NEW YORK — In the spring, the New York State Public Service Commission approved a temporary rate increase for New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) customers, following a series of discovery requests, hearings and testimonies.

The NYSEG temporary rate increases were to bump residential customers' electric bills by 0.2%.

Despite the current hikes, the utility company is pursuing much larger long-term increases. NYSEG has requested a 35% increase, equaling about $464.4 million, and has asked for a 10% return on equity for the rate year, which would result in a $32 million increase in electric revenue.

When local residents recently opened their October NYSEG bills, they found more than a rate increase but exorbitant fees, with some statements showing thousands of dollars due instead of their normal monthly charges.

Terri Fox, an Oxford resident and retired New York State Civil Service employee, said his bill is usually about $200. This month, it skyrocketed to $10,000.

"I have autopay and thank goodness I checked my billing statement for this month," Fox said.

He said he called customer service and was instructed to take a photo of his meter and email it to the company.

"Hopefully this will get resolved promptly," Fox added. "If you haven't checked your billing statement for this month, you may want to."

Additional Oxford residents spoke out regarding their high fees. Among them was Theresa Spencer.

Spencer noted her statement totaled $750, up from her normal $200 charges. She said she opted out of the company's smart reader program and pays her bill manually every month.

Avangrid, the parent company of NYSEG, was made aware of the concerns and immediately reached out.

"We are working directly with them to review their account and gather additional information," said Avangrid representative Andrew Rush.

He said NYSEG encourages any customer with questions about their bill to contact them as soon as possible so they can review their account and help explain any charges.

"We also offer a variety of programs and resources to help customers manage energy costs, including EAP, EEAP, budget billing, payment arrangements, HEAP, and other assistance programs," he added.

Rush further explained that the NYSEG team regularly meets customers at community events or hosts its own events specifically designed to answer questions, explain bills and connect them with financial assistance, payment options and energy-saving resources.

"We will be participating in community outreach events in Norwich and Oneonta later this month, and we encourage anyone interested in a one-on-one conversation with our team to attend. Additional details on those events will be shared soon," Rush added.

To discuss billing concerns or learn about NYSEG programs, customers can call 800-572-1111 or visit www.NYSEG.com/HelpWithBill.