Frustration is growing across the Triangle, as Duke Energy customers say they are seeing unexplained and unexpected increases to their monthly utility bills.
"My bill was $150 spike, and I didn't understand the reason for it," said Jerrica Ponder, who lives in Raleigh.
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Jerrica Ponder has launched a petition calling for the electric company to be audited and to issue refunds to affected customers. The petition has gained nearly 60,000 signatures, up 10,000 from Wednesday, reflecting the number of customers that have been impacted.
Duke Energy spokesperson Jeff Brooks says there is a reason some customers' bills may look higher than others. He told WRAL that the number on the bills reflects a period from January to mid-February when customers used significantly more electricity due to extreme cold temperatures.
According to Brooks, energy usage for heating rose by about 30% during that time, driving up overall costs for many households.
"That resulted in heating usage being upwards of about a third higher, at least for a lot of our customers, based on the metrics we’ve seen. And that would explain the types of increases that we’ve seen,” Brooks said.
Still, some residents argue the issue goes beyond the weather.
"Duke Energy, they have a stronghold in our community because electricity is not a luxury, it's a necessity," Ponder said.
Ponder told WRAL the unexpected high prices make it difficult to budget. For some families they've been forced to go without in order to afford to pay the bill.
“I’ve been unplugging everything. I’ve been yelling at them to turn everything off. You know, ‘let’s take showers in the dark if we can,’” Mariana Street said.
As bills continue to arrive, many customers say they are hoping to see the costs return to normal in the next billing cycle and that they receive at least an explanation for the higher rates.