BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB)– Gulf power is now officially FPL or or Florida Power and Light.
Their website and app were temporarily down the last few days while they made the transition, but it’s all up and running as of Jan. 3.
To access your account, customers must now go to FPL.com and are encouraged to download the free
FPL app.
That’s just among a few of the changes customers can expect moving forward. Rates will be increasing, and FPL explained this is in part due to the rising rate of fuel and natural gas that is needed to supply their power plants.
There is also an increase in the base rate, so for the typical single family bill, customers can expect to see as much as a $15 increase.
FPL spokesperson, Sarah Gatewood said while there’s an increase this year, customers can expect to see a decrease in the rates in years to come with the new agreement put in place by FPL.
Gatewood also said there is a new rate structure that rewards users for conserving energy by using less than the baseline, 1000 kilowatts of energy, in their everyday lives.
“In that new rate structure. for energy that you use that is less than 1000 kilowatts, and 1000 kilowatts is the baseline for what we call a typical residential bill, so everything under a 1000 kilowatts you pay a lower amount, and then everything over a 1000 kilowatts, you pay a higher amount,” Gatewood said.
Gatewood said the biggest impact of energy usage relates to weather, so she recommends for cold weather days to keep the house at 68 degrees and do not constantly increase the temperature.
Also, she said to open up the blinds in your house and allow more sunlight in to heat your home.
The same can be said in summer months, it’s recommended you close your blinds to keep cool air within your home.
Another new policy is there is a late payment charge for customers, which was never in place before.
It is either $5 or 1.5% of your entire bill, and customers will be charged the greater amount of those two scenarios.
Gatewood said despite the new name and changes the company is still committed to serving their customers, so in the event you can not afford your bill you’re encouraged to reach out to FPL so they can assist you.
Statewide, FPL has been met with some criticism from residents. The group, “Floridians Against Increased Rates” filed a notice last week that it is appealing a decision by the state Public Service Commission to approve a settlement that will lead to the FPL rate increases. The group plans to take their fight to the Florida Supreme Court.
