Struggling with high electric bills? There's help

It's getting hot, and electric bills are on a sizzling rise as utility customers turn down the thermostat. To top it off, the state's utilities are looking to increase rates for fuel and other services.

If you're struggling to pay your electric bill, you maybe able to get help. The Florida Public Service Commission on Thursday highlighted some of the assistance programs. Times columnist Ivan Penn details more information on how to get help.

Read about rate increases sought by Tampa Electric and Peoples Gas.

Read about fuel rate increases sought by Progress Energy Florida.

Different utilities have different programs available. Read on for more information...

Customers can call the PSC at 800-342-3552 for information. The PSC detailed the programs that can help:

• The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is a federal, statewide program to provide home energy assistance. LIHEAP assists households that have incomes below 150% of the federal poverty level and need assistance to pay their power bills.
• Florida Power and Light’s program is called Care to Share.  The program provides emergency assistance funds to customers who are in a crisis situation and unable to pay their electric bill.  The funds are disbursed through local non-profit organizations.
• Progress Energy Florida provides assistance through the Energy Neighbor Fund. The monies collected are distributed to needy customers through local aid agencies.
• Tampa Electric Company offers a 62+ Plan. TECO’s program helps customers who are 62 years-of-age or older work out payment options.
• Gulf Power provides emergency assistance to customers who need help with energy bills, repairs to heating and air-conditioning equipment, and other energy-related needs.  The programs assist the elderly, the disabled, the sick, and others who are experiencing financial hardship.
• Florida Public Utilities Company will, on a case-by-case basis, offer extended payment options.  The company also refers customers to agencies that provide assistance.

-Asjylyn Loder, Times Staff Writer

[Photo: Bill Serne | Times]

Comments

[mike]

Here's some more help, turn the thermostat up! you can live at 83, I do!

[Isaac]

Wow Mike, you're quite the martyr.

[paul]

Mike has a point. I can't believe the people moaning about their $300+ power bills when they leave their AC set to 72 all day every day.

[Scott]

I live in a 1000sq ft house and my monthly power bill rarely goes over $100 a month. Why? A conservation mindset. I turn the A/C off when I leave for work. I turn lights off when I'm not int he room. i turn the computer off when I'm done. Charge my cell phone with a car charger. Don't leave the door open when i go to the mailbox...the list goes on. So many people waste and wonder.

[Danny]

I live in a 3 bedroom apartment. My last electric bill was only $104 and thats with the air set on 76. Turning your air off and then turning it back later will only make the air work harder because its hot in the house. So you should leave the temp set the same at all times. In the winter, my heat is rarely ever on. Even at night. Because of this, my bill is roughly 50 bucks a month. Good times. You wont die being too cold, but you could die if your home isnt cool enough. 83 is a bit too high Mike.

[E.G.G]

I agree with scott. When my sister lived in the house I own now, she paid $140.00+ a month in electricity. Since I've moved in, I replaced all my light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs, My A/C is never lower than 77-79, Always off if I'm not home. And now my bill is always under $100.00 ($94.00 has been my maximum). So anyone can do it if they put their minds to it.

[Tino]

Those in Tampa can get a time-of-day meter with electric prices that are 50% off of the standard rates. The peak rates are usually during the day when I'm not home anyway.

I have a 1600 sq ft home and I keep it at 72-75 when I'm at home. My bill hasn't broken $100 yet.

[Houston]

Danny,

It would take a long time to die from a temperature of 83. Who are you to suggest what the ideal environment might be for another person? Help me to understand how, when Mike leaves the air on for 10 - 12 hours a day he would save money? Increased wear on the motor or compressor? How does the air work "harder" with a briefly increased temperature differential versus running 24 hours a day? This sounds like misinformation.

[Houston]

Danny,

It would take a long time to die from a temperature of 83. Who are you to suggest what the ideal environment might be for another person? Help me to understand how, when Mike leaves the air on for 10 - 12 hours a day he would save money? Increased wear on the motor or compressor? How does the air work "harder" with a briefly increased temperature differential versus running 24 hours a day? If this were true the motor should run all the time rather than cycling. This sounds like misinformation.

[Jenni]

Houston and others,

Danny has a point. It has been proven through MANY studies. If you get a timed termostat you can keep your house at your desired temperature. Turning it on and of IS infact bad for it.

Secondly, all of you obviously do not have children or pets. In my case both my son and one of my cats have asthma. Not only that but I live on the second floor (top floor) in a condo. Let me tell you all that a)it gets WAY HOTTER than a mere 83 degrees when I turn my air off for a day and b) I have an older air system. I am a single mom and cannot afford to replace it. The system has a HUGE effect on any electricity bill.

[sfnk]

Whaa Whaa Whaa Its the choices in life that puts us where we are. If you can/t afford it , DO WITHOUT. Don't beg others to bail you out.

[Kim]

I live alone in a 2600 sq ft home I close off the vents to the room I do not use. I do not work so I am home most days a/c 78 degrees and I keep a fan on at night. My bill is never more than $115 during the summer. When my husband was alive it was $300 plus he worked for the power company he did not mind paying them.... I refuse too.

I want to know why the consumer is the only one footing the bill for Bush's crazy energy policies!

My trash bill is up, my power bill is going up, my lawn guy wants a "gas fee," of course the price at the pump is crazy. What's next? All of the businesses are passing their costs off to the consumer.

[Kimberly]

I lived and worked in Haiti for eight years. There was no a/c.

Since Haiti had enough fuel to run electricity for only a few hours a day, you filled your 5-gallon buckets with water when electricity was on so you'd have water when the electricity was off. That was in the major cities.

Outside major cities, there was no electricity at all. People or their donkeys carried water in buckets from community wells and springs.

When in or outside the city, stoves and refrigerators ran off propane tanks.

It's possible to live without a lot of things.

Your body aclimates to the heat and humidity. Drink sufficient water to prevent dehydration. Wear a wide-brimmed straw hat or carry an umbrella to keep the sun off your head. Dress in a single layer, no suits or pantyhose.

Take a cool bath or shower to cool down and wash off the sticky sweat just before going to bed so you can sleep easily. If you don't have a kerosene lamp, go to bed when the sun goes down.

There are a lot of other people in a lot of other countries near the equator that have this same situation.

Yes, I'm an American born in the USA. If I can do it, so can you.

[Kimberly]

I no longer need to spend gas mowing my yard.

Last summer, a semi-retired landscaper from the Florida Native Plant Society and I worked to turn my whole front yard into a giant bird and butterfly habitat.

Also, I had a well installed to get inexpensive water and micro-irrigation installed to conserve water. The well pump doesn't cost much electricity.

The yard used to be a huge 45' x 55' neighborhood kitty litter box with plenty of sand and dried grass.

Now, the grass is gone. It's covered with mulch, flowers, grasses, bushes, and trees. There are about 50 native plants and plenty of birds, butterflies, and friendly bugs enjoying my yard. And I'm enjoying watching them.

Conserving water, electricity, and gas can be very enjoyable.

[melody smotherman]

i live in a 500 square feet apartment and have a teco bill of 300.oo every mouth i cant afford it becase i only make 510.00 every 2 weeks and then i have rent, theres also faulty wiering in my apartment and the land lord hven;t fix it yet so every mouth i have to come out of my pocket, that leve me with no food cant wash my cloths and no money for the bus

[Kimberly]

Melody,

You didn't say what city and state you live in. That could give us a clue about giving you suggestions.

Go to www.211.org to put in your zip code and see if there are any non-profit organizations that can help you figure out a budget, what you can do to reduce your electricity, etc.

If you live in St. Petersburg, FL, check out the St. Petersburg Free Clinic (SPFC). Their address is in the phone book. The SPFC accepts donated bicycles and gives them to needy people for transportation.

Bicycling is how I got to work, shopping, and everything else while I was putting myself through college and surviving minimum wage.

I lived on minimum wage for 19 years and had to be 100% self-supporting. So, I could tell you all kinds of ways to survive.

I finally got a better job. But now, I've got to save for the future and want to have money to donate to non-profits. So, I have figured a way to cut my expenses down to $1,000.00 per month and use the rest of the money for investments and donating to help other people.