How much does an average FPL customer really pay?

February 22, 2011|South Florida Sun-Sentinel

We've all seen the Florida Power & Light commercial about customers having the lowest electric bill in the state.

And you may know that a "typical" FPL customer, someone who uses 1,000 kilowatt-hours a month, will have a bill of about $96.44 in March.

But average residential customers in Florida use closer to 1,200 kilowatt-hours, so how much will they really pay?

That's a question state Rep. Luis Garcia, D-Miami Beach, posed to Public Service Commission officials at a House meeting this month. He said certain fees per kilowatt-hour are higher for people who use more than the 1,000-kilowatt-hour benchmark, so the cost of an average bill would be "more telling."

Based on breakdowns from the PSC, the average FPL residential customer  who used 1,142 kilowatt-hours of power each month on average the past four years  will spend $111.74 a month starting in March.

That's nearly 16 percent higher than the cost for a "typical" customer that is typically circulated by FPL and the PSC.

Even at the higher estimate, the average FPL residential bill is still lower than that of the four other major electric utilities in the state.

FPL Spokeswoman Jackie Anderson said the company uses the 1,000 kilowatt-hour figure when discussing rates because that is an industry standard that allows for direct comparisons with other utilities. "Our median residential bill  meaning the point where half of our customers use more but half use less  is 925 kWh. So, more than half of our customers actually pay less than the typical bill we always cite," Anderson said.

FPL customers who use 1,400 kilowatt-hours of power spend $137.28 and those who use 2,800 kilowatt-hours spend $288.66.

The costs increase after the first 1,000 kilowatt-hours to encourage people to use less energy.

Updated Wednesday.

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