INDIANAPOLIS — "It was over $600 and I mean, mine has been as low as under $200," said Sabrina Robbins.
Robbins is an AES customer. She saw her utility bill jump up hundreds of dollars throughout the winter.
"Then I got another bill for $1,400," she said.
She says when she saw the bill, she had sticker shock.
"Oh my gosh. I mean, can you imagine? I'm a single person that lives alone and a retired widow," she said.
High bills are something AES spokesperson Mallory Duncan said unfortunately hit several households.
"We had the coldest January on record in over a decade in central Indiana, and that made utility bills go up across the board," said Duncan.
A winter moratorium is about to expire. It prevents shut-offs from December 1 until March 15.
Resources available include the federally funded Energy Assistance Program. Applications are open for that until April 14.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE | AES is urging customers to prepare for higher bills
"Then also AES Indiana has our own one-time utility assistance for those bills, and that's called Power of Change," said Duncan.
Duncan says AES has $150,000 in grants for that program.
Local nonprofit United Way of Central Indiana said it's run out of funding to help Marion County residents with their bills.
The nonprofit usually accepts applications through the end of May.
Duncan encourages customers to start planning for the spring temperatures now.
"We also offer something to our low-income customers called a home energy assessment. We will actually send someone to go through your home and look at all of the different ways to save," said Duncan. "All of the AES Indiana customers qualify for a virtual home assessment."
