WAUKESHA, Wis. — People around southeast Wisconsin are expressing shock over dramatically higher WE Energies bills, with some customers reporting increases of more than $300 compared to previous months. TMJ4 News’ social media has been flooded with complaints from frustrated customers sharing their experiences with the utility company's latest billing cycle.
"My WE Energies bill is becoming a car payment," Angela said on Facebook.
"My electric bill is the highest it has ever been," Carl said on Facebook.
WATCH: People in SE Wisconsin are shocked over their latest WE Energies bill
"My bill went from roughly $280 a month to $600 this month," said Meg, another Facebook user.
The dramatic increases have left many customers scrambling to adjust their household budgets as they face utility bills that rival mortgage or car payments.
Customers share staggering bill amounts
Local residents shared their latest utility bills with TMJ4, revealing the scope of the increases across southeastern Wisconsin. Katrina in Milwaukee received a $392 bill, James in Burlington was charged $495, and Tabbi from Fort Atkinson faced a $563 bill.
Rebecca Mellem, a Waukesha homeowner, said her family has made significant lifestyle changes to reduce energy consumption, including purchasing new appliances specifically to lower costs. Despite these efforts, her latest bill still shocked her.
"My total bill was $233 which is astronomical from what I am used to seeing," Mellem said. "It is just going up and up and up.”
Even customers who haven't been directly impacted yet are bracing for future increases. Sandra Dolan-Rohde, another Waukesha resident, uses budget billing which has shielded her from immediate sticker shock, but she knows higher costs are coming.
"Mine is budget billing so we didn't notice a huge increase. But my neighbors sent me a text. It was over $400 for a two bedroom condo," Dolan-Rohde said.
Since Dolan-Rohde lives in the same condo complex and uses more electricity and gas than her neighbor, she expects her costs to eventually reflect the same increases.
"It will catch up," Dolan-Rohde said.
Multiple factors driving higher costs
WE Energies attributes the higher bills to several factors affecting customers simultaneously. The utility company points to increased energy usage during the cold January and February temperatures as one primary driver of higher costs.
The worldwide price of natural gas, which increased over the winter months, has also contributed to the elevated bills customers are receiving. WE Energies said they do not increase the price of natural gas but deliver it at cost.
WE Energies spokesperson Brendan Conway said in a statement, “When it’s cold customers use more natural gas to heat their homes and that increases bills. We encourage any customer with questions to contact us and we can go through their bill with them and discuss their usage. We can also connect them with energy assistance and bill payment options.”
WE Energies provided this WE Engeries Video to explain more.
Additionally, a rate increase took effect for customers in January, adding an average of $7 per month for electric service and $4 for natural gas.
Families adjust budgets to cope
Despite their frustration with the higher costs, many families say they have limited options for addressing the increased financial burden.
"Tighten the budget a bit," Dolan-Rohde said.
Mellem said her family will have to make sacrifices in other areas to accommodate the higher utility costs.
"It just means we have to be tight on other things as a family and them. I mean we have to keep our electric on," Mellem said.
WE Energies says the company works with customers who are having trouble paying their bills can call 800-242-9137 or click here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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