High winter electric bills leave islanders reeling

Even though higher than normal energy bills were expected after December’s extended cold snap, the severity of the increase caught many OPALCO members across San Juan Island off guard.

In local groups on Facebook, islanders have shared their surprise and shock:

About 50% higher than usual. Painful!

Mine was over $500! I wanted to cry.

When I opened the email I was thinking, ‘I swore I paid the bill last month!’ I did. It was close to double what it normally is.

Mine was absolutely ridiculous. Double what it was last month. $550. A big chunk of my paycheck. I have never seen a bill this high.

Members who find themselves struggling to deal with excessive electric bills have a few options, the simplest of which is to reach out to OPALCO and set up a payment plan.

The Family Resource Center can help members with incomes up to 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines ($55,500 per year for a family of four) submit a short application form to Project PAL. Members can apply one time between the months of October and April. The average award through Project PAL is $150.

OPALCO’s Energy Assistance Program is also available to year-round residents who have qualified for assistance through another program for low-income households. The program provides a bill credit to participants that ranges from $32.67 to $63.87 per month, depending on household size.

According to Krista Bouchey from OPALCO, one way to limit the effect of billing spikes in the future is to enroll in the utility’s budget billing program. This program gives members more predictable electric bills throughout the year by averaging their historic annual usage and dividing it into twelve roughly equal payments.

To set up budget billing or learn more about payment plans, members can call an OPALCO representative at 360-376-3500.

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