DALLAS — The scariest thing Steve Pittenger saw this week arrived in the mail. It was his natural gas bill for the month of January. He says he did his best to conserve by keeping his thermostat to 68 degrees. When he opened up his bill, he said it was nearly double the previous month's bill.
"And I went 'what?!' It's affecting everything I do," Pittenger said.
Steve Pittenger is like many people in DFW, says he was surprised to see the total on his natural gas bill for January. The month of January had a brief cold spell that had consecutive days below freezing.
"I've heard double, triple, quadruple their bills...and they don't know what to do," said Dave Lieber, who started Watchdog Nation, a consumer advocacy group. "People on fixed incomes can't be affording to play these Atmos gas games," he said.
Dave tells WFAA people should expect their bills to be higher because of the cold spell. But, he says people should also know what actions they can take to protect themselves as consumers.
Steve says he lives on a fixed income and this month's bill means he will have to cut something out this month to make up for the rate difference.
WFAA has heard a number of horror stories of people having paid $400, up to $800, for their latest bill. It's easy for some to see Pittenger's bill of nearly $80 and think it's not a big deal.
"I would say not for me if you're strictly living on Social Security and you take the other expenses that have gone up," he said.
Atmos Energy tells WFAA your bill is based on gas used, the cost of gas, delivery fees, and taxes. Lieber says call customer service, ask for a meter re-reading, send a photo of your meter, and even ask for a free meter test, which he says is backed by state law.
"Be brave, be bold, be tough, and ask questions, and don't just accept the first thing they say," he said.
Steve says he'll challenge the bill but has no hope of it changing.
Atmos Energy responded by email and wrote that it "recently donated $2 million to energy assistance agencies for customers who need help paying their natural gas bills, past-due debt, deposits, and service charges."
The funds will be dispersed in partnership with various assistance agencies and nonprofit organizations.
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