Post freeze utility bill spikes

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Your utility bill might be higher than usual for January, and you may be wondering why.

Meagan Brown, the Public Information Officer with Bryan Utilities, says when temperatures are below freezing, people are tempted to turn up the heat in their homes.

“Our rates haven’t changed or anything recently, so it’s nothing to do with the rate you’re being charged, but increased usage,” said Brown.

That higher usage means a higher bill.

“Since we did have temperatures hovering around 15 degrees and then you’re trying to heat your home or business to stay close to 70 degrees, that’s a pretty big difference that your electric heaters and heat pumps are trying to make up. So increased usage leads to higher bills, unfortunately,” said Brown.

If used too much, Brown says items such as a space heater or water heater can also increase your utility bill.

She says the high bill may come as a shock since people can forget about those freezing temperatures we had now that it’s been 70 and sunny outside.

“They’re getting their bills now and seeing that increased usage. But it’s because we bill a month kind of behind, so you’re seeing that come through about right now,” said Brown.

Pat McIntyre, the Energy Coordinator for College Station Utilities says that the average temperature for January 2024 was 8 degrees cooler than the average temperature in January 2023, which you might notice when comparing your bills.

“The average temperature in January 2023 was 56 degrees and January of 2024 was 48 degrees, that’s an 8-degree difference,” said McIntyre.

Even though the groundhog did not see his shadow…

“We still got another month of cold weather, which February is typically our coldest month,” said McIntyre.

There are ways you can bring your utility bill down when temperatures drop next time.

Bryan and College Station Utilities recommend keeping the temperature in your home around 68 degrees, using space heaters safely and sparingly, keeping windows and doors shut when temperatures are cold outside, keeping outside walls warm during the cold, and not to leaving any unnecessary lights on.

Bryan Utilities has steps you can take if you are having trouble paying your utility bill for this month.

“If folks have trouble paying their bill and they want to discuss a payment arrangement or options that are available to them, just give us a call to our customer service department, and we’ll work with them. They can also consider signing up for what we call budget billing program which looks at your average usage over a couple of years and then makes your bill an average amount each month, which can be more predictable and easier to budget,” said Brown.

College Station Utilities says if people are having trouble with their utility bills, “there are assistance programs through BVAP, that’s a place people can go and apply for assistance,” said McIntyre.

Atmos Energy also has details about what makes up the cost of your energy bill here and how to save money on your energy bill during winter months here. They say if you are struggling to pay your bill, you can try Budget Billing here.