Alabama Trump Supporter Outrage: Utility Bills Have Now Tripled

Added: 2026-05-31

[00:00:00]A woman from Huntsville, Alabama, is going viral because her electricity bill went from $250 to $600.

[00:00:11]What? That sounds very high. Across Alabama, frustration is rapidly turning into outrage.

[00:00:17]>> If you don't like your cable company, or your internet provider, or your insurance carrier, or your phone provider, you can change companies.

[00:00:26]If you don't like your power company, that's just too damn bad. Because they can continuously overcharge you again and again and again, and that's just too damn bad. There's nothing you can do about it. And if you live in the state of Alabama, you know exactly what I'm talk talking about. Our two homes in Florida, the power bill there is 1/3 of our one home in Alabama. Yes, you heard that correctly. Our power bill in Alabama for a 1,400 square foot home that I reside in maybe one to two weeks out of a month, is about $600 a month.

[00:01:03]Our two homes in Florida, one with more square footage, are probably around 150 to 200 a month total for both of them.

[00:01:13]The state of Alabama needs to get their [ __ ] together because what's going on?

[00:01:17]As residents across the state report dramatic spikes in their electricity bills, many claiming their monthly costs have doubled or even tripled without any meaningful change in [music] how much power they use. Hey, let's talk about Alabama Power just a minute and what's going on with these crazy rates. I have several foreclosures for 1 month of no usage, supposedly no usage, because I know that everything is turned off over there. I check it frequently.

[00:01:44]After every showing, I can tell you HVAC system is not in operating condition, so that's not been running.

[00:01:50]But for the month of January, I have a Actually, it's $308.41.

[00:01:57]So, what do y'all think? My current house is 6,500 square foot and usage bill here is a little under $1,000. And I can understand that because with five kids, they're running in and out, leaving every light in the house on, never turning anything off.

[00:02:13]And we have two four-ton HVAC systems that run pretty much all the time. And even with the cold weather that we just got, which that was probably not factored in on the bill yet. All right.

[00:02:26]I'd really like to know where these rates are coming from and why they're so high. A friend of mine owns a commercial building and he went over there and physically cut the breaker off the building, the main breaker on the outside, and he still had a bill for $300 with no usage. Alabama Power.

[00:02:43]Alabama [music] Power, hope you're listening.

[00:02:47]And I want you to know that everybody in this state is on to your bullcrap corruption. We are. And let me tell you what people have gotten smart enough to do to catch you.

[00:03:00]It's [music] gotten so bad that we Alabamians paying so much for our power bills, $4 to $500 a month, that what we started doing is we started turning our breakers off.

[00:03:13]We started turning everything off and we're keeping up with it.

[00:03:17]And you're still charging us your outlandish [ __ ] prices.

[00:03:22]Something's not right with that. How am I using the same amount of power when everything is being shut off?

[00:03:30]Families say they are already stretched thin, cutting back on essentials like groceries, limiting appliance use, and even turning off heating and cooling [music] units. Yet their bills continue to climb. Huntsville Utilities got to tell me something. That on big God, Huntsville Utilities, they going to have to tell me something. It's no [laughter] way I got a 700-plus dollar phone bill light bill. It's It's absolutely no way. My bill keep going up. I just paid a 600-and-something dollar bill in February. What are you trying to tell me that out here? How y'all charging me 700-plus already for March?

[00:04:03]March just hit. So, HOW YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I NOT USE all the I'm My bill went from two something and it's been creeping up ever since. I'm telling y'all, Huntsville Utilities is over there scamming. They're not set up and rebuilding remodeling and they got us paying for the remodel. 700-plus for my March bill and March just hit.

[00:04:24]How do you know how much I not using [ __ ] March? This ain't even making sense. Even if Even if the bill come out early for February, 700-plus, it can't be. I don't do nothing different. I unplug everything. We don't touch the box. Nothing is different. So, how it going from 200 and I crept all the way up to 700-plus dollars? Huntsville Utilities is scamming. So, Magaville just got the mess around and find out in their own hometown of Huntsville, Alabama, who voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump because he promised to lower utility bills, groceries, and others.

[00:05:03]Well, many of them just got a notice from their electric company that their bill will go up by $100 due to a surcharge. And the explanation in this notification was that the million-dollar subsidy grant from the federal government has been canceled by, drumroll please, Yes, that's right.

[00:05:25]Donald Trump has ended the subsidy handout to the electric company to help keep Alabama's poorest residents from paying extra money on their electric bills.

[00:05:34]>> For many, the situation feels impossible. Electricity is not optional, and people are now asking what else they can possibly cut just to survive.

[00:05:41]Imagine showing up to the election box and realizing that the office that you were about to vote for changed halfway through the election year. That is just what happened with the Alabama Public Service Commission. The Alabama Public Service Commission regulates utilities, things like electricity rates and infrastructure. So, things that impact every single Alabamian. For decades, decades, the voters elected these commissioners statewide. Lawmakers just passed a law after after everybody called and demanded that they not pass it before, they just combined two different laws, took out the stuff that would help people, and then put the stuff back in that would help Alabama Power, and they made it so that expanded the commission. So, taking away the power from the people because you elected two you elect two different positions. They expanded it, so now the governor gets to appoint four. And not only that, she gets to have someone who is the energy czar, who gets to say what actually matters. So, the commission no longer matters. So, I know everybody been complaining in Alabama about our light bills being too high. They've been too high. Kay Ivey said she hears talking about it. She want to help us do something about it, okay? So, they went they met with lawmakers on yesterday.

[00:06:50]And the plan is right now we elect all of our public service commissioners.

[00:06:54]That's who work directly with the utility companies for Alabama. Now, we elect them. The people go out and vote for the people who we want in these seats. Kay Ivey wants to do something similar to like what she did with the Birmingham Water Works. She want to come in and take over. She want to take those elected members down and put up appointed members, people who she's going to appoint to sit in these seats.

[00:07:14]They're going to have to report back every quarter to her, to the to the governor, about what's going on with the utilities because they have gotten out of control.

[00:07:21]>> Homeowners and renters alike, from small houses to larger properties, are sharing similar stories of bills jumping from $200 to $300 to $700 or more in a matter of weeks. Everyone in Alabama so poor.

[00:07:34]Alabama's the poorest state. Alabama this, Alabama that. They all deserve it.

[00:07:37]Hey, you want to know what an Alabama Power bill looks like? That's budget billing.

[00:07:43]Budget billing, and they will charge you a fee to get off of it. But I should know you don't have to do budget billing. Alabama Power obviously isn't that bad. Oh, that's right. Just just do their time advantage energy rates.

[00:07:56]So, that when they're charging these prices, you just turn your power off.

[00:08:00]I mean, you could always do the demand rate option with a monthly base charge of $14.50, and then you can do a demand charge of this, and then you got this.

[00:08:07]And the peak hours are 25 cents, 0.602.

[00:08:10]Dude, um Did you know that in Washington, like the state of Washington, it's like 0.03 cents?

[00:08:20]Not even kidding. I don't get it. If you don't If you don't like Alabama, why don't you just leave? [ __ ] you think we can't even afford to live here.

[00:08:27]All right, I got a question.

[00:08:29]Uh what the hell is going on with the damn power bills? Uh last month, $347.

[00:08:35]I'm used to $300 power bill.

[00:08:38]Uh had it for years. Uh opened it this month, $755.

[00:08:43]It's just me, my old lady, and my son.

[00:08:46]The AC stays on between 70 and 73, where the wife chooses.

[00:08:51]Uh me and my son never touch the thermostat. Uh but how does it go up $400 in 1 month? We have done nothing different. Everything's the same. Like, I don't care how much money I make.

[00:09:04]$700 is too much. It's too much. I don't know if that's just here in Alabama, or if that's everywhere. I I don't know.

[00:09:11]But it's just It's out of hand, man. I don't see how folks can survive paying a 700 700 or higher power bill. Man, something's got to give.

[00:09:20]>> Leaving them confused, frustrated, and financially strained. Much of the anger is directed toward Alabama Power, with customers accusing the company of overcharging and failing to provide clear explanations about rising rates.

[00:09:32]And I'm in California where our water and power is expensive, but oh my lord.

[00:09:37]So, what happened is due to Donald Trump's executive orders, the orders from the king, uh it was a federal grant that was being given so that electricity was cheaper. And now that they lifted that grant, oh god, no, Sam. Tell me it's not true. It is true.

[00:10:03]Uh Yeah, people in Alabama, even the letter that they got, his name is on it. I need to know what Alabama Power is doing because I've lived in the same residence for 22 years now. And I know for at least the last 18 years I have been on budget billing because you cannot slap a $700 power bill on me. You know, it may not know it. Like I've got to I need to be averaging out and know what I'm going to be paying every month. You know, we we a one income household over here paying these bills. So, anyway, you know, for the longest it's been like 245 would be my highest. It would go back down months later to 215. I'd pay that for some months and it goes back up to 245, back down to 215. It's always been in that area. No big deal. I paid that for the last I don't know how many years. So, a couple months ago it went from 245 to 265 and I'm like, well, everything's going up, so, you know, this is this expected.

[00:10:58]So, then I'm like, well, the next time it'll go back down.

[00:11:00]No.

[00:11:02]265 to 299.

[00:11:04]And I'm like, okay. I don't Okay. Yeah, I'm going to pay that for the next few months.

[00:11:11]So, I know the next one is going to go down. So, I got the email the other day and it's my usage is down 3.09% or something from last year.

[00:11:22]But my bill's still up. 332 now.

[00:11:25]Did we forget to fluctuate back down, Alabama Power? Like, what? You cannot tell me that the three people that live in this household, like, I that anything is being done any different than it was in the last I don't know how many years to go up to that much. Like, I I Like, I'm struggling. I've already cut out groceries. I don't buy groceries anymore. Like, now what do I cut out?

[00:11:47]Like, I'm confused. Somebody help me out. What do I cut out next because got to have power. I wish I could cut them off. Am I the only one when they walk out to the mailbox and they see that Alabama Power bill come in, they go to open it and they just they just I mean, they're just shaking like a damn leaf on the tree. Scared to death, don't know what your power bill's going to be.

[00:12:06]You don't know if it's going to be 200 or 1,500. It's ridiculous. I just seen where Alabama Power is sitting at number three for the highest power bills in the country. In the country.

[00:12:17]I mean, bunch of crooks, if you ask me.

[00:12:19]They need to be investigated. They need to be looked into the way they charging folks. I mean, it's ridiculous. You got old people out here on social security and disability stuff and they're charging these people however they want to. And these people can barely pay their power bill. I'm scared to death to see my power bill after this cold front come in. Ain't no telling what the power bill's going to be. I just It's It's sad. Alabama Power, they need to be investigated and looked into the way they charging folks. They ought to feel ashamed charging these old folks and me too now. I I Hey, they ought to feel ashamed charging me that way too, but especially these old folks that's on a set income. They're just charging you whatever the hell they want. I think I think they need to be looked into seriously. Some residents claim they have reduced their energy usage significantly, turning off lights, limiting laundry, and even shutting down entire sections of their homes, only to see little to no difference in their bills. Alabama Power just announced that they're going to freeze electricity rates. Now, before you clap, spin, or do a little praise dance in your living room, we need to talk for a little bit because this is not a solution at all.

[00:13:21]It's a stalling technique. See, this is them putting a band-aid on a gushing wound and talking about, "See? See, it's better." Yeah, freezing the rate doesn't help people who can't afford the rate right now. It's not going to do nothing.

[00:13:34]The problem is not tomorrow's price. The problem is today's bill. People are already making choices where they're having to choose between food and lights anyway. And Alabama is one of those states where the residents pay astronomical rates for electricity. So, when a company says that they're thinking about freezing rates, understand something. They know you heard it. They just also know they ain't going to do nothing to fix it.

[00:14:00]>> This message is for Alabama Power and Alabama Power only. Can you please tell me why in my tiny house my power bill is $450?

[00:14:08]I'm being so for real, my house is less than 700 square feet. I'm telling you, I'm confident [music] it's less than 700 square feet. I don't have a washer, I don't have a dryer, I don't have a dishwasher. I've got a fridge, that's about it, and a TV. That's it, and uh Wi-Fi. Fridge, TV, Wi-Fi. I keep my uh units off when the temperature's like 60° outside because I don't need heat or air when my temperature is like 60° outside. Even on the cold nights, I only turn it on to 67. [music] My water heater's not doing anything crazy. I just want to know because I'm telling you my house is so small and there's only three of us. I'm working 68 plus hours a week. I'm My house is very tiny. One of the bedrooms, I can I'm 5'4. I can literally put my arms above my head, put my feet against one wall, and touch my fingertips to the next wall.

[00:14:55]There ain't enough lights in this house to be charging that much power. I know people who live in very large homes and their power bill is not this much.

[00:15:03]You can say, "Yes, oh, you live in a mobile home. That's why." I've lived in a mobile home before and my power bill has never been this high. And the mobile homes I did live in were twice this size. I live in a tissue box and my power bill is $453.06.

[00:15:18]Alabama just rewrote the rules for power bills, but opponents say they're just not doing enough for consumer protections in this new policy. Now, this new law sets out to rein in some of the country's highest power bills.

[00:15:30]That's what's happening right here in Alabama. But not everyone believes it will actually lower these energy costs.

[00:15:36]Now, here's what the new law does.

[00:15:38]First, it expands the Alabama Public Service Commission from three members to seven elected members. Then there will be a new Secretary of Energy in the governor's cabinet. It freezes those base electric rates until 2029 and there will be at least one public meeting each year where utilities like Alabama Power has to answer questions and the public can weigh in. And this bill's path to passage was anything but straightforward. The Senate passed this bill unanimously, 32 to zero, after heavily rewriting what the house originally passed. This has led to widespread suspicion that something deeper is wrong, especially since many customers say they are unable to get straightforward answers about how their charges are calculated.

[00:16:22]Alabama, miss ma'am, I'm going to need you to reevaluate uh your worth because you are out here charging >> [music] >> like top-shelf Dasani, Fiji, Smartwater prices and uh we're down here, okay? We are uh recycled water shelf water.

[00:16:46]You know, like what comes out of my tap was probably in my toilet at some point. So, uh I really like you to do some self-reflection.

[00:16:58]So, let's talk about Alabama Power.

[00:17:00]So, my bill has been higher than giraffe ass and I thought that maybe it was because of my house, trailer house, whatever. Um but I've been seeing a lot of videos the past 2 weeks, 3 weeks on TikTok about people talking about Alabama Power bills and how high it is.

[00:17:14]And I'm like, okay, so maybe it ain't just me. I got a '90 model double wide.

[00:17:18]Uh it's got a whole add-on on the back of it, so in total it's like a seven day, three bath. Um it's got two three-ton package units on it.

[00:17:25]And then during the middle of June and July, my my power bill was like $800, $825 or something like that. So, I went up there, I was like, "Hey, there ain't no way." She was like, "Oh, yeah, you're burning too many kilowatts." I'm like, "Yeah, but how much y'all charging per kilowatt?"

[00:17:37]And she wouldn't ever really give me an answer.

[00:17:40]So, I'm like, "Hmm, all right." So, then the next month I turned the back unit off, made sure we only, you know, washed clothes once a week, something like that, turned all lights off, stuff like that. Still the same, you know, it's $760, $780.

[00:17:53]I'm like, "There ain't no damn way." So, then I start seeing these videos, I'm like, "Okay, now everything's starting to add up, make sense. You know, something ain't right."

[00:17:59]>> [clears throat] >> Cuz a few years back I lived in a house that was on Wiregrass Electric. And when I first moved in there, I had it on prepaid.

[00:18:05]Meaning you could call and pay it daily.

[00:18:06]You know, you pay for that amount for that day, which was like $4 to $6 a day.

[00:18:10]So, I mean, you're looking at 200, maybe $250 a month, which is about right.

[00:18:15]Which Alabama Power used to be like that years ago, but now they are just straight-up gouging people.

[00:18:19]And uh you know, something needs to be done about it. The bad thing is is you can't. You I've got one option where I live is Alabama Power. If you don't pay it, you ain't got no power.

[00:18:27]>> But did you have a heart attack when you opened your power bill this month?

[00:18:31]People in Alabama need to know. Because ours is astronomical. [music] I keep seeing posts from people where I would flat-out die if that was my power bill. I live in Alabama. Mine was right at $700.

[00:18:44]>> The issue has also become deeply political. Some critics point to decisions linked to Donald Trump, particularly the reported removal of federal subsidies that previously helped offset electricity costs for lower-income households. At this point, Alabama Power need to be investigated.

[00:18:59]Ain't no way. Ain't no way. Who told y'all to keep sending us these high power bills? Ain't no way it take that much electricity for a little light and a little heat.

[00:19:11]Every time I see my power bill, I'M LIKE, "WHAT?"

[00:19:14]How is it that your power bill can be kind of normal and then it get cold for 2 days and it goes up to a $200. Somebody let me know. But then when the weather smooths back out, it go down three, four dollars. Somebody let me know cuz I stay in a little small house. I got a duo system on it which is like uh with gas and electric. So, in the summertime, I use electric to cool my house and in the wintertime, I use gas. So, in the summertime, my gas bill goes down to like $10, $12. Wonderful.

[00:19:48]My power bill never goes down. So, I called them and I was like, "Why is this power bill so high all the year round?

[00:19:54]Why ain't I ever catching a break? It's winter time. I'm not even heating my house off electric."

[00:20:01]She was like, "Well, in the summer time, your power bill be almost $600 all the time." How?

[00:20:09]Don't nobody be there. And let me add, y'all, she said, "We put you on budget billing."

[00:20:15]So, we have an elderly lady in Birmingham, Alabama, who lives alone.

[00:20:20]Her power bill ranges from $200 to $250 every single month. She opened her power bill for this past month that she just got. And do you want to know what her power bill was?

[00:20:31]No changes, no anything. All of you saying, "Well, something's not right."

[00:20:37]It's Alabama Power. It's not the people here in Alabama. Let's get that through our heads, okay?

[00:20:42]We're not making any changes.

[00:20:44]It's the power company.

[00:20:46]Her bill tripled to $850.

[00:20:49]$850 for an elderly, at home, by herself person. She's on a fixed income. She can't pay her bill.

[00:20:59]Yet, there's a grant out there that Mama Kay Ivey got for $250,000 last year.

[00:21:05]Who's Who's seen that money? Has anybody in Alabama? Do you know what I'm talking about? Have you been able to use it?

[00:21:11]Because it's there.

[00:21:13]For our power bills, for propane, for gas.

[00:21:19]Does anybody know about that? The bill Alabama Power wanted just passed the Senate committee today. They've hijacked the good House Bill 475.

[00:21:27]Just moments ago, the original House Bill 475, the one that would have lowered your bills, required rate hearings, and reduced Alabama Power's profits, had its guts ripped out. What passed today is basically the widely hated SB 360 just wearing a disguise.

[00:21:42]The rate hearings, gone. The profit limits, gone. What's left is a governor-appointed official who controls basically everything the PSC does, and Alabama Power essentially never having to face a hearing. At the same time, growing attention is being placed on the Alabama Public Service Commission, the body responsible for regulating utility companies. Concerns are rising that recent legislative changes could reduce public oversight and shift more control toward appointed officials.

[00:22:07]>> Alabama Power, I got a question for you, honey.

[00:22:10]How my power bill go up $117 in one month?

[00:22:14]$117.

[00:22:17]My power bill went up, increased $117 in 30 days.

[00:22:26]I need an explanation. [music] It was cold, baby, but it wasn't that cold. Why is my bill almost $300, and it's just me here at the house?

[00:22:38]Y'all Y'all need to stop scamming folks.

[00:22:40]Ain't no way in hell this little house I live in, power bill is almost $300. Y'all need to go to hell. With electricity being a monopoly service in many parts of Alabama, residents have no alternative providers to turn to, leaving them feeling trapped in a system they believe is unfair and unbalanced. What the hell is going on with Alabama Power?

[00:23:03]My bill has went up around 60% compared to what it used to be.

[00:23:08]>> I am in Northwest Alabama, and my power bill this month is $467.

[00:23:19]This has gotten to be like normal.

[00:23:21]Like every year it goes up. Like last summer, um I think the average was around $400.

[00:23:28]Um and now it's nearly 500.

[00:23:34]And I feel like it's just getting excessive.