An Oklahoma couple survived the heat with one AC, then got an almost $1,500 electric bill
Losing power would also shut off the breathing machines they depend on, in a town where dozens lose power each day.
The Headlines · America’s Utility Bill Crisis, and Trump’s Approval Rating Hits a New LowGenia had nine days to find almost $1,500.
That was what the electric bill said when it arrived after summer ended, printed with a disconnection notice in bold letters. The amount was more than a month of income for her household, and the clock was already running.
Genia and her husband Daryl live in McAllister, Oklahoma, a small town with fewer than twenty thousand residents. Eli Saslow, a reporter who visited them there, said they had gotten by during the hot months using just one air conditioner. When summer ended, the bill for all that electricity arrived.
For them, losing power would mean more than losing light and cooling. A shutoff would also stop the oxygen machine and the breathing machine for sleep, known as a CPAP, that they depend on.
To keep costs down, they had already shrunk their lives to one room. They ate and slept in the one space with cooling, and hung curtains in the doorways to trap the cool air inside. It still was not enough to keep the bill within reach.
Saslow was with Genia as she tried to find a way to pay in time. She started with a trip to a doctor's office, hoping to get a signed note saying electricity was medically necessary for her to survive, which could win a 30-day extension. Then she went to churches to ask for help with the bill, but the churches were overwhelmed with similar requests.
Her next stop was a charity thrift store that had given money from the register to help people with utility bills before. This time, the store said it could not help anyone else, because even its own workers had lost power at home.
Saslow said that the whole time he was in town, this was the conversation people were having. They asked each other what their electric bill was, and how anyone could afford to pay. Dozens and dozens of people were being disconnected every day, and hundreds more were afraid they would be next.
The reporting did not follow Genia's case to its end, so it is not known whether she raised the money, won the extension, or lost power.
Questions people ask
What is a medical extension that can delay a shutoff?
Many utilities and state regulators let customers with a serious medical condition postpone disconnection for 30 days or more with a doctor's note. The note must usually say that a loss of power would threaten health or make medical equipment unusable. It delays shutoff but does not erase the bill.
Why would one air conditioner produce such a large bill?
Running even one window or wall unit almost constantly through extreme heat uses a lot of electricity, and rates are often higher in summer. Fees, past balances, and higher prices for heavy use can push the total higher. In a very hot summer, a small home can still build up a bill of more than $1,000.
Where can people seek help with a utility bill?
Common options include the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, local charities, churches, and payment plans offered by the utility itself. Many programs run out of money when demand spikes, so people often have to apply to several places. Calling the utility early, before disconnection, usually gives more options.