-WJLA Script-

Anchor:
DO YOU EVER LOOK AT YOUR POWER BILL AND WONDER HOW IT GOT THAT HIGH?

COMING OFF OF A HOT SUMMER A LOT OF YOU MIGHT BE THINKING THAT.

7 ON YOUR SIDE HAS BEEN HEARING IT.

SO TONIGHT ROSS MCLAUGHLIN PUTS SOME ENERGY INTO COMING UP WITH WAYS TO HELP YOU SAVE MONEY.

Ross McLaughlin:
IT'S LIKE FEEDING THE BEAST AND YOUR HOME IS THE HUNGRY MONSTER.

A MARYLAND WOMAN'S POWER BILLS WERE SO OUT OF CONTROL THEY WERE EATING UP HER BUDGET.

SHE CALLED US...WE CALLED PEPCO AND WEEKS LATER WE'VE GOT SOME SOLUTIONS.

Story: 
Ross: "This is the house over here

 

 

Donna Mann/Pepco: "Okay."

WE'VE ASKED PEPCO TO MAKE A SPECIAL VISIT. BECAUSE..

Veronica Mobley: "They're just getting ridiculous. They keep going up and and up and up."

VERONICA MOBLEY'S POWER BILLS ARE THROUGH THE ROOF.

Ross: "2005 it's 163...318."

AS WE GO THROUGH HER ELECTRIC BILLS WE NOTICE A PATTERN.

Veronica Mobley: "Regular bills are like 513 dollars a month."

WHICH IS WHAT BROUGHT US BACK.

Ross: "Normally we go to the business to confront the business, this time we brought the business to you. Pepco!"

DONNA MANN AND CLAY ANDERSON ARE HERE TO HELP.

Donna Mann/Pepco: "One thing that concerns me a little bit is the stove for the winter."

WHEN NOT IN USE THE FLUE SHOULD BE CLOSED BOTH WINTER AND SUMMER.

Veronica Mobley: "Behind the chair here."

VENTS SHOULD BE CLEAR.

Clay Anderson: "Move the chair and at least open your vents. So you can feel it."

THEY SEE PROBLEMS.

Donna Mann:"All the air is flowing up into the bed and not getting out circulating through the house."

THEY GO OUTSIDE AND CHECK HER METER AND GO THROUGH HER BILLS.

Donna Mann: "It really spikes up in the winter time."

THE PEPCO REPS ASK QUESTIONS, TAKE NOTES. AND DO A COMPLETE ANALYSIS.

HERE'S WHAT THEY FIND. VERONICA USES A BIT MORE POWER DURING THE WINTER. SHE'S ON A BUDGET PLAN BUT MISSED A PAYMENT AND HAS NOT BEEN PAYING THE FULL AMOUNT WHICH CAUSED SOME SPIKES IN HER BILL. BUT HER BILLS ARE CONSISTENT WITH HOMES IN HER NEIGHBORHOOD.

HOWEVER, SHE CAN CAN GET A FURTHER BREAK DOWN ON PEPCO'S WEBSITE AND SO CAN YOU. JUST PUT IN YOUR INFORMATION. IT COMPARES YOUR BILLING HISTORY, TO WEATHER PATTERNS, YOUR NEIGHBORS AND SHOWS YOU EXACTLY HOW YOU CAN SAVE.

Ross: "You are serious about this."

Veronica Mobley: "Yes, yes it's too much.">

Ross McLaughlin:

BECAUSE VERONICA HAS A HEAT PUMP SHE'S ALSO ADVISED TO LOWER THE TEMPERATURE IN THE WINTER TO 68. I TRIED THAT ONLINE TOOL AND DISCOVERED I'M PAYING ABOUT 50 DOLLARS TOO MUCH IN THE SUMMER. I NEED TO PUT MY THERMOSTAT TO 78 WHEN I'M NOT HOME AND I DISCOVERED PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTAT CAN SAVE ABOUT 300 DOLLARS A YEAR THE AVERAGE POWER BILL.