Homeowners prepare for potential sticker shock of utility bills

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With a week of unrelenting heat in the Kansas City area, many people may be in for some sticker shock when the next power bill arrives.

“The AC seems to be running just about all the time now, so it seldom gets a break,” said Don Swinney who lives in Raytown.

Swinney is far from alone.

Joshua Maravelias has been working to keep his power bill down long before the heat wave hit.

That work includes adding insulation to his home in Kansas City, Missouri’s Oak Park neighborhood, charging his electric car at night during non-peak hours, and even turning the air conditioning off completely during peak hours.

“I don’t think I’ve necessarily seen the rates go down for us as much as we thought they would with the increasing rates,” Maravelias said.

While he said he’ll need to keep a close eye on his budget, Maravelias also said he expects other people may have a more difficult time with a high power bill than he will.

The Metro United Way offers financial assistance for utility bills through its 600 member agencies by calling United Way’s 211 help line.

One of those agencies, the Bishop Sullivan Center, has already passed out all 130 window air conditioning units for its “Elder Cool” program for low-income seniors.

There’s also been a 35 percent increase in 211 help line calls with 1600 calls in the last couple weeks for utility assistance alone.

“We also always tell people you may need more than one form of assistance so if you’re able to get 40 or 50 dollars of an electric bill covered, we might be able to refer you to another agency that can assist with food. So, if we can lift off more of one burden, that may help ease another,” said Kera Mashek of the Metro United Way.

She also said people can call the 211 help line 24 hours a day, seven days a week and most people can get assistance.

“One thing that people are often surprised to hear is that more than half of the people who call our 211 line for assistance are employed. So, these are folks that do have a paycheck coming in, but it’s not stretching enough for all of these very high expenses they are experiencing,” Mashek said.

Swinney, an Army veteran, said he’s currently trying to refinance his home and is also waiting for his social security disability application to be approved.

While his wife is employed, he said a sky-high power bill likely means cutting back on groceries.

“So, we’ll be pinching pennies,” Swinney said.

In addition to the United Way’s 211 help line, Evergy offers options for people having trouble with their utility bill.

They can set up a payment plan, call a customer service representative or talk to an Evergy team member in person at one of the company’s “Evergy Connect” locations.

Customers can also apply for financial programs like LIHEAP, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

They can also visit the company’s financial help webpage for more information.

Financial Help - Evergy