This Woman Received a $284 Billion Electric Bill -- Yes, Really

An Eerie, Pennsylvania resident recently got a holiday surprise from hell — an electric bill for $284,460,000,000. For real.

“My eyes just about popped out of my head,” Horomanski, 58, told The Erie Times-News. “We had put up Christmas lights and I wondered if we had put them up wrong.”

According to Horomanski’s online statement from her electricity provider, Penelec, she had until November 2018 to pay off her multi-billion dollar bill. Her December payment? An easy $28,156.

After talking with her son, who then called Penelec, Horomanski was finally able to put her mind at ease. Penelec representatives confirmed that it was some sort of error with the decimal placement — but still, it’s a pretty jarring thing to see, mistake or not.

The error was eventually corrected to reflect Horomanski’s actual amount owed: $284.46. That’s quite a leap from the $284 billion she was originally billed for, thankfully.

To break down how wild this bill is, here’s some context :Portugal’s national debt is about $264 billion USD. Greece’s national debt is roughly $379 billion USD. That would put Horomanski’s fake bill squarely between two entire countries.

While the whole situation worked itself out, Horomanski seems a little shaken, and rightfully so. She told her son that she “wants a heart monitor” next year for Christmas.

Nothing says holiday cheer quite like a harrowing bill for over $280 billion, right? Be sure to check all your bills once, then twice, then a third time, just to be safe.