$107K Electric Bill Shocks Family

Imagine opening your monthly electric bill and finding you owe $107, 625.16. It happened recently to a Chicago area family.

Kathy and David Rajter of Oak Park, Illinois say their January bill showed they had used 2,236 kilowatt hours, with that bill totaling $276. But the February bill showed they had used a whopping 1,647, 499 kilowatt hours. Kathy told the Chicago Sun Times that the taxes and fees alone on their February bill were $16,000.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Satistics, Chicago area electric prices are already about 15% higher than the national average. For that reason, Oak Park - population about 50,000 - recently switched to another electric provider in hopes of saving residents money.

To further complicate matters, the Rajter's have to deal with two separate companies to resolve the unusually large bill - Integrys, who supplies the electricity, and ComEd, who handles the billing. Neither of the companies are sure how this family ended up with a bill for $107K, but ComEd has assured them that their balance due has been reset to zero while they investigate the issue.