TEMPLE, Texas — A local church is stuck paying a $57,010 power bill for the month of February, even after the energy company and Public Utility Commission took another look at the issue.
Immanuel Lutheran Ministries has a Temple campus and a Belton campus. They've been with energy company Constellation since 2012 and recent energy bills at the Belton Campus ranged from $500 to $1,000 a month.
When they got a Belton campus bill for $57,010.78 after the winter storm, Pastor Dana Wilhelmsen thought it had to be a mistake.
"When were saw the kW per hour, we were like, 'wow, this has got to be the biggest computer mess up I've ever seen.' We didn't know what was going on," Wilhelmsen said.
But it wasn't a computer glitch. It was their actual bill.
Wilhelmsen and church Business Manager Nikki Hernandez told 6 News last week they had always been on a fixed rate plan with Constellation.
Unfortunately, when the church renewed it's electricity contracts in 2019, one of the contracts for its Belton campus was not brought up and both the church and the power company failed to address it.
That contract lapsed and, according to the fine print of the contract, it automatically switched to a month-to-month agreement and provided electricity at wholesale market energy prices instead of a fixed rate. When prices skyrocketed to the maximum legal amount for four days in February, the bill for the Belton location skyrocketed with them.
6 News reached out to Constellation about the issue last week, and they began further discussions with the church about the situation. Following those discussions, Constellation Communications Manager Dave Snyder provided the following statement.
"Constellation recognizes that the extreme energy prices caused by February’s historic cold weather have placed an unforeseen financial burden on many consumers. In an effort to lessen the impact on its electricity bill, we communicated proactively with the customer during the weather event and strongly encouraged usage curtailment to mitigate the impact of the high market prices. Following the storm, Constellation has provided the customer with deferred payment plan options and additional clarity around their electricity contract. Additionally, we have agreed to waive any and all late fees incurred on the customer’s balance up through the end of July 2021. We’re also working diligently on the regulatory front and are engaged in discussions around additional measures that can be implemented to provide relief to customers," Snyder said in an email.
Constellation did send out emails warning of a possible bill spike, but they were generalized and did not mention specific accounts. Meanwhile, the church administrators thought they were on a fixed plan.
Still, Constellation is waiving late fees and the church is also getting a deduction for another reason. Hernandez told 6 News in the discussions following our first story, they were able to show Constellation that they had been charged taxes incorrectly for several years. Hernandez said they would be refunded $7,500 and it would be credited to their account.
Even if the remaining bill is under $50,000, however, the church must decide if it should go for a payment plan, which would charge interest, or use another option.
6 News also asked the Public Utility Commission and Constellation if any bills recently passed by the state legislature would address the issue. Snyder told 6 News the PUC is currently working to implement House Bill 4492 and Constellation would follow whatever rule changes entailed. It is unclear if that bill will apply to the church's situation.
6 News also contacted local Texas state representatives Hugh Shine and Brad Buckley, but neither could say if or when any new laws would address this situation. Both indicated it was something that may need to be dealt with in the upcoming special session.
Hernandez said they would now need to take the options provided by Constellation to the church board and decide how to proceed.