TEXAS OFFICIALS PROBE OUTRAGEOUSLY HIGH ELECTRICITY BILLS

Dallas resident DeAndre Upshaw said it was "very shocking" when he opened his latest electricity bill. "While I'm trying to get gas and groceries and make sure that my pipes don't explode, the last thing I'm thinking about is a $7,000 bill from my utility company," Upshaw told CNN's Fredricka Whitfield via Skype.

Konstantin Toropin and Shannon Liao of CNN Business noted the unprecedented price hikes in the energy bills came as Texas was hit by a snow storm and massive blackouts gripped the state.

Texas' utility regulator, Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), said Saturday that it is investigating "the factors that combined with the devastating winter weather to disrupt the flow of power to millions of Texas homes."

It's also giving customers a way to use an emergency provider in the event their current provider is not available, but it's likely that this program doesn't apply to people who voluntarily changed their electricity company.

CNN reached out to PUCT for clarification but did not immediately hear back.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is convening an emergency meeting to look into the situation, he said in a statement.

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