Fuel costs, hot weather drive up JEA electric bills

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The cost of inflation hits everyone, from groceries to gas. JEA is no exception.

“The fuel charges are impacting everybody,” said Matt Schellenberg, a former council member and liaison to JEA. “(Electric bills) have gone up substantially in my opinion. Mine normally is around $300. It ended at $550 the other day.”

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Part of the increase comes from fuel costs. In December 2021, JEA began charging for fuel monthly instead of annually to reflect real-time prices.

“This provides more transparency for customers and flexibility for JEA to adjust as fuel prices continue to fluctuate,” a representative said in a statement.

The utility expects natural gas prices to remain the same through 2023.

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An Action News Jax employee’s fuel charge more than doubled from May to June. The May reading was about $59. The June cost was about $126. The total bill was $360. However, JEA said it’s not the only reason for the spike.

“It’s mostly weather impacted. Right now we are seeing record temperatures,” said John Funches, manager of Conservation & Efficiency Field Services.

Last week, JEA almost hit peak load after record-breaking heat. The last time they hit peak load was August 2007. The utility provides free in-home assessments to help customers conserve energy and reduce water use to lower bills. Customers can schedule an assessment by calling 904-665-6000.

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They also recommend setting the thermostat to 78 degrees in the summer and five degrees higher when leaving the house, change the HVAC system filter every month, and run a fan instead of air conditioning. Lowering shades to avoid direct sunlight also helps keep rooms cooler, a JEA representative said.

A JEA representative said fuel costs were estimated at $571 million for the 2021-22 fiscal year. Next year’s projected costs are $672 million, a 17% increase. However, because of $41 million JEA has in a fuel rate stabilization fund, the increase is going to be just more than 9% which would be spread across all customers.

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