July was one of the hottest months on record, and with people either working from home or not working at all, air conditioners were running nonstop.
That led to a huge spike in electric bills for some, which added an unexpected gut punch to budgets that were already spread thin, with a lot of people seeing July bills totaling $300-400, or more, from PSE&G.
Fred Daum, the agency's executive director of customer operations, said to call them if you don't know what to do about your bill.
"We have a program now where you can enter into a 24-month deferred payment arrangement," he explained. "It's no money down and no interest."
PSE&G also has a balanced billing program which calculates a monthly average and spreads it out evenly over 12 months instead of having large bills in peak months.
The utility company is also offering up to $250 to cover costs of spoiled food for people who lost power for extended periods of time as a result of Tropical Storm Isaias.