Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/944388
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM FEBRUARY 21-27, 2018 UCW 9 PWC responded positively to dozens of its customers who showed up at a Fayetteville cit y council meeting to vent their frustrations over unexpectedly high power bills. Eastern North Carolina faced frigid temperatures in Januar y as polar conditions descended upon the entire East Coast. Temperatures measured at Raleigh-Durham Inter- national Airport dipped below zero on New Year's Eve and stayed well below freezing for eight days, a pe- riod matched only twice in recorded histor y, said Nick Petro, a meteo- rologist with the National Weather Service office in Raleigh. The effect of frigid weat her on indiv idual utilit y bills can't be predicted w it h precision because of many variables: billing periods var y; homes are different sizes; some homes are better insulated t han ot hers; t hermostat settings var y; and some homes make use of space heaters while ot hers do not. Some PWC customers stated their bills had doubled, even tripled, mostly as the result of the unusually cold winter weather in late December and early Januar y. Many were fearful that their electricit y would be turned off because of their inabilit y to pay their high bills. PWC customer service manager Mark Brown assured them there would be no cutoffs or late charges for PWC customers who make payment arrangements. He urged customers to contact his office before their invoices are due so special ar- rangements can be set up. This was confirmed by PWC general manager David Trego, who told Up & Coming Weekly that in January alone PWC assisted nearly 17,000 of their customers with their unexpectedly high utility bills by granting due date extensions. He said that represents 20 percent of PWC's customer base. After the city council meeting, Brown met with about 30 residents to answer questions and provide additional assistance. Local businessman Clarence Briggs, founder of AIT – a web hosting and technolog y firm – had his own concerns with PWC. He claims the Hometown Utilit y has been over- charging his Hay Street office build- ing for months, and he's hired a utilit y auditing firm to check into it. Brown said PWC has also examined AIT's records, and so far, has found errors totaling $130, which have already been credited to Brigg's account. Briggs requested that the cit y use its oversight to hold PWC accountable. But, under state law, the cit y has no regulator y authorit y over the indepen- dently-operated utilit y. Public Works electricity rates have not changed since May 2017. PWC encourages customers with questions or concerns to contact them immediately. PWC responds to complaints about higher bills by JEFF THOMPSON NEWS Eastern North Carolina faced frigid temperatures in January as polar conditions de- scended upon the East Coast. Hometown Hero Rewards Program A Hometown Hero is dened as a citizen that is employed by a government agency for providing safety, security or an education to the United States citizens: police, sheri, re ghter, teacher, military, etc. Military veterans also qualify. Proof of eligibility must accompany the Purchase and Sale Agreement. This oer cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion. H&H Homes is a local builder, established in 1991 and dedicated to supporting our community. We want to show appreciation for those who serve our community with our Hometown Hero Rewards Program. All armed service members and civil service personnel that provide safety, security, or an education to the United States citizens get 1% of the base price of our homes to be applied towards homesite premiums or H&H Design Studio upgrades. Call Today 910-672-6077 or visit HHhomes.com 1 %