Soaring Summer Power Bills Push Oklahomans to Brink
A Tulsa nurse's $1,373 electric bill has spotlighted a nationwide surge in shutoffs as heat waves and rising rates strain household budgets.
Raelynn McMurchy, a Tulsa hospital worker, was stunned when her latest electric bill came to $1,373 — including a nearly $600 deposit tacked on after past late payments. "Our electric bill is literally more than our rent this month," she said in a TikTok video that has drawn more than 100,000 views. She has since launched a Change.org petition urging Oklahoma regulators to rein in soaring power costs.
Her experience reflects a broader trend: electricity prices nationwide are climbing faster than overall inflation, according to the Labor Department, with costs peaking in summer as air conditioners run nonstop.
Tulsa's main utility, Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO), had sought a 15% residential rate hike this year but agreed with the state attorney general to limit it to 1%, pending regulatory approval. Even without a rate increase, bills have spiked because Tulsa has seen more than twice its average number of triple-digit-heat days this summer.
Oklahomans who fall behind on payments face steep risks. PSO disconnects customers at more than five times the national average rate, according to a U.S. Energy Department analysis of 2024 data. State regulators allow shutoffs as long as the heat index stays under 101 degrees.
At Helping Hand Ministry in downtown Tulsa, residents line up weekly seeking help with overdue bills. The nonprofit, which spends up to $14,000 a week on assistance funded by foundations and a local church, helps a few dozen people avoid shutoffs — but at least 19,000 Tulsa-area customers still lose power monthly.
"It's a relief," said Ashley Fonseca Mejia, a retail worker who received $350 toward her overdue balance. Eric Widger, who works at a nearby factory, said his bill has doubled to about $500 a month. "I have had it cut off before," he said. "It's really heartbreaking."
PSO CEO Leigh Anne Strahler said the company understands the financial strain and is investing in new power generation and grid upgrades. Nationally, more than 13 million people have their power shut off annually for unpaid bills, including about a million in August alone, according to the Energy Department. "Nobody wants their power shut off," said Mark Wolfe, who leads a group of state energy assistance directors. "You can't switch to chicken here. You have to keep using electricity."
This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), in accordance with our editorial policy.
