BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- The summer may be officially over but many PG&E customers are just getting heated over their summer electrical bills.

Now Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez is getting ready to look into whether the PG&E SmartMeters program is to blame, as he says even customers who have cut their use are still paying higher bills.

Florez is set to hold a senate hearing on the SmartMeters, rate increases and customers bills on the night of Oct. 5th at the Board of Supervisors Chambers with the goal of the meeting to get everyone in the same room and get some questions answered.

"This is very odd to see something like this occur with such great frequency," Florez said during a news conference Thursday in his Bakersfield office.

Florez says his office phones have been ringing off the hook the last few weeks with constituents angry over higher electrical bills.

"In august of this year my bill was $735 compared to $140 last year, so that's $594 more," said PG&E customer June Hahn. "That's a lot of money, so yeah, I'm complaining."

Hahn is not alone, Jeanne Radsick says she has added insulation, new energy efficient windows and has newer appliances and yet her bill still went up.

"This year over last (it) was up $200 plus more, it doesn't make sense," Radsick said.

Trying to make sense of it all is Florez, who has invited PG&E, Southern California Edison, the California Public Utilities Commission and customers to figure out why these increases are happening.

"People don't quite understand how they've been cutting back on their usage and their bills double and sometimes triple," Florez said.

PG&E said it welcomes the hearing but that the heat and PUC rate increases could be to blame for such increases, not the SmartMeters.

"So, that led to increases in some people's bills, in some cases even if their usage dropped in July their bill could have been higher because of that higher rate," said Denny Boyles, the Kern County PG&E spokesperson. It is an answer that will more than likely lead to a lot of questions come Oct. 5th.

"Is it really going to raise it so that's it's $200 a month more?" asks Radsick. "An average consumer cannot handle that kind of a shift in today's market."

PG&E says it looks forward to working with customers on concerns over their bill and in fact there is a hotline number if you have a SmartMeters complaint. Customers can call 866-743-0263.