NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Nashville Electric Service (NES) customers living across the Metro region, from downtown Nashville to Mt. Juliet, are complaining about high electric bills.

Many customers are receiving bills that are double, even triple, the amount from this time last year.

Customer Sarah Raulerson was charged nearly $400 for the July-August billing cycle. She lives in a 900 square foot home in East Nashville.

“I almost fainted when I got the bill,” Raulerson told News 2. “I was like, this is insane. My roommate and I were both like, what are we going to do? Because we’re both pinching pennies as much as possible.”

Many customers said they didn’t understand the increase in their bills because many hadn’t even touched their thermostats.

NES told News 2 that’s the problem.

“Your bill is going to go up because your air conditioning system is going to have to work harder to maintain that temperature,” said spokeswoman Laurie Parker. “You should keep your thermostat between 76 and 78 degrees on hot days.”

What’s more, Nashville saw 40 straight days of temperatures 70 degrees or higher. That means air conditioners were working harder.

Parker says air conditioning accounts for 50 percent of each customer’s bills.

Other customers asked News 2 why they were being asked to pay so much for a small space.

Parker says there are many factors that could explain a high bill, including air loss through cracks in windows or door frames.

“There are a lot of factors for how much a person’s bill is going to be month to month,” Parker explained. “How many people are in the home? How well-insulated is it? How old is the home?”

NES says if you get a bill that you can’t afford, call the company immediately. You can set up a payment plan through NES. Click here to learn more.

If you’ve been in your home for more than a year, you can sign up for “Balanced Billing” and pay the same amount each month based on your average use.