DELTONA, Fla. — A retired nurse and army veteran in Deltona said her energy bill has doubled, sometimes tripled, now totaling more than $5,000.
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Carol Hosendove, 67, said she had someone come check out her air-conditioning unit without finding any major problems, and she hasn’t done anything different.
She’s now hoping Duke Energy will check out her meter and her home to see what could be causing the problem.
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The spike in Hosendove’s bills started in the summer months when bills are expected to be higher. But when comparing her usage from August last year to this summer, it’s not even close.
Hosendove said she’s unplugged things that might draw power except in the kitchen and her bedroom, but it hasn’t helped. The retired nurse and army veteran is on a fixed income, and now on a payment plan.
Duke Energy said when there’s an unusual spike in usage, it’s usually because something such as an air conditioning isn’t working properly.
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Duke does free whole home energy assessments to help customers figure out what might be driving their usage up, something Hosendove would be open to getting done.
“I just want to know what’s going on,” she said. “I don’t understand.”
Duke said it would check on Hosendove’s case, but that there’s nothing obvious on its end from just looking at her account.
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