Elderly Alabama couple sees power bill double to over $500

MORRIS, Ala. (WBRC) - A 90-year-old man and his 86-year-old wife say they have watched their power bill climb from less than $250 to $513 in three months.

Frank and Nell Mosley have lived in their Morris home for 70 years and say they have never seen a power bill this high.

“We’ve never had a $500 light bill we’ve never had a $400 light bill I don’t know what’s going on,” Nell Mosley said.

The couple says they normally pay anywhere from $200 to $300, but this year something changed.

“Well, this is a bill from August when it was the hottest here. We paid $284. In November, we had a $229 and a seven-cent bill. This is a bill from December, and let me see how much it is $415 and this time it’s $513 and some change,” Nell said.

The couple says they spend most of their time on the back porch or watching TV.

“I mean, we’ve been living just like we’ve always been living. So you tell me what we’re doing,” Frank Mosley said.

They say they keep their house set at 70 degrees and most of the lights off. They also use gas for cooking and water heating.

“We got gas. I cook with gas. We heat our water with gas,” Nell Mosley said.

The Mosley’s complained to Alabama Power in December. A representative came out to check their meter and they were told it was correct.

“Everything you can insulate is insulated. Plus, we got the rugs. That’s another insulation,” Frank Mosley said.

An Alabama Power spokesperson says the company is willing to help the Mosley’s figure out what is driving up their power bill.

They told us January was unusually cold across Alabama. When temperatures drop that far, heating systems run longer and harder, and that drives up electricity usage.

Electricity usage is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). That’s the number that explains why bills change month to month — especially when heating and cooling run longer in cold or hot weather. If a home heats with electricity, cold stretches can increase usage quickly. They say this could explain the higher bills.

Alabama Power offers budget billing options to help those who need help paying their bills.

Alabama Power provided the following statement and billing information:

“We understand how an unexpectedly high bill can cause sticker shock, so we’ve developed some online tools to help our customers during those temporary struggles.

• My Power Usage helps customers track their daily energy use and spot patterns.
• Rate Advisor helps customers compare rate options based on how they use electricity.
• Budget Billing helps smooth seasonal spikes by averaging across the year.
• Energy Assistant helps connect customers to assistance options and next steps."

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