What Can Be Done about the Higher Power Bills?

There has been much consternation about higher power bills over the last several weeks.  I've spoken to members of our legislative delegation about it, and I have reached out to the folks I know at Florida Power and Light as well.   Althought this has nothing whatsoever to do with the County---and we have ZERO control over these rates---I have received a number of contacts from constituents asking for help.  The response from Mr. Rick Byars at FPL was comprehensive and included some attachements with resources and information that can assist customers, so I am attaching that here, below, in case it can be helpful for folks that see it on my blog.

from the email:

"Good morning Commissioner Bergosh,

 Thank you for speaking to me this week.  Again, we know you may be getting questions from your residents / constituents about higher than expected power bills, and I wanted to provide some information and resources that may be helpful.

 There are several things impacting our customers’ bills right now, all at once:

•             Higher costs for the fuel used to generate electricity, just as we’ve seen in gas prices and other products;

•             Colder winter temperatures, which causes customers to use more energy and therefore leads to higher bills;

•             The tiered pricing structure, which charges a lower rate for energy consumption up to 1,000-kWh and a higher rate for energy use over that amount; and

•             The state-approved rate increase, which also took effect in January.

 We understand that higher bills can be a difficult situation for our customers. We want our customers to know we’re here to help and are doing everything we can.

•             First and foremost, if you’ve received a higher than expected bill and are facing financial hardship or need additional time to pay, please reach out to us. We can see if you qualify for a payment extension, an installment plan and connect you with programs that provide assistance.

•             We are also encouraging our customers to use the FPL app to track your daily energy use so you can make energy use changes throughout the month to minimize the impact of the new rates.

•             There are also other tools and tips available on our website to provide additional energy savings information, including the option for a free online analysis of your energy use and even an audit with an energy expert.

•             All of these tips and tools to monitor and manage your energy usage is especially important when we are facing severe cold temperatures, as we’ve seen lately – your heater is often the largest user of energy by far in your home when it’s cold outside, so anything that you can do to lower your usage can help.

 FPL acquired Gulf Power because the company saw the potential to bring lower rates to the area, which has historically seen significantly higher rates than other FPL customers. We are focused on bringing our Northwest Florida customers into alignment with those lower bills, but it can’t happen overnight. This is a journey to lower rates that will take some time, but if fuel prices remain the same, bills for our customers in Northwest Florida will continue to decline each year moving forward until they are fully aligned with FPL customers across the state – which we expect to be Jan. 1, 2027.

 Please find attached some additional resources that you can use to answer questions or provide additional information to anyone reaching out to you. As always, please let me know if I can be of any further assistance.

 Rick Byars

Senior External Affairs Manager"

See resource information provided in the email, below: