(Undated) -- Electricity customers who didn't reserve power during last week's cold snap and shortages could see an increase in their February electric bill.
The Nebraska Public Power District says they don't foresee the same impact that some people in Texas may face, but electric demand on NPPD’s system increased during the five days of record cold temperatures. “If a customer used more electricity than they normally do, their bill will likely go up for the month,” said Pat Hanrahan, NPPD Retail General Manager tells WOWT 6 News. “Bills will be dependent on how much electricity each customer used, but the overall rate for electricity did not change. Customers who took conservation measures, like lowering their thermostats, may not see much of an increase. Customers who did not take conservative measures should expect to see a higher than normal electric bill.”
The Omaha Public Power District says their customers may see a similar increase on their bills. “The more you use, the more you’re going to pay,” OPPD spokesperson Jason Kuiper tells WOWT 6 News.
OPPS says if you did your part to conserve energy, your bill should look normal. “If you wanted your house at a certain temperature when it was that much colder out, you had to use more energy to keep the house at that temperature you considered comfortable,” Kuiper said.
NPPD energy use surged last Tuesday, according to a spokesperson. It generated 2,100 megawatts of electricity. It’s normally between 1,600 to 1,700 megawatts. “Today, for example, we’re down to about 14-hundred megawatts,” NPPD spokesperson Mark Becker said. “There’s a big difference in the weather conditions today versus last week.”
A typical Nebraska residence uses about 1,000-kilowatt hours of electricity, but some preliminary review appears to be running about 30 percent higher.