Many Entergy customers in the state have seen a significant increase in their power bills. Entergy New Orleans CEO David Ellis said it was the perfect storm for there to be an increase for the month of December. Ellis said energy consumption for December was up an average of 20-percent.
“And now that happened on both the electric side and it also happened on the gas side. In addition to that we saw an increase in the gas distribution hub prices, Henry Hub, that increased by about twelve percent,” said Ellis.
For the month of December, many people did not travel as they traditionally do for the holidays so more people stayed home, and the state experienced a cold spell which accounts for an increase in consumption.
Ellis said another reason for an increase is the billing cycle covered 35 days, so basically an extra workweek was added to the bill.
“Take your normal bill if you will, add another week and that’s what you see in your January bill. So it’s those things that had the most significant impact on bill increases,” said Ellis.
Ellis said if you are having difficulty paying your bill you can call them and discuss a payment program. Also, another option to look at so you won’t be caught off guard in the future with a bill is levelized billing.
“Which provides customers the option of just paying the exact same thing, month over month, we’ll work that out for you over the course of multiple months or a year so you’re paying the exact same amount,” said Ellis.
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