NORTHEAST TALLAHASSEE, FL — Some Tallahassee residents are seeing utility bills hundreds of dollars higher than usual following a January cold snap, and the City of Tallahassee is offering a program to help spread out the cost.
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Crissy Shorter-Arnold said her bill jumped from $800 in January and December to $1,200 when she opened her February statement — a roughly 34% increase for her two-person household.
“It started to be $800 for January and December…and then, when I opened the February bill, it was $1,200, so of course, I gasped for air,” Shorter-Arnold said.
Shorter-Arnold said she had expected higher bills after moving to a larger property, but the increase still came as a shock.
"We have 4 units in this home, but we have the units set on 74 degrees, so we only changed it a couple of degrees when it was that cold," Shorter-Arnold said.
The City of Tallahassee saw peak electric loads as high as 560 megawatts in January, nearing its all-time record of 633 megawatts recorded in 2010.
Chief Customer Officer for the City of Tallahassee James Barnes, said the cold temperatures drove up usage in multiple ways.
"A lot of days below 32 degrees, and so individuals had to drip their water overnight for several days. They also had to sort of turn that thermostat up to get more heat into the home, and now, they're seeing the results of those decisions," Barnes said.
To help customers manage the higher bills, the city is offering its Weather Relief Assistance Program, known as WRAP.
The program allows utility customers to take one bill issued between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28 and spread it evenly across the next four utility bills.
Barnes said the timing of the program is designed to ease the financial impact.
"Virtually, they'll be able to see a real reduction in spreading that payment out. April and May are some of our milder temperature days, so it should average out, not to impact individual families," Barnes said.
Barnes said the city also offers the WRAP program during warmer months, not only during cold-weather events.
Shorter-Arnold said she has no issue paying the increase, but said another cold snap would leave her with little choice but to brace for it.
"I don't care how much money you have, you do not want something your set bills to just change so dramatically," Shorter-Arnold said. "I really don't know what I could do. I'm just prepared, buckle down for it, and I can't shop.”
Residents who want to opt into the WRAP program can reach out to City of Tallahassee Utilities.
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