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Special Reports
NES under fire, as Nashville Electric customers brace for what could be the highest power bill in years. Some are accusing the public utility of wasting ratepayers' money, and record high temperatures are adding fuel to the fire. Eartha Nelson is checking the thermostat at her father's house a lot these days. Mostly, she's turning it up. For the last month, the air conditioner is running almost non-stop, and she knows the electric bill will be high.
"The could use that money for something else," says Nelson.
So, when Nelson saw a cover story in power notes in her current NES bill encouraging people to call 811 before they dig, and then a separate insert in the same bill saying exactly the same thing, she was hot.
"It's very wasteful," says Nelson.
NES has over 360,000 customers. It spends over $5000 each month on the power notes. At just over a penny each, the insert with the duplicate message cost rate payers an extra $3000. Nelson says it's a waste any way you slice it.
"All that money they use on that paper like that they could use that money on an allotment for people that can't pay their bills like low income people," says Nelson. "Elderly people."
"We normally don't do that," says NES Spokesman Tim Hill.
Hill says the utility doesn't make a habit of sending out duplicate messages. He says the insert is a general warning driving customers to the NES website. Hill says the story in power notes contains more specific information and the utility believes it's money well spent.
"We chose this time to take and write the story in power notes so they would understand why it was important to call before you dig," says Hill.
Customers we spoke with weren't so quick to forgive and forget. Professional dancer Ron Jones says when it's the public money there's a higher standard.
"It's a thing where you should be able to see some results in some way and that's just kind of a waste of money," says Ron Jones. "Kind of a waste of money."
At a time when most people need every dime to pay their bills, NES wants customers to know the postage wasn't any higher to send the insert along with its regular bill and the power notes. We're talking a little over $3000, but it's your money. You can find all our WASTE WATCH stories on Fox17.com. Just go to HOT TOPICS and click on WASTE WATCH.
"The could use that money for something else," says Nelson.
So, when Nelson saw a cover story in power notes in her current NES bill encouraging people to call 811 before they dig, and then a separate insert in the same bill saying exactly the same thing, she was hot.
"It's very wasteful," says Nelson.
NES has over 360,000 customers. It spends over $5000 each month on the power notes. At just over a penny each, the insert with the duplicate message cost rate payers an extra $3000. Nelson says it's a waste any way you slice it.
"All that money they use on that paper like that they could use that money on an allotment for people that can't pay their bills like low income people," says Nelson. "Elderly people."
"We normally don't do that," says NES Spokesman Tim Hill.
Hill says the utility doesn't make a habit of sending out duplicate messages. He says the insert is a general warning driving customers to the NES website. Hill says the story in power notes contains more specific information and the utility believes it's money well spent.
"We chose this time to take and write the story in power notes so they would understand why it was important to call before you dig," says Hill.
Customers we spoke with weren't so quick to forgive and forget. Professional dancer Ron Jones says when it's the public money there's a higher standard.
"It's a thing where you should be able to see some results in some way and that's just kind of a waste of money," says Ron Jones. "Kind of a waste of money."
At a time when most people need every dime to pay their bills, NES wants customers to know the postage wasn't any higher to send the insert along with its regular bill and the power notes. We're talking a little over $3000, but it's your money. You can find all our WASTE WATCH stories on Fox17.com. Just go to HOT TOPICS and click on WASTE WATCH.
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