Woman Was Paying Her Neighbor’s Bills For Years, Didn’t Think Anything Because Of Cost Of Living From Biden Era

A Florida woman who long assumed her high electric bills were simply part of the rising cost of living says she recently uncovered a costly mistake that left her footing her neighbor’s power bill for years.

Dolores Noe told WESH 2 News that her latest statement from Duke Energy exceeded $800 — a charge she immediately questioned. “I called them, and they’re saying, ‘You owe it. You owe what you owe,’” Noe said. “And I said, ‘There’s no way I owe this bill.’”

After repeated complaints, Duke Energy sent a technician to inspect the problem. What happened next revealed the issue: when the technician cut power to what was believed to be Noe’s home, the lights went out at her neighbor’s instead. According to Noe, the mix-up meant she had been unknowingly paying for her neighbor’s electricity, while he was paying for hers.

Noe said her bills averaged more than $200 a month, while her neighbor’s hovered around $160 to $170 — despite his larger, three-bedroom home compared to her two-bedroom house. Duke Energy confirmed the error, saying it has scheduled an appointment with both customers to determine how to correct the situation. “Our customers only pay for the energy they use,” the company said in a statement.

Although Noe was told not to pay the $800 charge, she said the amount still appears on her account. “I don’t know why they just don’t get it off my bill when they know it’s not mine,” she said. “It sticks in the back of your mind. You worry about it.”

A Duke Energy spokesperson told WESH 2 News the company plans to determine when the error began and will adjust billing accordingly. “The customer who overpaid for their actual energy usage will receive a bill credit,” the company confirmed.

According to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, electricity prices in the U.S. rose 29.4% between January 2021 and March 2024. The steep increase coincided with policies that curtailed domestic energy production, including Environmental Protection Agency regulations requiring coal-fired plants to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040. The EPA proposed reversing that rule earlier this year, as President Trump’s administration continues efforts to restore affordable American energy.

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