Congressman Intervenes, Electric Bills Skyrocket In South Jersey

This has been the summer of surprises for many residents who live in South Jersey.

Throughout the summer, people have been shocked by the increase in their electric bills.

In some cases, people have seen an increase of double, triple, and even quadruple the amount they paid just a year ago.

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Scan some of the local Facebook pages, and it seems not a day goes by when someone isn't asking about their electric bill.

More specifically, why their bill has skyrocketed.

The concerns have been so widespread, that now, Congressman Jeff Van Drew has become involved.

Van Drew has sent a letter to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities calling on them to hold a public hearing so residents can air their complaints.

In the letter, Van Drew says,

Over the past few months, my office has compiled substantial data from thousands of residents which indicate that their energy bills have sometimes tripled compared to the same period last year.  Such increases, especially at a time of severe economic hardshipon nearly all expenses are unacceptable and have placed an undue financial burden on many families in our community.

Although nothing has been proven, many residents who are concerned, have noted on various Facebook sites that they began to notice these increases after the electric company installed new smart meters at their residence.

Van Drew is wondering about this as well.

I urge the NJBPU to conduct a thorough investigationninto the potential impact of the installation of smart meters on these energy bills as well as whether there is a corelation to the offshore wind turbine installations in our region.

Residents will appreciate the Congressman getting involved, although some remain skeptical of winning any battle with the utility company.

On Facebook, a woman named Kelly says,

"They're going to tell him the same thing they told us. It's just been a really hot summer and that's the summer rates." 

This seems like just the beginning of a long story.