FPL goes to bat today for 30% rate increase

Bradenton Herald ^ | 24 August 2009 | MARY ELLEN KLAS

[NautiNurse]

This article is chock full of political influences involved in the rate hike tug-of-war.

[mewzilla]

It’s called bribery in my neck of the woods.

[Leisler]

Like anything else you are ‘tied’ to, like the government, or soon socialized medicine, you have to pay for people that don’t.

Something like one in eight FPL residential home owners are not, or are behind in their bills by three months. Further something like one in five business are behind.

It doesn’t matter if FPL cuts them off. The overhead of plants, maintenance, repair, administration has to be distributed to the remaining customers, which means you.

Isn’t collectivism grand?

[Joe Boucher]

F.P.L.like most monopolies will get their money one way or another.
This isn’t a true business, you know risk reward, it is socialism and b.s.

[Ramcat]

Allegheny Power in PA is also raising rates. Funny thing is they're running ads on the radio claiming that your appliances and light bulbs are STEALING your money.
Takes one to know one.

[capt. norm]

Florida Power & Light Co. is constructing and heavily investing in wind farms.....in IOWA!

Looks like they want Floridians to pay for those investments for them.

[OpusatFR]

How much is a kw hour in Florida?

[NautiNurse]

And FPL will likely be blessed with ~14.5% rate increase.

[mewzilla]

If I may, because I was curious as well....

FPL Residential Rate Schedule

Dated 2006. Gives you an idea, anyway.

[autumnraine]

Maybe if they hadn’t donated so much to political candidates, they wouldn’t need a rate hike increase.

[NautiNurse]

How much is a kw hour in Florida?

Customer charge: $5.33 per month

Fuel:

(First 1000 kWh at $0.053510)
(Over 1000 kWh at $0.063510)

Non-fuel:

(First 1000 kWh at $0.045110)
(Over 1000 kWh at $0.055420)

[mewzilla]

And from NYS....

Libous rails against utility tax increase

[mewzilla]

BTW, we’re paying about $0.13/kwh with NYSEG.

[NTHockey]

>>the AARP, which says it can’t afford to hire a lawyer this time to speak on behalf of the utility’s customers.<<

But they have plenty of money to push DeathCare.

Miserable slugs, preying on the elderly. If Dante were alive today, The Inferno would have several additional rings, just for politicians and those who take advantage of others.

[mewzilla]

I wonder if the utility is counting on a lot of your NYS transplants still thinking it’s a bargain even with the rate hike?

[NautiNurse]

Can't forget the additional monthly charges:

Storm charge
Gross receipts tax
Franchise charge
Utility tax

[NautiNurse]

Nice find. Thanks.

[piperpilot]

And FPL will likely be blessed with ~14.5% rate increase.

That's child's play compared to the 75% rate hike that customers of Baltimore Gas & Electric got two years ago, with more hikes coming this year. In some cases, customers' electric bills are higher than their mortgage payments.

[Darth Reardon]

How much is a kw hour in Florida?

Depends. Not all of us use FPL, though from what NN posted I'm beginning to wish I did. I'm paying 11.7c/kWh, though I do get about $20/mon off because I allow them to disable power to my AC and pool pump during peak times.

I'm considering a new program they have where rates will be 8.0, 10.5, 22.2 or 69.7 depending on period. I've got some questions about it though, like if they have a way for me to disable power to my water heater and pool pump during the higher two periods (which change depending on season and weekends, altering the schedule will have to be THEIR problem, not mine).

[ErnBatavia]

I just dug out our bill, since I wrote the check just last night.....here in the California desert:
Consumption - $0.0784/KWH
then we top it off the “Energy Cost Adjustment”, which takes care of the utility’s screwup by locking in fuel at the wrong time:
$0.0501/KWH