"We have noted recent concerns about out-of-state board leadership at ERCOT", wrote Talberg, Cramton, Bulger and Hepper in a resignation letter released by the Public Utility Commission of Texas. "When they're getting these exorbitant electricity bills and they're having to pay for their homes, fix their homes, they should not have to bear the responsibility".

'Texans who have suffered through days of freezing cold without power should not be subjected to skyrocketing energy bills, ' Abbott told reporters on Sunday in San Antonio.

Stop right there: an order from the Public Utility Commission to put the brakes on outrageous power bills after the winter storm.

In a news release, the company says it is facing a loss of US$250 million (about C$315 million) due to high electricity prices during the unusually cold weather from February 13 to 19.

The company says it has delayed financial reports expected last week for the periods ending December 31 until late this week, so it can better review and understand the impact of the Texas event.

A Texas man has been whacked with an eye-watering $16,752 (£11,951) electricity bill after the state was hit with severe weather conditions which took out huge swathes of the power grid.

U.S. senator Ted Cruz, who was forced to cut short a family holiday to Mexico after public outrage, also distanced himself from the free-market system he had previously praised.

'This is WRONG, ' Cruz wrote on Twitter.

But despite their efforts to keep usage low, Texans are telling media outlets that they've received staggering bills from their energy companies, confirming fears that the power crisis would prompt a wave of predatory price gouging as corporations attempt to push costs onto vulnerable customers.

Looking at the circumstances, US President Joe Biden declared a major disaster declaration for 77 of the hardest-hit counties of the state of Texas.

All power plants were back online this weekend and power had been restored to most homes as the weather returned to normal.

Last week, Texas state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed outrage over the revelation that five of the fifteen people serving on ERCOT's board do not live in the state, and therefore did not experience the power failures that left millions of Texans without heat or water.

Houston officials said the city's water was safe to use without boiling as of Sunday.

Scott Willoughby, who joined "America's Newsroom" Tuesday to discuss the issue, explained that there is no cap on Texas' unregulated power grids which surged average household electricity costs from 8 to 10 cents per kilowatt-hour to $900 per kilowatt-hour.

Texas is also bringing in plumbers from out of state to help fix burst pipes, the governor said on Sunday. Homeowners or renters who do not have insurance may be able to seek reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), he said. Greg Abbott met with state leaders to address spikes in energy prices as the state deals with a winter storm that cut power to millions of Texans.