WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – If you’ve noticed that your energy bill has gone up, you’re not the only one.

Many Duke Energy customers in southeastern North Carolina, such as Richard Mcninch, say their energy bills are getting out of control.

“It felt to me like it was steadily increasing month over month with no explanation as to why,” Mcninch said.

Mcninch says this past month, he paid nearly $400 for his bill. He says in the decades he’s lived in the area, it is the highest amount he has ever paid.

We reached out to Duke Energy to find out more. Spokesperson Jeff Brooks says customers could be seeing higher bills for several reasons.

“We did have a rate increase last year and that adds up about maybe $15 or so on a thousand-kilowatt hour,” Brooks said. “It has been cold and usage has been higher and that’s really what’s driving bills up, primarily.”

What about “rider adjustments?” Mcninch is one of many who have reached out with concerns about these fees. He tells me he tried reaching out to Duke Energy to get an explanation and was not given a clear answer.

Brooks says rider adjustments help the utility recover the cost of specific programs, such as energy efficiency rebates.

“Riders are charges that are not included in your standard rates, but they are part of the cost of utility incurs to help serve you,” Brooks said.

Brooks says customers have been paying for rider adjustments fees for a while. Customers just didn’t realize it until they were itemized.

“They’re not new. We’ve been charging them previously. They were just consolidated in a more simplified bill format,” Brooks said.

Brooks says in September, the company made the change to itemize certain fees on the bill in the hopes of giving more transparency to customers. That includes rider adjustments, storm recovery costs and renewable energy riders.

“The idea was that if we could break that out a little bit we could help you better understand how your bill is is, you know computed,” Brooks said.

People like Mcninch, however, say the numbers still aren’t adding up.

“I don’t have the choice to go do business with somebody else. I have to do business with Duke because of where I live. It feels like they know they have me over a barrel and they act that way,” Mcninch said.

Brooks says there are some ways you can save on your bill month to month.

“One of the things you want to start with is your heating in your home, you’ll want to set your thermostat to the lowest comfortable setting,” Brooks said.

“Take advantage of the greenhouse effect of your windows,” he said. “If you’re on the sunny side of the house, open those blinds during the day because that’ll allow sunlight to come through and will actually heat your home,” Brooks said.

Brooks also suggests replacing your air filter every few months and consider switching to LED lightbulbs.

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