Soaring Summer Electric Bills Threaten Tulsa Households

Tulsa’s summer heat is driving residential electricity use to record levels, and the resulting bills are outpacing local wages. Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) originally sought a 15 % residential rate increase for the year, but a settlement with the state attorney general reduced the hike to 1 % pending regulator approval. Even without a rate hike, bills are spiking because the city is experiencing more than twice the average number of triple-digit-degree days.

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The U.S. Energy Department reports that PSO disconnects power at more than five times the national average rate, a figure based on 2024 shutoff data. State regulators allow shutoffs as long as the heat index stays below 101 °F, a threshold consumer-advocates have unsuccessfully tried to raise.

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Individual accounts illustrate the strain. Raelynn McMurchy received a $600 deposit on an electric bill that rose to $1,373, prompting her to compare the cost to her rent. According to McMurchy, “Our electric bill is literally more than our rent this month.” Retail worker Ashley Fonseca Mejia and Kimberly-Clark factory employee Eric Widder report monthly bills near $500, with Widder saying his bill “has doubled.” He added, “Payday for me is Friday and they were going to cut it off Thursday.”

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The nonprofit Helping Hand Ministry, funded by foundations and Tulsa’s First Presbyterian Church, spends up to $14,000 weekly to cover overdue balances, typically contributing $350 per household. Despite this effort, roughly 19,000 Tulsa-area customers still face power disconnections each month.

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She added that PSO is investing in additional generation capacity and grid upgrades to handle higher demand and more extreme weather.

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Mark Wolfe, who leads a coalition of state energy-assistance directors, warned that electricity price growth and hotter summers will likely intensify affordability challenges nationwide. He noted, “Nobody wants their power shut off,” highlighting the lack of alternatives to electricity for basic needs.

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

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These statements capture the personal hardship, community response, and broader policy concerns surrounding Tulsa’s escalating electric bills.

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