Monday, February 22, 2021 13:15 PM (GMT + 7)
In the face of public outrage over increasing electricity bills from tens to hundreds of times, Texas governor Greg Abbott had to speak up, promising to find a solution.
Many areas in Texas, USA saw the first snowfall.
When millions of Texans lived in the blackout last week, the lucky ones still have access to electricity for lighting and heating began to feel the consequences of the blizzard causing an unprecedented cold spell, according to New York. Times.
Many people have lost all their savings to pay electricity bills. “I lost all my savings,” said Scott Willoughby, a 63-year-old veteran. “I don’t know how to do it. This fee is really sad for me ”.
Willoughby has to pay up to $ 16,752 for electricity due to the effects of the cold, 70 times more than the normal rate.
Mr. Willoughby is one of a series of cases where the unreasonable rise in electricity bills in Texas, USA. Texas electricity prices are not fixed, but increase or decrease with market demand.
When a blizzard hit power generation plants, the demand for electricity in Texas outstripped the supply and transmission capacity.
Before the wave of public outrage, Texas governor Greg Abbott announced that he would convene an emergency meeting with MPs to find ways to resolve the problem.
“We have a responsibility to protect Texans from skyrocketing electricity bills caused by the cold spell,” said Abbott.
Katrina Tanner, a resident of Nevada, Texas, a customer of an electricity supply agent named Griddy, said she received a bill asking for payment of $ 6,200, five times more than the electricity bill for the whole year 2020.
The cost of electricity for Texans is soaring.
“During the last cold days, I kept opening the application on my phone to see the electricity bill jumping wildly,” Tanner said. People like Tanner can’t choose to postpone payments, as electricity accounts are linked directly to the bank.
As a result, Tanner only had 200 USD in the correct bank account. Tanner didn’t know how much money he still owed Griddy.
Some Texas lawmakers expressed dissatisfaction when electricity providers did not limit the ceiling price of electricity, leading to a crisis like the past time.
Meanwhile, Griddy believes that the escalation of electricity prices is to compensate for the risk of grid collapse and to maintain a balance among customers.
DeAndré Upshaw, a Dallas resident, said he thought he was lucky because his house still had electricity. Upshaw also invited neighbors into the house to warm up.
So far, 33-year-old Upshaw has received a bill requiring payment of $ 6,700 for electricity, while the normal rate is only 80 USD / month.
“I still can’t believe I just used up $ 6,700 in electricity, the same amount as the electricity I’ve paid in a decade,” Upshaw said.
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