The mayor of Houston has called for the state of Texas to pay the, in some cases , astronomical electricity bills racked up by residents in last week’s freezing weather.
Some residents are to pay bills in excess of $16,000 (£11,500) for a few days of usage.
According to reports, temperatures plummeted to 30-year lows, hitting 0F (-18C).
Much of Texas, which normally enjoys milder winter weather, was blanketed in snow.
The unusually cold weather across several southern US states claimed at least 70 lives.
Texas is recovering from the freezing temperatures, but many residents still have to boil water due to fears of contamination caused by low mains pressure.
According to poweroutage, millions of Texans suffered power outages. Electricity supplies have largely been restored in the state, but just under 30,000 customers were still without power on Sunday afternoon.
Texas has a deregulated energy market allowing consumers to chose between a number of suppliers. Most are on fixed-rate payment plans, but as temperatures plummeted many on variable-rate tariffs were faced with soaring costs.
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