills-michael-mccaul-cnntv/index.html">Michael McCaul</a>, and Sen. Ted Cruz said Texans shouldn't pay the price.</li></ul>US officials are calling on the state of Texas to pay residents' hefty utility bills, following winter-storm power outages that left millions without electricity or clean water.When <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/texas-blackouts-millions-lost-power-in-storm-went-wrong-2021-2">freezing weather hit Texas</a> on Monday, February 15, energy sources including natural-gas plants went offline and demand for electricity soared as people tried to stay warm. This caused a huge shortfall in energy, and the wholesale <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-texas-residents-hit-with-soaring-electric-bills-winter-storms-2021-2?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">price of electricity surged 10,000%</a>.Some Texans were <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-texas-residents-hit-with-soaring-electric-bills-winter-storms-2021-2?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">billed $5,000 for less than a week of electricity</a> during the blackout. One Texas veteran living in Dallas <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/20/us/texas-storm-electric-bills.html">told The New York Times</a> he'd received a $16,000 electricity bill. In an interview with <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/transcript-mayor-sylvester-turner-on-face-the-nation-february-21-2021/">CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday</a>, Houston mayor Sylvester Turner said that Texans "getting these exorbitant <keyword id="159810" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="electricity-bills">electricity bills</keyword> ... should not have to bear the responsibility" of paying them."Those exorbitant costs should be borne by the state of Texas and not the individual consumers who did not cause this catastrophe this week," he said.Texans with fixed-rate plans won't be hit by the soaring electricity prices. But residents whose plans are tied to the wholesale market rate are seeing five-figure bills.Turner said the Texas grid wasn't primarily designed for <keyword id="46788" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Winter">winter</keyword> blizzards. He added that climate change was happening and "major storms can happen at any time.""All of what happened this past week was foreseeable and preventable," Turner said.Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who has been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ted-cruz-left-cancun-earlier-planned-amid-torrent-of-criticism-2021-2">criticized for flying to Cancun to escape the Texas storms</a>, echoed Turner's comments <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1363529410268319747">in a tweet on Sunday</a>. "No power company should get a windfall because of a natural disaster, and Texans shouldn't get hammered by ridiculous rate increases for last week's energy debacle."Federal emergency funds to help residents recover from the storms will also be put towards the costly bills, Texas Rep. <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/21/politics/texas-utility-bills-michael-mccaul-cnntv/index.html">Michael McCaul told CNN on Sunday</a>.The extortionate energy bills prompted the Texas Gov. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-texas-blackout-greg-abbott-climate-change-wind-2021-2">Greg Abbott to meet with local lawmakers Saturday</a>. "Texans who have suffered through days of freezing cold without power should not be subjected to skyrocketing energy bills due to a spike in the energy market," <a href="https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-holds-emergency-meeting-with-legislature-to-address-spike-in-texas-energy-bills">Abbott said at the meeting</a>.Following the meeting, regulators said Sunday that <a href="https://www.insider.com/texas-electricity-companies-cant-shut-off-service-for-unpaid-bills-2021-2">electricity companies were temporarily banned</a> from cutting off Texans who haven't paid their energy bills yet. On Saturday, President Joe Biden declared <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-declares-texas-a-major-disaster-millions-without-water-2021-2">the storms a major disaster in Texas</a>, allowing people in dozens of counties in the state to apply for federal funding.The White House said this included grants for temporary housing, funding for home repairs, and "low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses."

The state of Texas should cover residents' huge energy bills from last week's power outages, the mayor of Houston said

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Some Texans described facing $5,000 utility bills after winter storms caused prices to surge.</li><li>Regulators on Sunday said electric providers were barred from shutting off service for unpaid bills.</li><li>A <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> release said the orders were "intended to be temporary, likely through the end of this week."</li></ul>The Public Utility Commission of <keyword id="15710" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="texas">Texas</keyword> on Sunday said <keyword id="44578" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="electricity">electricity</keyword> companies would be temporarily barred from cutting off service because of unpaid bills.Gov. <keyword id="1110279" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Greg-Abbott">Greg Abbott</keyword> announced the move earlier in the day, following an <a href="https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-convenes-emergency-meeting-to-address-spike-in-texas-energy-bills">emergency meeting</a> that was held Saturday to address the surging <keyword id="159810" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="electricity-bills">electricity bills</keyword> some Texans were receiving after the devastating winter storm.In a <a href="https://www.puc.texas.gov/agency/resources/pubs/news/2021/PUCTX-REL-COLD21-022121-EOM.pdf">news release</a> about the moratorium, the commission said it issued a series of orders timed to prevent Texans with unpaid bills from losing power on Monday. It said the orders were "intended to protect Texas electricity customers while leaders in the state consider solutions for the financial aftershocks of the winter storm grid event."The orders also included a continuation of a COVID-19 policy that requires electric providers to offer deferred payment plans by customer request."Our absolute top priority as a commission and a state is protecting electricity customers from the devastating effects of a storm that already affected their delivery of power," DeAnn Walker, the commission chairman, said in the statement.She also said the orders were "intended to be temporary, likely through the end of this week."The commission also "strongly urged" electric providers to delay billing residential and small commercial customers.The moratorium came after some Texans said they received <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-texas-residents-hit-with-soaring-electric-bills-winter-storms-2021-2">electricity bills</a> for more than $5,000 for less than a week of service.During the unusually cold winter storms last week, demand for electricity surged, hiking the wholesale price 10,000% as some power plants failed. Some residents were being charged $1,000 a day for electricity, according to <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/business/2021/02/20/griddy-customers-face-5000-bills-for-5-freezing-days-in-texas/">The Dallas Morning News</a>.The winter storms ultimately <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/texas-blackouts-millions-lost-power-in-storm-went-wrong-2021-2">caused millions of Texans to go days without any power</a> during the extreme cold.

Texas is barring electricity companies from shutting off service for unpaid bills after storms caused prices to surge

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A California law would set a sliding scale for electricity bills based on a household's income.</li><li>The fixed monthly fees would range from $15 to $128 and would be separate from use charges.</li></ul>Californians might soon get electric bills based on how much they make: The higher their income, the more they'll owe each month.It's part of a plan to pay for modernizing California's creaky electricity system, whose downed <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pge-caused-california-wildfires-safety-measures-2019-10">power lines have been blamed for starting massive forest fires</a> — and where an increasingly hotter and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/historically-low-california-reservoirs-threaten-power-grid-photos-2021-6">drier climate is pushing demand for energy ever higher</a>.The new state law aims to make higher-income people shoulder a greater burden when it comes to paying for the power system's modernization, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/06/01/should-your-electricity-bills-depend-how-much-money-you-make/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post reports</a>. It doesn't totally take out of the equation <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/millions-of-californians-face-summer-blackouts-governor-warns-2022-5">how much power each household uses</a>: Part of each bill will still be based on that. But each bill also will have "fixed charges" that will be set based on income.<a href="https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/divisions/energy-division/documents/demand-response/demand-response-workshops/advanced-der---demand-flexibility-management/joint-ious-opening-testimony-exhibit-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Households with incomes under $28,000 would pay $15 a month</a> in the Los Angeles area, for instance, according to the California Public Utilities Commission, which the Post cited. But households with incomes over $180,000 would pay $92 a month — a 144% difference. In San Diego, they'd pay $128 a month.<table style="height: 110px; width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse;" border="3"><tbody><tr style="height: 22px;"><td style="width: 20%; height: 22px;">Income Bracket</td><td style="width: 20%; height: 22px;">Pacific Gas &amp; Electric</td><td style="width: 20%; height: 22px;">San Diego Gas &amp; Electric</td><td style="width: 20%; height: 22px;">Southern Cal. Edison</td></tr><tr style="height: 22px;"><td style="width: 20%; height: 22px;">Less than $28,000</td><td style="width: 20%; height: 22px;">$15</td><td style="width: 20%; height: 22px;">$24</td><td style="width: 20%; height: 22px;">$15</td></tr><tr style="height: 22px;"><td style="width: 20%; height: 22px;">$28,000-$69,000</td><td style="width: 20%; height: 22px;">$30</td><td style="width: 20%; height: 22px;">$34</td><td style="width: 20%; height: 22px;">$20</td></tr><tr style="height: 22px;"><td style="width: 20%; height: 22px;">$69,000-$180,000</td><td style="width: 20%; height: 22px;">$51</td><td style="width: 20%; height: 22px;">$73</td><td style="width: 20%; height: 22px;">$51</td></tr><tr style="height: 22px;"><td style="width: 20%; height: 22px;">More than $180,000</td><td style="width: 20%; height: 22px;">$92</td><td style="width: 20%; height: 22px;">$128</td><td style="width: 20%; height: 22px;">$85</td></tr></tbody></table>Source: <a href="https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/divisions/energy-division/documents/demand-response/demand-response-workshops/advanced-der---demand-flexibility-management/joint-ious-opening-testimony-exhibit-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California Public Utilities Commission</a>, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/06/01/should-your-electricity-bills-depend-how-much-money-you-make/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post</a>Some homeowners aren't happy with the changes, which have yet to be implemented. They told the Post that after years of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-cap-and-trade-law-environmental-risks-reactions-2017-7">messaging from state officials encouraging people to conserve energy</a>, the new plan says just the opposite: Even if you've been watching your electricity use, you'll still be charged more if you make more.One retiree in Eureka, in the northern part of the state, told the Post that <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/06/01/should-your-electricity-bills-depend-how-much-money-you-make/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he and his wife have tried hard to limit their electricity use</a> — using their washing machine only during off-peak hours and even going without air conditioning.But the new fixed fees — even just by themselves, without adding on usage charges — would be more than his total bill under the current system, he said.Still, some researchers say the fixed-price charges — especially when set on a sliding scale, based on household income — <a href="https://www.next10.org/publications/electricity-rates" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are a fairer way to finance the electrical system's expansion</a>.<div type="image" title="A picture of a light rail coming out of downtown Los Angeles with power lines overhead." height="2660" width="5321" msid="100726331" hostid="261"></div>If everyone paid the same fixed charge, <a href="https://haas.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/WP314.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">then poorer households would be paying a greater share of their income</a> to finance the expansion, and that's not how we pay for a lot of other things, like roads, schools and police forces, advocates of the change say. Those community needs are often paid for with a mix of property taxes and income taxes — which go up and down, depending on what you make or how much the property is worth.And the Natural Resources Defense Council argues that <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/bio/sylvie-ashford/reforming-cas-electric-rates-decarbonization-and-equity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">if people pay for the fixed costs of building and maintaining an electric system with a fixed fee</a>, then that would allow power companies to charge less to actually use the electricity. That's because they'll have a steady income stream regardless of use."This makes it cheaper to use electricity to operate electric cars or appliances," the NRDC argues — something that could become key in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/electric-car-wont-overload-electrical-grid-california-evs-2022-10">stoking demand for EVs</a>.That's not likely to satisfy ratepayers who say they've been offered a "bait-and-switch," <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/06/01/should-your-electricity-bills-depend-how-much-money-you-make/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the Post</a>: being encouraged to conserve only to be told their electric bills could now go up, regardless of how much they use.<a href="https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/divisions/energy-division/documents/demand-response/demand-response-workshops/advanced-der---demand-flexibility-management/joint-ious-opening-testimony-exhibit-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The California Public Utilities Commission</a> is in charge of implementing the fixed-use charge, and it's still figuring out how to do that, the Post reports. It has until next July.

California's electricity bills could soon be based on how much you make &mdash; and some people are furious

<ul><li><keyword id="6517022" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jagannath-Shelke">Jagannath Shelke</keyword> received an outrageous electricity bill of ₹8,75,830 for the consumption of 55,519 units in April.</li><li>A section engineer punched incorrect meter readings, as 61,178 KWH instead of 6,117.8 KWH. </li><li>The 40-year-old victim lived in a tiny 2-room tin shed with his family.</li></ul>A vegetable vendor in India reportedly resorted to suicide after receiving an exorbitant electricity bill. When Jagannath Shelke received an outrageous electricity bill of ₹8,75,830 for the consumption of 55,519 units in April, he couldn't cope with the pressure and decided to end his life. The 40-year-old lived in a tiny 2-room tin shed in the <keyword id="698768" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharatnagar">Bharatnagar</keyword> in <keyword id="6354237" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="aurangabad">Aurangabad</keyword>, a small city in the western Indian state of <keyword id="13126" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Maharashtra">Maharashtra</keyword>, with his family. According to the police, he left a suicide note claiming the bill was the reason he hung himself from the ceiling fan. An officer from the Garkheda police station told <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/aurangabad-vegetable-seller-ends-life-after-receiving-electricity-bill-for-865-lakh/article23837838.ece" data-type="tilCustomLink">The Hindu</a>, “The deceased was apparently under severe stress after getting a bill with such figures. He pinned a note to his body saying he was extremely distressed with the humongous electricity bill and hence was forced to take his own life. We are in the process of lodging a complaint.” The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (<keyword id="6360872" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="msedcl">MSEDCL</keyword>) released a statement saying the section engineer at its Garkheda station punched incorrect meter readings, as 61,178 KWH instead of 6,117.8 KWH. This lead to the generation of the inflated bill. The MSEDCL claims it has fired the billing clerk responsible for the error. Apparently, on receiving the bill, the distraught vegetable vendor approached the MSEDCL authorities but was ignored and asked to pay up. The victim’s family have now refused to take possession of the body and have asked for a case to be lodged against the electricity board. The police have registered a case of accidental death for now.

A vegetable vendor in India committed suicide after receiving an exorbitant electricity bill

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Texans hit with massive electricity bills during last month's <keyword id="93159" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="winter-storm">winter storm</keyword> won't have to pay them.</li><li>The state's attorney general ensured relief to the 24,000 <keyword id="10934095" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="griddy-energy">Griddy Energy</keyword> customers who owed $29 million.</li><li>Griddy Energy, the wholesale electricity provider, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this week.</li></ul>Texans who lost heat and power during a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/extreme-cold-in-texas-winter-storm-has-confused-weather-satellites-2021-2">rare winter storm</a> last month will no longer be stuck with exorbitant electric bills, the state's attorney general announced.Attorney General Ken Paxton said he would wipe out more than $29 million in unpaid electric bills owed by approximately 24,000 Griddy Energy customers in a <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/ag-paxton-ensures-forgiveness-29-million-electric-bills-24000-texans-after-suing-griddy-energy-llc">Wednesday statement.</a>Paxton <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/ag-paxton-sues-griddy-llc-energy-company-customers-hit-exorbitant-energy-bills">announced</a> his office was suing the <keyword id="15710" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="texas">Texas</keyword> energy company earlier this month for "violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act through false, misleading, and deceptive advertising and marketing practices."During February's bout of record-low temperatures, the state's power companies failed to withstand the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-declares-texas-a-major-disaster-millions-without-water-2021-2">freezing conditions,</a> leaving millions of residents without electricity during the winter storm that left <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/one-texas-county-reported-hypothermia-deaths-in-the-last-week-2021-2">dozens dead.</a> As Texans faced the aftermath of the storm, Paxton said Griddy escalated the disaster by "debiting enormous amounts from customer accounts" with "little to no warning" which resulted in consumers paying hundreds - and in some cases, thousands - of dollars each day for electricity.Paxton has since dropped the suit and instead, said his office and the company are now in "ongoing good faith negotiations to attempt to address relief for those Griddy customers who have already paid their storm-related energy bills."In an <a href="https://www.griddy.com/">online statement</a> Monday, Griddy announced it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, placing the blame decidedly on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the organization that operates Texas's electrical grid which supplies 90% of the state's electric load.Since the storm, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/texas-blackouts-public-utility-commission-chair-resigns-deann-walker-storm-2021-3">ERCOT has come under fire</a> for failing to prepare for the harsh winter conditions. According to Griddy, "<keyword id="5891952" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="ercot">ERCOT</keyword> made a bad situation worse" by continuing to set prices at $9,000 per megawatt hour - nearly 300 times more than the normal price - for 87.5 hours.Griddy connects its customers to the wholesale electricity market for a monthly fee of $9.99, the statement said. As such, the company said it did not profit off the skyrocketing prices seen during the storm."The actions of ERCOT destroyed our business and caused financial harm to our customers," Griddy CEO Michael Fallquist said in the statement.A spokesperson for ERCOT told Insider the organization had no comment on Griddy's communications to its customers, though the representative did confirm Griddy's aggregate short pay to ERCOT was at $29 million as of March 17.Customers who didn't lose power during the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/texas-blackouts-millions-lost-power-in-storm-went-wrong-2021-2">mass blackouts</a> found themselves hit with massive bills that were auto-debited from their bank accounts, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/17/us/texas-ag-lawsuit-unpaid-electric-bills-forgiven-griddy/index.html">according to CNN.</a> One customer, Royce Pierce, <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/12BpDhns-u4KhgVaVg6jegcO2u3xgEDIinEj8hMG6nbU/edit">told NBC News</a> he and his wife's bill had reached nearly $10,000 over a matter of days for their three-bedroom home. He told the outlet Griddy automatically took the amount from their card, and the couple had been forced to close the card after the company wiped it out.

Texas AG says $29 million in electric bills from brutal winter storms will be forgiven

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Texas has become home to crypto mining companies due to the state's cheap electricity.</li><li>The energy involved in these operations has increased costs for power customers across the state.</li></ul>If you live in Texas and noticed your energy bill has risen over the past year, cryptocurrency mining might be one contributing factor.Since 2021, a number of bitcoin mining companies have moved to Texas, and they are causing an uptick in energy consumption that could lead to a 5% annual increase in electric bills for Texas power customers — or an extra $1.8 billion per year — according a simulation performed by energy research and consulting firm Wood Mackenzie for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/09/business/bitcoin-mining-electricity-pollution.html">The New York Times.</a>When considering the <a href="https://comptroller.texas.gov/economy/fiscal-notes/2020/august/ercot.php">more than 26 million customers</a> on Texas' Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, that's an extra $69 per annual bill.The costs show how the presence of crypto mining in the state is impacting all of the state's residents. Riot Platforms, which runs the state's largest mine in Rockdale, uses the same amount of electricity as the nearest 300,000 homes, per the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/09/business/bitcoin-mining-electricity-pollution.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Times</a>. "The alleged increase in energy bills was created using a proprietary black box simulation, not real-world data, and the NYT and their sources have not made the data available to the public so that it can be appropriately challenged," a Riot Platforms spokesperson told Insider. The company did not respond when asked to detail the amount of energy it uses.In 2021, China cracked down on crypto. Financial institutions and payment companies were banned from facilitating cryptocurrency transactions in May of that year, and just four months later, another ban was issued that prevented crypto transactions and crypto mining in the country, per <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-central-bank-vows-crackdown-cryptocurrency-trading-2021-09-24/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters</a>. Crypto mining companies needed to move elsewhere, and some rural counties in Texas welcomed these companies.Milam County, for example, which was home to a once-thriving aluminium plant that closed in 2008, offered Riot Platforms "a 45% discount on local taxes for 10 years," per the <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2022/10/03/texas-cryptocurrency-mining-bitcoin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Texas Tribune</a>. Plus, the state's inexpensive electricity costs made it a desirable location for these companies, Carey King, the assistant director of the Energy Institute at The University of Texas at Austin, told <a href="https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-is-becoming-a-bitcoin-mining-capital-can-the-grid-handle-it/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Texas Observer</a>. However, the energy required to mine crypto — which involves a number of interconnected servers solving increasingly difficult mathematical problems — <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bitcoin-mining-electricity-usage-more-than-google-2021-9">is significant</a>. Not only does the machinery that processes crypto-related transactions require energy, but these data centers also have to be cooled down.The energy costs associated with these trickle down to everyday Texans, who are already seeing their electric bills increase due to severe weather swings that have put pressure on the state's energy grid."Texans have continued to experience high electric bills due to a number of factors," an ERCOT spokesperson told Insider.The spokesperson cited weather and fuel prices as the main reasons for increased electric bills.In February 2021, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/texas-blackouts-millions-lost-power-in-storm-went-wrong-2021-2">arctic weather swept across the state,</a> leading to increased demand for power in order to maintain heating in residents' homes, which caused state-wide blackouts. Then, in July 2022, mining companies were urged <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/texas-power-grid-operator-crypto-miners-shut-down-2022-7?_gl=1*qjek8v*_ga*ODczNjYzMzEyLjE2ODA1NDA1MDY.*_ga_E21CV80ZCZ*MTY4MjY5NjA1NC40Ny4xLjE2ODI2OTYwNzAuNDQuMC4w">to wind down operations</a> in order to lower the strain on the energy grid as temperatures rose across the board, threatening the possibility of power outages.

Crypto mining in Texas could be costing energy customers an extra $69 per year on their electrical bills

With <keyword id="6356117" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Delhi-assembly">Delhi Assembly</keyword> elections just two weeks away, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has promised each and every household that it will slash their electricity bill by 50% if the party is voted to power. 
 It seems that the BJP has been highly inspired by the announcement that the <keyword id="6354944" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aam-Aadmi-Party">Aam Aadmi Party</keyword> (AAP) made in December 2014. At that time, the <keyword id="1727470" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Arvind-Kejriwal-led-party">Arvind Kejriwal-led party</keyword> had said that it would provide free water along with 50% reduction in electricity bill to every household if voted to power. 
 Now, the <keyword id="152754" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP-party">BJP party</keyword> too has hoardings, showing photographs of <keyword id="71" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Prime-Minister">Prime Minister</keyword> <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> and BJP's chief ministerial candidate <keyword id="6354361" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kiran-Bedi">Kiran Bedi</keyword> across Delhi, wherein the party has promised to cut down power tariff by 50% by providing LED bulbs at cheap rates. Not to forget, in the last Assembly elections, the party had promised to reduce electricity bill by 30%. 
 
In the last elections, one of the main promises made by the Aam Aadmi Party was reduction in electricity bill; and this played a key role in helping the AAP form the government in Delhi. 
 
Now, the BJP doesn’t want to leave any stone unturned to win the Delhi Assembly elections. Even if they have to go AAP way it doesn’t matter, as everything is fair in this ‘war to retain power’. 
(Image: Official Facebook page of Kiran Bedi)

You Searched For "electric bill" and got 12 results

This New York City internet cafe is asking customers for donations to pay its skyrocketing electricity bill

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Some areas in Eastern and Western India have electricity prices dropping below Re 1

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Double bonanza for Delhi-ites — free power and cheaper gas

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Why some Texas residents are ending up with $5,000 electric bills after the winter storms

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Electric bills hit $50,000 for California mansion owners amid heat waves and high supply costs for power companies

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The state of Texas should cover residents' huge energy bills from last week's power outages, the mayor of Houston said

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Texas is barring electricity companies from shutting off service for unpaid bills after storms caused prices to surge

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California's electricity bills could soon be based on how much you make and some people are furious

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A vegetable vendor in India committed suicide after receiving an exorbitant electricity bill

Texas AG says $29 million in electric bills from brutal winter storms will be forgiven

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Crypto mining in Texas could be costing energy customers an extra $69 per year on their electrical bills

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Delhi Polls: BJP Follows AAP’s Footsteps, Announces 50% Reduction In Electricity Bill If Voted To Power

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