Ohio Edison customers might have been surprised to see such a drastic increase in their bills in the past month. 21 News spoke to Ohio Edison Advanced Communications Representative, Lauren Siburkis to determine the reason for this increase.

Siburkis told 21 News that the reason for these drastic increases was FirstEnergy resuming indoor meter readings starting in August. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020, FirstEnergy had suspended all indoor meter readings for the safety of its employees, as well as the general public. 

As a result of this, customers with indoor meters received bills that estimated their monthly electricity usage rather than a completely accurate meter reading, so these customers were most likely undercharged.

Now that indoor meter readings have resumed, customers could receive a higher bill than usual. Siburkis told 21 News that customers are not being overcharged for their electricity. They are receiving higher bills to make up for usage they were not being charged for in previous months.

Siburkis says she understands that customers might not be able to afford such a large bill all at once. Especially with many customers still recovering from financial struggles from the pandemic. Siburkis says Ohio Edison customers can contact customer service to come up with a payment plan for their bills.

Ohio Edison is also accepting submissions of at-home meter readings. Customers can submit a meter by logging into their account at Ohio Edison's website or contact a customer service representative at 1-800-633-4766 to provide a reading. Instructions on how to obtain an at-home meter reading can be found here.