Have a high electricity bill? Here's where you could get help.
DALLAS - Many North Texans are finding themselves scrambling to pay their power bills, spiked by our extreme temperatures.
Bills could skyrocket even more as these summer temperatures linger, but there is some help available for those who need it.
These scorching summer days have had Laura Bradley turning her thermostat down. She knew the incoming energy bill would go up.
"Last month, my bill was $167. And this month when I got my bill the other day, it was like $277," she said. "And I was like, ‘whoa.’ I expected it to be higher like $200, $220 but not almost $300."
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Bradley posted on the Nextdoor app asking for suggestions on how to lower her bill, and almost 200 people commented.
Some were in the same boat with much higher bills to pay.
"It felt like I wasn’t alone," Bradley said. "For some people that just accept it, and I get that, but I’m just not that kind."
Bradley says her old plan stopped at the end of July. So now she plans to shop around for a new one before a high month-to-month price kicks in.
For others in Dallas County who don’t have that option, Christian Grisales with the Dallas Health Department say you could apply for the Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program.
"It pays for past due electricity bills, gas and, in some situations, water," he said.
The program uses federal dollars and grants to help low-income Dallas residents.
Grisales says they’ve seen an increase in applicants this year.
"We have received over 6,000 applications, and we’ve been able to help 3,800 applicants so far," he said. "And we continue to receive those applications, so that tell us people are in need and they’re looking for that assistance."
Grisale says the record-breaking temperatures leading to increased energy use is one factor behind the increase.
"That’s probably why people are applying to this program because it just terribly hot, and they’re using more electricity," he said. "Or their situation at home has changed, and they’re not able to pay for those services."
Back at the Bradley house, she now has to fix her air conditioner that broke after paying almost $300 on the energy bill. She says the A/C is expected to get fixed in 24 to 48 hours.
And she wants to find a new plan in that timeframe before it ends up costing even more.
Bradley and her husband are thinking of staying in a hotel because the A/C is still broken.
The Dallas County Energy Assistance Program says they prioritize the elderly and residents with disabilities and small children.
LINK: https://www.dallascounty.org/departments/dchhs/human-services/ceap.php