A Facebook Page operated by four women has sparked an audit into the state’s largest electric utility. In January, CMP Ratepayers Unite was created by Kristy Lee Pottle of Belfast after her family received a larger than expected bill. Pottle began posting her experiences with CMP on billing questions and customer service following unexplained spikes.

Pottle along with Nancy Sosman of Frankfort, Jennifer Marston Hicks of South Portland, and Patti Kelley-Clarke of Camden turned the unknown Facebook page into an educational tool. It has helped CMP customers establish a voice to protest their concerns. This effort led by CMP Ratepayers Unite resulted in over 1,000 complaints to Maine’s Public Utilities Commission.

Pottle’s creation began in January, and three weeks later had over 1,000 members. It now has 2,462. The page went from sharing people’s stories regarding high electrical bills to posting a “To-D0” list for contacting CMP, PUC and local legislators. And it wasn’t long before CMP Ratepayers Unite made an impression.

The commission received over 1,000 complaints about CMP consumers’ light bills. On Feb. 20, the commission announced a summary investigation into  consumer complaints. The investigation lasted three weeks and failed to determine a cause for the unexpected spikes. On March 22, the three-person PUC board determined a more extensive investigation was necessary, and called for a management audit.

“Commissioners who reviewed the summary investigation didn’t discover why consumers’ bills had risen. So a request for information was called for,” said PUC spokesman Harry Lanphear.

The PUC ordered a management audit which Lanphear described a “forensic examination” of CMP’s new billing system, metering, and customer communications. PUC officials expect the process may take several months. The commission is hiring a consultant to examine CMP’s procedures. And it may be another three to four months before consumers know why their bills spiked.

That is fine with Sosman. “That was our goal all along: a more in depth investigation,” she said. “It took a lot of phone calls, and they (PUC) were compelled by the number of complaints and press coverage into ordering the audit.”

This is not the first time Sosman has had problems with CMP. In 2015, she began experiencing headaches soon after CMP replaced her analog meter with a smart meter. She read reports about other customers blaming headaches on smart meters and requested to change back to an analog meter. Sosman reported the headaches ended shortly after the change.

In January, she began experiencing a different kind of headache, one caused by a larger than expected electric bill.  Then she became aware of other CMP customers in the midcoast area experiencing higher electric bills. Later, she discovered Pottle’s Facebook page: CMP Ratepayers Unite.

“There are four of us at the helm. Jennifer Marson Hicks took screen shots of her bill being charged during blackouts. Kristy Lee Pottle started the page and has been responsible for updating it. And Patti Kelley Clarke was the first one interviewed by the media.  So we’ve all had a hand in  it,” Sosman said.

The page has been instrumental in providing customers with the resources and information necessary to apply pressure to the PUC and CMP to take a closer look into complaints. On March 20, CMP announced it would launch its own audit of its systems to ascertain any potential problems. “We take these complaints seriously, and are taking steps to address each and every one. Many of our customers live on tight budgets and sudden increases put a significant strain on people’s lives,” wrote CMP Chief Executive Officer Doug Herlig in a press release.

Sosman believes Herlig’s response is different than it was in January. Sosman recalled CMP’s initial response to consumer complaints resulted in blanket statements about a record cold snap in December and January and old, inefficient appliances.

“They never hinted at the problem being at their end. They blamed everything on us (consumers). Early on, anyone who complained was in a circle,” she said. “CMP referred you to the PUC, and the PUC referred you back to CMP. But we found out how the system worked and posted it on the page. We’re not hearing it’s the weather, an old appliance or a space heater, anymore.”

Maine has a dozen power utilities. The two largest are privately owned. CMP has 620,000 customers and Emera Maine has an estimated 180,000.The remaining 10 are much smaller and are publicly owned, according to the MPUC.

“We receive complaints about all utilities. I think the focus on CMP is due to its being by far the largest,” Lanphear said.

So far, all the complaints to the PUC have centered around usage, not meters. The PUC and CMP officials report all recent tests showed meters are working properly.