Electric bills to rise on high-cost coal, oil and natural gas

If you like the price of gas, you’re going to love your electric bill.

Florida’s utilities may soon increase monthly fuel charges to offset the soaring costs of coal, oil and natural gas. Progress Energy could ask state regulators for an increase as early as Friday, said spokesman C.J. Drake.

“We are carefully analyzing our fuel costs,” Drake said. “We have noticed significant increases in the cost of coal and oil and purchased power, and we are trying to determine the best way to mitigate these costs for our customers.”

Drake wouldn’t say how much of an increase customers might see in their monthly bill, describing it as “significant.”

The utilities don’t profit from fuel. It’s a direct pass-through to consumers. Each year, the utilities predict their fuel costs, and the Florida Public Service Commission approves how much the utility can recover through monthly bills. In some years, utilities pay less and customers get the money back.
But that won’t happen this year, as fuel costs surge.

Last week, Florida Power & Light president Armando Olivera told the Palm Beach Post that fuel prices had pushed the utility's energy bill up by $400-million.

-Asjylyn Loder, Times Staff Writer

Comments

[frank]

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THE INFLATION RATE IS AT HISTORICAL LOWS...

HAS ANYONE THOUGHT THE REAL TERRORIST ARE THE SPECULATORS THAT CONSTANTLY PUSH PRICES UP INDEPENDENT OF ANY REAL ISSUES.motovation{GREED}

CHINA GOVERNMENT HELPS DEFRY THE COST OF PETRO.......

[John]

Thankfully we have the strongest economy on the planet. Inflation isn't that bad right? I mean we don't actually calculate gas or food or the gas that it takes to get the food in inflation. This is just another way the media to paint our economy is a bad light. It's not that bad.

[Sick N' Tired]

Dear State Regulators,

Please take pity on the poor consumer....we are already paying our own fuel costs we just can not withstand any more price increases. These companies have had record profits for years. Let the CEO et al take a cut in pay or give up their bonuses before you vote to straddle us with any more fees.

We all really need someone to take a stand for US.

[Anthony]

SO basically these big power companies are going to be hitting us on a double shot. We pay about or close to 4 a gallon in gas and now they want to double book us with gas surcharge on our electric bill. Heres and idea, burn garbage and have that power our homes.

[Anthony]

http://www.powerscorecard.org/tech_detail.cfm?resource_id=5

[Anthony]

what would it take to build a waste to energy plant somewhere in the bay area and have it sell the electric it generates to FPL, Withlacochie, and Progress Energy?

[Bob]

I know someone who works at Progress..those folks are livin large! Fitness centers, corporate jets, raises, good benefits....cant they eat it just once! Gov Crist, help the lil guy here!

[Tino]

Anthony, what company sells both gasoline and power? I'd like to invest in that!

I think you might be confused.

[Anthony]

Small typo Tino. What I'm saying is why cant we build a garbage incinerator that has turbines that spin from the steam/smoke from the garbage and sell it to to power companies. East FL has one, theres several in NY NJ and CT. In theory this should reduce or eliminate the gas surcharge the power companies are charging us.

[N.Walter]

Sounds like everyone will be moving their thermostats up a few more degrees this summer to offset the cost of utilities.

[Tino]

I know of five trash-to-energy facilities in Florida. They are located in Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Pinellas and Pasco counties.

Does anyone know of any others in Florida?

FYI, the St Pete Times did a good article on this topic on May 5, titled "Ever Wonder Where Your Garbage Ends Up?"

[Liz]

You can not be serious!

I'll bet most families are having to put groceries, gas, and now electric on credit cards. No way can the average American handle this much additional cost. What's going to happen when the debt dam breaks?

Ever try to get any service from Progress Energy? Try getting them to trim limbs, raise sagging wires,or fix ruts they make in your yard. Ah HA HA HA! Ah HA HA HA! But, see how fast they will shut of your electric if you fall behind even one month.

Progress Energy are vampires.

[Kimberly]

I bought a tiny house & keep the temperature at 80. My summer power costs less than $70 per month. 80 degrees & drinking enough water to stay hydrated gets me acclimated. So, I can bicycle & walk for transportation w/o feeling overheated.

[Eric]

Off-shore a large percentage of the jobs, government-approve rate hikes on insurance, energy, and taxes. Hold interest rates artificially low (in spite of the largest deficit in history)... simmer gently for several years while occasionally adding tiny tax rebate incentives to prevent boil-over... and in a few years your own population will be BEGGING to be socialist. Why force into action what you can eventually simply make people ASK for? Social Engineering is amazing. Of course, this is all just a myth... a story only told in books. It would never happen in real life.