LANCASTER, N.Y. (WKBW) — 7 Problem Solvers continues to receive complaints from NYSEG customers about their high energy bills.
It has been a hot topic and a story we've been following since July 2024.
Recently, Dale Miklas of Lancaster emailed us and said his bills have gone up by more than $400 within a two-year period.
"You start to really notice and say 'What the heck is going on here?" said Miklas. 'It's a lot of money."
Miklas has done his homework and created a spreadsheet of his NYSEG bills dating back to 2023. His cheapest bill in the past two years was $140 in December 2023 when NYSEG recorded him using 800 kilowatt hours.
The highest bill was $548 which came in January 2025. That was just a month after a smart meter was installed on his home. That bill had him using 1800 kilowatt hours.
"800 to 1800...same house I couldn't describe it either," said Miklas, who had a NYSEG employee at his house last month.
"[NYSEG] said old meters...didn't necessarily work great," said Miklas. "Maybe I had an old meter that didn't work so great I was getting a deal, wasn't charging me for the stuff I was using."
Miklas said he knows now that he can't solely blame more accurate smart meters for increased bills, but the higher costs of energy are part of the "perfect storm" too.
Patricia Nilsen, President and CEO of NYSEG and RG&E, joined Voices on Thursday to to discuss continued complaints from customers about smart meters. You can watch the full conversation below.
Through his research, Miklas realized that unplugging certain appliances when he's not using them, such as a space heater and battery chargers, have saved him money. Also switching lights to LED bulbs.
"We take for granted that the phone will work, cable will work," said Miklas. "But I used to pay $200, now paying $500."
You can watch all of our previous reporting from throughout last summer on smart meter and NYSEG issues below.
After receiving so many questions and concerns from viewers in August 2024, I brought them directly to NYSEG's Communications Manager Shelby Cohen to get an explanation. You can read more here and watch our report below.
I then went to Depew and spoke to Cathy Sunderlin. She voiced her concerns about an increase in her bill since a smart meter was installed.
"Somebody needs to get to the bottom of this because bills are outrageous," explained Sunderlin. “How am I billed so much?" You can read more here and watch our report below.
I also went to Alex Efthemis' home in Clarence. NYSEG installed a smart meter on her home this summer. On July 24 her NYSEG bill was $108. Just 29 days later on August 22, the bill jumped to $327.
"There is no way this could be right whatsoever," said Efthemis. "We have never had a bill this high." You can read more here and watch our report below.
After our first three reports, the questions and concerns persisted and we were able to have a sit down with NYSEG President and CEO Trish Nilsen at the end of August 2024. You can read more here and watch our full conversation below.
In September 2024, NYSEG hosted a series of meetings in Western New York to discuss billing issues and smart meters. You can read more here and watch our report below.