Killeen City Council members faced off with representatives from several electricity providers on Tuesday.

More than 50 residents packed into a meeting room to try to get to the bottom of the increase in their electric bills. Some have seen their electricity bills double and even triple.

"I know it's tough right now," Kelli Rod with TXU Energy said. "We have a lot of folks that have consumed a lot of power. We expect the bills to be tough for another month or so."

According to representatives from three electric retailers, one major reason why bills have been so high is because of an increase in consumption by customers.

"First and foremost is the unprecedented cold that we've seen over the last two months," Reliant Energy spokesperson Bill Clayton said.

Some members of Killeen City Council said there has to be other reasons as well.

"There are problems and somebody should be honest about the problems, and no one wants to fess up to them," councilmember JoAnn Purser said. "But there are cases out there where there have been misreadings or other issues."

Some of the other issues that were brought up included skepticism associated with new "smart meters" installed by electric delivery provider, Oncor. But electric retailers said they were confident in the meters.

"The reason for the high bill is not the meter," Clayton said."In my 20 years, I've never seen a meter run fast."

Whatever the problem, it does not change anything for retired residents like Davida Brouhard, who said she cannot afford to pay for the sudden increase.

She told the council her bill used to be between $85 to $150, but her most recent bill jumped to $857.

"Now how am I supposed to pay my light bill, and pay rent, and pay car payments and medicine," she said."Because it is putting us in a bind that we are either going to starve to death or freeze to death."

Stories like hers is the reason why Mayor Timothy Hancock asked electric retailers to explore the possibility that it is not just the weather that could have played a role.

"I'm saying that I have been a lot colder in past years," Hancock said. "At least listen to us and don't write us off just like that."

For residents interested in learning about conservation, there will be a special workshop held Wednesday.

It will be held in Mayborn Convention Center in Temple from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

According to TXU representatives, their officials will be on hand to review bills.

There will also be information about assistance programs and conservation tips.

To shop around for electricity rates, go to the Public Utilities Commission.