JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville saw its warmest July on record at the international airport since 1956, which means many utility bills have increased.
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According to JEA, the average bill using 1,000 kilowatt hours went up 24% from June to July of this year, which is about $34. A typical July electric bill could be about $192 compared to $158 in June.
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“it shot up. Maybe 50, 60 dollars more,” Debbie Lawhon, a JEA customer, said. “I was shocked.”
A representative for the utility said that’s largely in part because air conditioning consumes 60% of all the electricity customers use.
“It’s going to be running and it’s going to be cycling,” Brian Pippin, the director of customer experience, insights & solutions for JEA, said.
JEA recommended keeping your thermostat at 78 degrees and increasing it 5 degrees when leaving your house for three or more hours.
Read: Jacksonville cooling centers open amid high temperatures: Confusion over locations on Sunday
“It’s hard for most people to handle 78 degrees even with fans,” Pippin said. “But 78 is our optimal recommendation.”
He said customers should never turn their AC off when leaving the house, which can lead to higher humidity and damage inside.
He added that every degree lower on your thermostat can add at least 5% to your bill. He said most air conditioning units will only cool the inside of your home to 20 degrees lower than the outside temp.
In the past week, the utility’s daily loads peaked at 2,869 megawatts last Tuesday when it hit 99 degrees outside. That’s nearly the all-time summer high of 2,937 MW, which was set back in August of 2007.
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A JEA representative said fuel rates this summer are cheaper by about $30, which is helping offset some expenses customers may have seen this time last year.
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