Atlantic City Electric says record summer heat, higher supply costs scorched customers, but help is available

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Atlantic City Electric customers have been complaining for months about skyrocketing prices, with some reporting their bills are more than double what they paid last year.

Candice Womer, with Atlantic City Electric, attributes the increases to several factors, such as record-high temperatures. She says that’s on top of the higher supply and delivery costs the company pays. Some of the costs Atlantic City Electric pays to deliver electricity, she says, went up by 20%.

“It’s a pass-through cost and the company doesn’t benefit from that and doesn’t profit from that,” she explained, “so even though Atlantic City Electric delivers energy, we do not generate or set the price for it.”

Womer says there are many resources available for people to better understand their bills and reduce consumption.

“There are no-to-low-cost energy efficiency programs that we really want to drive our customers to,” she said. “One of our favorites is our Quick Home Energy Check-up program which helps customers find opportunities to save around their home.”

That program sees energy advisers visiting customers and scanning their homes. They then present full reports on where customers may be losing energy.

Womer urges customers to visit the Atlantic City Electric website for more resources and programs to help bring down costs or manage your bill. She says assistance is available for people who meet low income requirements.

However, she also wants to remind people that scammers are trying to take advantage of this situation — and says representatives will never call to request account information or ask for cash or credit card payment over the phone.