Oklahoma Nursing Home Hit With $44,000 Gas Bill

The director of an Oklahoma City nursing home couldn't believe her eyes when she opened the business's February energy bill.

"I was going to need CPR. It was just such a shock," Sharon Flower of Villagio Retirement Home told KFOR.

The retirement home's monthly bill came out to a whopping $44,000.

“At first I thought it had to be a misprint," said Flower.

Villagio normally pays $7,000 to $8,000 a month for its energy bill but had to pay 55 times that thanks to skyrocketing natural gas prices.

Oklahomans were warned about the potential for receiving a huge utility bill earlier this year. Because of high demand during February's winter storms, gas units that normally sold for $2-$3 were selling for $200-300, KFOR previously reported.

Customers of OG&E, ONG, and PSO shouldn't have seen a major price swing in the monthly utility bills. One of the reasons why Villagio's bill was so high was because the retirement home bought their gas from a company in Texas while ONG just delivered it.

State lawmakers are working on passing legislation to minimize the financial impact from the winter storms and prevent future utility bill spikes.

The Oklahoma government may not be able to help the nursing home because it purchased its energy from another state.

“It’s unfortunate when they elect to go thru a third party on that. It makes it very difficult for us to help them in those situations,” said state Senator James Leewright.

Photo: Getty Images