Soaring Summer Electric Bills Threaten Tulsa Households

Tulsa’s Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) sought a roughly 15 % residential rate increase for the current year, but a settlement with the state attorney general reduced the proposal to a 1 % hike pending regulator approval. Even without a rate hike, extreme summer heat—recorded as more than twice the average number of triple-digit-degree days—has driven electricity consumption sharply upward. The U.S. Energy Department’s 2024 tally shows PSO disconnects power at more than five times the national average, and the Oklahoma Corporation Commission permits shutoffs as long as the heat index stays below 101 °F. An Energy Department estimate notes that over 13 million Americans lose power for unpaid bills each year, including about one million in August alone.

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Local nonprofit Helping Hand Ministry, supported by foundations and Tulsa’s First Presbyterian Church, spends up to $14,000 weekly to help residents cover overdue balances. Volunteers like John Johnson intervene directly, paying portions of past-due bills to keep lights on. Despite these efforts, at least 19,000 Tulsa-area customers still experience monthly shutoffs. Residents such as Ashley Fonseca Mejia and factory worker Eric Widger describe bills that have doubled to $500 or more, forcing difficult choices between rent, utilities, and food.

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PSO CEO Leigh Anne Strahler emphasized that “affordability is important” and that the company is investing in additional generation capacity and grid upgrades to meet rising demand and more extreme weather. The settlement to limit the rate increase to 1 % reflects the utility’s acknowledgment of consumer concerns while awaiting formal regulator endorsement.

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• “Our electric bill is literally more than our rent this month,” — Raelynn McMurchy

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• “I wish every corporation commissioner had to sit in a house that that had no electricity when it's 95,” — Joanne Pearson

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• “Payday for me is Friday and they were going to cut it off Thursday,” — Eric Widger

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• “I make a good living wage but it's hard with these high bills to even come close,” — Eric Widger

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• “Nobody wants their power shut off,” — Mark Wolfe, who runs a group of state energy assistance directors

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