Clayton woman hit with $1,000 utility bill after Duke Energy error

Bryn Blanco had a huge shock when she opened her most recent electric bill. It cost more than $1,000 for her 1,000 square-foot home.

Posted 9:34 p.m. Feb 19 — Updated 12:32 a.m. Feb 20

Shelle Jackson

, WRAL reporter

CLAYTON, N.C. — One woman in Clayton said her utility bills went up to nearly $1,000 last month.

It was a stark difference from her usual bill of between $175 and $240.

WRAL has been following issues with Duke Energy's bills over the last month. Many have reached out to WRAL with concerns about the cost of their bills.

As customers have taken on higher bills, some even came across new, unexpected problems.

Bryn Blanco was shocked when she opened her most recent electric bill. It cost more than $1,000 for her 1,000-square-foot home.

Blanco has lived in her home for seven years. The Army veteran grows and cans her own food and raises chickens.

She's conscious of her environmental footprint.

"We're very frugal," Blanco said. "We unplug things. We don't turn lights on in the day. I have my thermostat set to 64 on permanent hold."

She wasn't expecting her latest Duke Energy bill to show her usage had spiked to more than 6,800 kilowatt hours.

Blanco has her meter read manually and Duke Energy told WRAL, "During this process, the usage information was recorded inaccurately. We are working to quickly resolve the matter and rebill the customer for the correct amount."

Blanco said her bill hasn't been adjusted yet.

While she's relieved her bill is not $1,000, she's still speaking out.

"I'm sure that it happens to a lot of people and it's not right," Blanco said.

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