Earlier this month, Atlantic City Electric (ACE) customers received paper bills with “inaccurate charges and balance information” due to a printing error by a third-party billing vendor.
ACE said approximately 20,000 customers — about 3.5% of the total customer base, according to the Cape May County Herald — were affected with bills that were thousands of dollars higher than usual.
Customers turned to social media to share photos of their bills, ranging from $2,000 to $30,000.
“This issue was limited to certain mailed bills only. Customer online accounts, including My Account, reflected accurate billing and account information, and automatic payments were not affected,” the utility company said in a statement to Shore Local. “We moved quickly to address the issue. Corrected bills have been mailed to all impacted customers, and we conducted direct outreach through email, phone calls and website updates to ensure customers had accurate information.”
The billing issue comes amid ongoing concerns from South Jersey residents about rising electric costs in recent months.
On Jan. 20, during her inaugural speech, Mikie Sherrill signed two executive orders aimed at addressing rising utility costs statewide.
Executive Order No. 1 delivered immediate ratepayer relief and froze planned rate hikes for New Jersey families. Executive Order No. 2 focused on expanding in-state power generation through solar and battery storage in the short term and nuclear power development in the long term in an effort to lower electric bills.
In early March, ACE announced the “Exelon Promise,” an initiative that reinforced its commitment to addressing rising energy prices through its parent company, Exelon.
The program is described as “a comprehensive, customer-first strategy focused on delivering immediate customer relief, strong protections amid growing demand, and long-term solutions to address the root causes driving higher costs.”
Energy supply prices are rising nationwide due to a combination of growing electricity demand, limited supply and broader market dynamics, the company said. Utilities do not set supply prices, which are determined in regional energy markets.
Atlantic City Electric Region President Andrew Hendry said about half of a typical residential electric bill reflects the cost of generating power at plants, with those prices set through the regional PJM Interconnection electricity market, which serves 13 states.
Hendry said rising electricity demand combined with limited generation supply has pushed prices higher in recent years, resulting in an average 20% increase in customer bills last year.
He said growing demand from sources such as data centers has contributed to the imbalance, while the portion of the bill ACE directly manages — known as the distribution or delivery charge — makes up about one-third of the typical bill and covers infrastructure such as poles, wires, transformers and line crews needed to deliver electricity to homes and businesses.
Among the measures included in the Exelon Promise initiative is a $4.5 million Customer Relief Fund along with flexible payment options, energy efficiency programs and connections to assistance programs such as the Universal Service Fund and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
The company said that in 2025 it helped more than 35,000 customers secure over $54.4 million in energy assistance, including more than $6.2 million in LIHEAP funding. More than $2.7 million from the Customer Relief Fund has already been pledged to assist nearly 6,000 South Jersey customers, with just over $1 million still available.
As for the recent printing error, ACE said it is reviewing its billing procedures with the third-party vendor responsible in order to help prevent similar incidents in the future.
“We understand how important billing accuracy is and are reviewing our processes with our vendor to help prevent this from happening again,” the utility said. “Customers can continue to view their current and accurate bill online at AtlanticCityElectric.com or contact Customer Service at 800-642-3780 with any questions.”
