Duke Energy Customers Hit with High Gas Bills: Why?

Roughly 15,000 Duke Energy customers in Ohio were shocked this summer by higher gas bills. Some bills hit hundreds of dollars more than usual after the company moved to recover charges it failed to collect over the past year.

The added costs stem from a billing system installed in 2022 that racked up more than 100,000 errors in its first year. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) investigated and, under an April settlement with consumer groups, allowed Duke to “back-bill” affected customers for up to 12 months of missed “gas cost recovery” charges.

RELATED: OJPC Tells DeWine to Reject Federal Grant for Detention Centers

The settlement lets Duke recoup about $8 million in unpaid bills but also requires the company to:

• Offer a $75 credit to affected customers
• Provide interest-free payment plans lasting up to 24 months
• Contribute $250,000 to a utility assistance fund
• Invest $1.2 million in bill credits to soften the blow for those hit with lump-sum charges

Duke also spent $2.3 million reimbursing all customers whose rates were indirectly impacted. In return, PUCO dropped a proposed $1.45 million fine against the utility.

Consumer advocates say the final deal was far better than the one initially negotiated behind closed doors.

Ohio law allows utilities to correct billing mistakes up to a year after they’re discovered, but public affairs liaison for the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel J.P. Blackwood, still urges anyone facing back-billing to request a payment plan and complain to PUCO if Duke won’t work with them.

Duke spokesperson Jeff Brooks said the company is contacting customers directly to arrange payment plans and insists it wants to “find a solution” for each case. But for those opening unexpectedly high July bills, Duke’s promise of flexibility is being met with plenty of skepticism.

• Football Meets Hip-Hop!
• CCS Investigates Claims Elementary Teacher Made Kids Rub His Feet
• DJ Quik’s Son Convicted Of Second-Degree Murder
• ‘You Don’t Know What I Know’: Pharrell Williams Claps Back At DEI Backlash, Says The Soundbites Caught Him ‘Lacking’
• Gilbert Arenas Can’t Believe Matt Barnes Was Finessed By An “AI Snow Bunny”
• Blonde Ambition: Tracee Ellis Ross Debuts New ‘Do, Social Media Swoons Over Internet-Breaking Baddie
• Sounds About White: Donald Trump Removes MLK Day & Juneteenth As Free-Entry Days Into US National Parks & Adds His Birthday To The List
• Beyoncé Just Kicked Off Holiday Shopping Season — And She Did It In Cécred Style
• Mad About Plaid? Taraji P Henson Just Dropped Major Notes On How To Style The Print
• From Karen Chaos to Commitment: Porsha’s Girlfriend Gets the Hard Launch After FBI Incident

Duke Energy Customers Hit with High Gas Bills: Why? was originally published on thebuzzcincy.com