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Woman shocked to see a $284 billion electric bill. She thought it was because of Christmas lights.
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Woman shocked to see a $284 billion electric bill. She thought it was because of Christmas lights.

An Erie, Pennsylvania, woman was shocked to discover she owed $284 billion on her electric bill when she checked her most recent statement.

How did this all go down?

Mary Horomanski logged onto her Penelec utility account earlier in December only to find out that her total amount due for her electric account was $284 billion.

Her minimum monthly payment was more than $28,000.

"My eyes just about popped out of my head," Horomanski told the Erie Times-News. "We had put up Christmas lights and I wondered if we had put them up wrong."

Despite the absurdly massive bill, Horomanski's electric service was not interrupted.

What happened?

There was nothing wrong with the way Horomanski rigged her Christmas lights — it was simply a billing error by Penelec.

Horomanski said that her son called the utility company and discovered that the $284 billion bill was inaccurate, and Horomanski's total balance due was only $284.46.

According to Penelec's parent company, First Energy, a decimal point had accidentally been moved (several times, apparently).

Mark Durbin, a spokesperson for First Energy, told the Times-News that he's never seen a bill that size and appreciates Horomanski's "willingness to reach out to us about the mistake."

Horomanski shared with the Times-News that in light of December's electric bill, she requested a special Christmas gift from her son: "I told him I want a heart monitor."

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