Some SCE customers speaking out about big increase in electricity bill

As the heat has cranked up this summer, so have many electric bills. Several Southern California Edison customers noticed a bigger than usual increase in their recent electricity bill.

“We were really shocked because we try to conserve energy, keep the house at 80 degrees, haven't changed anything different since last year," said SCE customer Brianna Kenney. I feel like a triple bill, you know, in one month to go from $300 to almost $900 is just crazy. We've checked our meter, you know, we've done everything here on the property to make sure that our home is running the same way it was last summer.”

She lives in a 900 square foot home and her bills in the summer are usually around 300 dollars. Her July bill was nearly 600 dollars more. She’s a part of the California Alternate Rates for Energy program. It's an assistance program for customers who qualify. But even with the help, she said the bill was still too high for it to be considered normal for her.

“You know, we're just coming out of the pandemic so things are still really tight financially. And to have a bill that is $600 more than what we're used to paying is really kind of scary," said Kenney.

Ric Basham is another SCE customer who noticed a big jump in his electric bill. He’s also on the CARE program.

“Just frustrated too, you know, I got to pay bills and spread it out. And for the rates to double is crazy," said Basham. “My neighbor, his bill went up also. He called me shocked at how much his bill went up.”

Basham said his electric bill is usually around $60 a month for his studio home. However, his July bill was $148.

He never likes it cold, so his AC tends to be set at 84. Keeney reached out to SCE about the issue, but she hasn't heard back.

“So we tried to call and kept getting a voicemail. The voicemail said we're not taking phone calls for questions about your bill. If you are wanting to report a power outage, please leave a voicemail," said Keeney.

Keeney and Basham said they’re not the only ones with this problem. They have heard from other neighbors dealing with the same issue.

Both said they simply want answers as to why it's happening.