“When you lower the temperature when you have 20-degree weather outside for several days on end, your unit is still going to work harder even to keep your home at 68 degrees, and that’s going to lead to higher bills,” says media representative Anthony Cook.

But Kathy Hathaway says her bill increased before the lower temperatures hit our area, and when they did, she opted to use less heat and instead used her gas fireplace to warm her home. Her bill has more than tripled in the last few months, and she does not understand why.

“It showed an 89% uptake from last month to this month in my usage, and that’s impossible based on what we do. I also maintain my parent’s home and pay their power bill, and they’re both deceased. There’s one person in the home, and he’s never there, and his power bill also doubled. It showed a 103% increase in his usage and no one in the home,” says Hathaway.

Alabama Power says just like units work hard in the summer months to cool your home, the same thing happens in the winter – units work hard to keep your home warm. But Hathaway says it still doesn’t make sense; there were two days last month when her power was out while work was done in her neighborhood, and the usage on her bill for those days does not reflect that.

She has spoken to a representative who had the same explanation about the colder weather. Hathaway has tried calling again, but she has yet to get through. Cook says they are experiencing higher call volumes, but customers are always welcome to chat online or face-to-face at one of their locations.