Soaring temperatures means sky high electric bills. Certainly staying cool is costly in this heat wave.
“My electric bill, I am kind of worried about that,” said one man outside a Tulsa post office when asked about keeping his home cool. Another woman had a similar concern, “And I just moved to a new apartment so I am kind of holding my breath.”
If you are behind in paying your electric bill, you may be relieved to know that the public utilities in Oklahoma can not cut off your power when the temperature is forecasted to be 100 degrees or greater.
“The key there is forecasted to be that is one of the most important elements of that. It may not even reach 100 but if it is forecasted to be then they have to suspend disconnects," says Matt Skinner explaining a rule adopted by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.
He says it is a public health concern. He adds the Corporation Commission lowered the temperature from the original 105 degrees to 100 degrees after the death of an elderly woman several years back.
We checked with the Public Service Company of Oklahoma, a company that serves about 285,000 customers in the Tulsa metro area. A spokesperson says PSO handles an average of 400 to 500 orders a day to disconnect electricity for non-payment in the Tulsa metro area.
PSO urges people who are struggling to pay their bill to contact customer service and notify the company as soon as they know about the problem in paying their bill and make payment arrangements. PSO also recommends the average monthly payment plan which helps smooth out the summertime spikes.
While the Oklahoma Corporation Commission will keep power on for PSO customers in this triple digit heat, Matt Skinner says this rule does not apply to most electric cooperatives and municipal electric utilities in the state.