With natural gas costing more than expected, Florida Power & Light customers will see increases in their monthly bills starting in May. FPL serves almost all electricity customers in Flagler County.
The state Public Service Commission on Thursday approved a request by FPL to collect $302.5 million from customers to cover additional costs of fuel for power plants. Also Thursday, the commission approved a pilot program that will involve Tampa Electric Co. installing about 200 charging ports for electric vehicles.
Fuel costs make up a major part of customers’ monthly bills, and utilities are supposed to pass through those costs without profiting. Each fall, the commission approves estimated fuel costs. But utilities can return to the commission to seek increases in customer bills if fuel costs are substantially higher than projected.
FPL made a filing in February asking to collect the additional money, pointing to increases in “natural gas prices and a rise in the natural gas forward curve exacerbated by cold weather events.”
Under the plan approved by the commission, FPL customers who use 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a month will see their bills increase from the current $99.05 a month to $103.02 in May. The additional charges will continue through December.
The utility industry uses 1,000 kilowatt-hour residential bills as a benchmark, but electricity consumption varies widely among customers.
Duke Energy Florida made a filing last week at the Public Service Commission that said its fuel costs surged early in the year but that natural gas prices subsequently went down. As a result, it said it would not seek an increase in the amount it collects from customers.
Duke pointed to a “short-term increase driven by increased demand during the winter months coupled with a short-term decrease in supply resulting from the winter storm that impacted Texas and the (Midwest) in February. In the aftermath of that unprecedented event, natural gas prices have decreased.”
The commission’s approval of the Tampa Electric vehicle-charging pilot program came as the state, utilities and other companies try to prepare for increased use of electric cars and trucks in the coming years.
Under the four-year program, Tampa Electric will install about 200 charging ports at places such as businesses, multi-family housing communities and government buildings. The commission approved the utility spending $2 million on costs such as installation and another $100,000 a year for operations.
“Electric vehicle use in Florida is on the rise, and approval of these additional charging stations will help Florida keep pace with this growing industry,” Commission member Andrew Fay said in a statement after the approval.
But commission Chairman Gary Clark dissented, expressing concerns about Tampa Electric customers who wouldn’t participate in the program being forced to pick up part of the cost.
“I just think that we really need to look at how, even in a pilot program, how we are spreading costs around,” Clark said.
–News Service of Florida
Reader Interactions
Comments
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
MikeM says
The price of everything rises sooner or later. I guess I’ll just have to cut my lottery ticket purchases or look for spare change in the sofa cushions. $48 is a drop in the bucket. I’m over it already.
Carol L Pagliuca says
Thank you Mr. President
Combat Vet says
Just the beginning of price increases across the board. Wait until the full impact of the Biden energy policy descends upon us!
R. S. says
As though Fukushima never has happened, FPL still uses five nuclear reactors to produce energy. That means that the environment is being “enriched” with tritium daily. While tritium does occur in small amounts naturally, the added radiation may yet have an impact on surrounding residencies. With sun aplenty, with wind and tides, Florida would not need dangerous or polluting sources of energy. I might also mention that the nuclear waste appears to be transported across the country to Yucca Mountain in Shoshone territory to be dumped. If we were to make a solid commitment to renewables, I’d gladly chip in; however, this company seems to be interested in simple rip-offs. A building code, for example, that specified that every house being built newly would require solar panels and an inverter, would go a long way to producing energy plentifully.
Sunny Side UP says
Higher fuel costs my ass. Fuel costs aren’t much higher than they were several years ago, and they’ve been installing solar farms all over the state. This is just a money grab to try and offset those solar investments.
By the end of this decade 25% of Florida homes will be 100% solar powered. Mark my words.
Agkistrodon says
What we really need is to all do like the Amish. No electricity except for purpose of work only. Horse and buggy instead of autos.. And bath time goes like this. The oldest to the youngest, all reuse the same water, that should slow global climate change eh?…….
…….
Pogo says
@Keep electing Republican party criminals
and they’ll do for floriduh what they’ve done for texass.
Or turn the channel away from Fox and AM hate radio – and THINK!
https://www.google.com/search?d&q=Centralized+vs+decentralized+energy+systems&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjOpKeO_ODvAhWKmeAKHUl9DxsQ1QIwFnoECCYQAQ&biw=1920&bih=954
TR says
Thank you Mr. Walter (I mean Biden) I agree it’s all a money grab and will get worse. Democratic back stabbing at it’s best.
starryid says
Thank you President Trump! It was great while it lasted!
Fanny says
Well, I never turned my A/C on last year which saved me quite a bit of monthly expenses. It surprising how quickly you can get use to house temperature around 85 when you have fans blowing to circulate the air. Now I get cold if the temperature goes lower then 80 in my house…… Now if I can only get use to using less water I can save on the water bills. Those bills are triple what my electric bill is ever month.
Mythoughts says
Electric bills rising, grocery prices rising, insurance prices rising, property taxes rising, but no one pay is rising. Even though the people in Florida voted for $15.00 per hour minimum wage Governor DeSantis has yet to live up to what the people voted for. But you get bet one thing he is going to want you to vote for him in 2022. NOT.
Sad Times says
It’s a bunch of BS…fuel prices are not, nor will be…not that much higher.
The top .1% of the rich (those Billionaires) are going to make up for their increased taxes….via us consumers. They won’t be satisfied….they are not willing to help our country. They care only for themselves.
Remember that at the voting booth, voters. Try to vote for someone who cares about you and our country. Vote out the SOBs who care only for themselves.
Voters….stop being stupid! Open your eyes. Vote for people who want to make your life better!
Sayitaintso says
Wrong. One day you will be oil and it’ll be dirty, ugly energy. It’s time to replace it with renewable sources. You believe FPL? Well, I have the real results from the 2020 election for sale, you can have them for your future weight in oil. I’d say I’d wait but I may be a bit crude myself by the time you figure it out.
Wow says
Well we have to maintain that profit margin, right? The CEOs deserve bigger and better yachts. Florida power companies should be owned by the public.
Darlene D says
I ran into Comm. Mullins at Twist. He told me that he has big plans for the County. He said he saw a car that runs on water on the internet and that he was trying to get funding from Washington DC to develop a power plant based on the same concept so we can lower our bills. He is such a good man. God bless him.