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TULSA, Okla. — Raelynn McMurchy was shocked when she opened her most recent electric bill. After some late payments in the past, the utility had tacked on a deposit of nearly $600, pushing the total to $1,373.
“Our electric bill is literally more than our rent this month,” McMurchy said in a TikTok video that quickly racked up more than 100,000 views. “I make decent money and that’s not sustainable for my family. That’s crazy.”
McMurchy, who works nights at a Tulsa hospital, launched a petition on Change.org, calling on Oklahoma regulators to crack down on soaring power bills.
Around the country, electricity prices have been climbing faster than the overall cost of living, according to the Labor Department. That’s especially expensive in the hot summer months, when fans and air conditioners are running around the clock.
Electric rates outpace inflation
Tulsa’s main power company, Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO), wanted to raise residential electric rates by about 15% this year. It agreed with the state attorney general to lower that to 1% in a settlement that still has to be approved by regulators.
Even with no rate increase, though, Tulsa electric bills would be spiking this year because of searing summer heat, with more than twice the average number of triple-digit days. Summer heat waves are becoming more frequent and intense around the country as a result of climate change, largely caused by the burning of fossil fuels.
Pulling the plug over unpaid bills
People who fall behind on their bills in Oklahoma face an unusually high risk of having their power shut off. PSO cuts power to customers at more than five times the average national rate, according to a first-of-its-kind tally by the U.S. Energy Department. (The report is based on shutoffs in 2024.)
While some states prohibit shutoffs throughout the hot summer months, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which regulates utilities in the state, allows them, so long as the heat index is under 101 degrees. Efforts by consumer advocates to lower that threshold have been unsuccessful.
“I wish every corporation commissioner had to sit in a house that that had no electricity when it’s 95,” says Joanne Pearson, who runs the Helping Hand Ministry in downtown Tulsa.
Every Monday and Tuesday morning, cash-strapped customers line up at the Helping Hand office holding letters warning that their power is about to be disconnected.
Sitting at a duct-taped desk, volunteer John Johnson telephones PSO’s parent company and offers to pay $350 toward Ashley Fonseca Mejia’s past-due balance. It’s enough to keep the lights on, at least for now.
“It is a relief,” says Fonseca Mejia, who works in retail. “These bills have been skyrocketing.”
Eric Widger also gets a helping hand. He works at the Kimberly-Clark toilet paper factory near Tulsa, and says his power bill has doubled to around $500 a month.
“Payday for me is Friday, and they were going to cut it off Thursday,” Widger says. “I have had it cut off before. It’s really heartbreaking because you may have to pay $700 or $800 just to turn it back on.”
Helping Hand spends up to $14,000 a week assisting people with their overdue bills. The money comes from foundations and from Tulsa’s First Presbyterian Church, located across the street. A sign near the nonprofit’s reception desk reads, “Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”
Some of the clients are unemployed or disabled. Others work full time, but struggle to make ends meet.
“I make a good living wage, but it’s hard with these high bills to even come close,” Widger says.
Pearson, the ministry president, is sympathetic to the people lining up for help.
“It’s like they’re jugglers and they’ve got all these balls in the air,” she says. “Do I pay rent, do I pay the electric bill. Do I feed my family? It’s constant, and it’s never-ending.”
The nonprofit helps a few dozen people avoid shutoffs each week. But at least 19,000 Tulsa-area customers still have their power cut off each month.
Seeking funds to help meet future demand
Last week, PSO sent a message to customers, defending the high costs they’re facing.
“We know affordability is important,” CEO Leigh Anne Strahler wrote. “We understand rising costs affect your household budget, your family and your business, and we do not take any change to customer bills lightly.”
Strahler stressed that the utility is investing in additional power generation to meet the growing demand for electricity as well as strengthening the power grid to withstand more extreme weather.
Rising electric bills are a challenge across the country. According to the Energy Department tally, more than 13 million people nationwide have their power turned off over unpaid bills each year, including about a million in August alone.
“Nobody wants their power shut off,” says Mark Wolfe, who runs a group of state energy assistance directors. “It’s not like if the price of beef goes up, you go ‘I’ll switch to chicken.’ You can’t switch to chicken here. You have to keep using electricity.”
Wolfe warns that the challenge is likely to get worse, as electricity prices keep climbing and summers keep getting hotter.
Transcript:
ADRIAN FLORIDO, HOST:
Tulsa, Oklahoma, has been sweltering this summer. Thousands of residents there are at risk of having their power cut off when they fall behind on their utility bills. It’s an extreme example of what people around the country are facing as temperatures and the price of electricity go up. NPR’s Scott Horsley reports.
SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE: Raelynn McMurchy was shocked when she opened her most recent electric bill. After some late payments in the past, the utility had tacked on a deposit of nearly $600, pushing the total to more than 1,300. McMurchy, who works nights at a Tulsa hospital, went on TikTok to record her complaint.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
RAELYNN MCMURCHY: I’m in Tulsa, and our electric bill is literally more than our rent this month. I make decent money, and that’s not sustainable for my family. That’s crazy.
HORSLEY: Tulsa’s main power company, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, wanted to raise customers’ electric rates by about 15% this year. But a pending deal with the state attorney general would reduce that rate hike to about 1%. Even with no rate increase, electric bills would be spiking in Tulsa, where TV forecasts are filled with news of the searing summer heat.
(SOUNDBITE OF MONTAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED NEWSCASTER #1: Feels like temperatures close to about 112.
UNIDENTIFIED NEWSCASTER #2: So as we take a look at that full 10-day forecast, every day ahead of us, except for one, at or above 100.
UNIDENTIFIED NEWSCASTER #3: Will be around 107 here in the Tulsa metro, but overall, still a very toasty day.
HORSLEY: Summer heat waves are becoming more frequent and intense as a result of climate change. Even when it’s hot, people who fall behind on their bills in Oklahoma are at unusually high risk of having their power cut off. According to a first-of-its-kind tally by the U.S. Energy Department, Public Service Company of Oklahoma cuts power to customers at five or six times the average national rate. While some states prohibit shut off throughout the hot summer months, Oklahoma regulators allow them so long as the heat index is under 101 degrees. Efforts by consumer advocates to lower that threshold have been unsuccessful.
JOANNE PEARSON: I wish every corporation commissioner had to sit in a house that had no electricity when it’s 95. That’s how I feel.
HORSLEY: Joanne Pearson runs the Helping Hand Ministry in downtown Tulsa. Every Monday and Tuesday morning, cash-strapped customers line up here. Ashley Fonseca Mejia holds a disconnect notice warning she could lose power as soon as the heat index drops by a few degrees. Sitting across a duct tape desk, a volunteer makes a phone call to utility and offers to cover some of her bill.
JOHN JOHNSON: My name is John Johnson. I’m with Helping Hand Ministry here in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We’d like to pledge $350 towards this past due and shut off any possible disconnect.
HORSLEY: Fonseca Mejia smiles at the assurance her lights and air conditioning will stay on for now.
ASHLEY FONSECA MEJIA: It is a relief. I mean, these bills have been skyrocketing.
HORSLEY: Eric Widger also gets a helping hand. He works at the Kimberly-Clark toilet paper factory and says his power bill has doubled to around $500 a month.
ERIC WIDGER: I have had it cut off before, and it’s really heartbreaking because you may have to pay 7-, $800 just to turn it back on. I make a good living wage, but it’s hard with these high bills to even come close.
HORSLEY: Helping Hand spends up to $14,000 a week assisting people with overdue bills. The money comes from foundations and from Tulsa’s First Presbyterian Church. Pearson says some of her clients are unemployed or disabled. Others, like Widger, work full time, but still struggle to make ends meet.
PEARSON: It’s like they’re jugglers, and they got all these balls in the air, and they’re going, OK, do I pay rent? Do I pay the electric bill? Do I feed my family? It’s constant, and it’s never ending.
HORSLEY: Last week, Public Service Company of Oklahoma sent a message to customers defending the rising costs they’re facing.
MATT RAHN: We understand people can be frustrated when they open those high summer bills.
HORSLEY: Company spokesman Matt Rahn says the utility has been investing in new generating capacity to meet the growing demand for power while also working to make the grid more reliable.
RAHN: Those are some of the investments that we’re seeking recovery on.
HORSLEY: Rising electric bills are a challenge across the country as power prices climb faster than the overall cost of living. Mark Wolfe, who heads a group of state energy assistance officials, says more than 13 million people a year have their power cut off over unpaid bills, including about a million in August.
MARK WOLFE: Nobody wants their power shut off. It’s not like the price of beef goes up, you go, well, I’ll switch to chicken. You can’t switch to chicken here. You have to keep using electricity.
HORSLEY: Wolfe warns the challenge is likely to get worse as electricity prices keep climbing and summers keep getting hotter.
Scott Horsley, NPR News, Tulsa.
