JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — After a summer of high bills, JEA customers may finally experience some relief – for a month, at least.
The portion of a customer’s bill accounting for JEA's cost of buying fuel, such as natural gas and coal, for its power plants has risen over the last year, causing widespread affordability issues and disconnections. The projected November rate, however, is expected to be the lowest of the last five months.
“So, the combination of cooler weather and the lower fuel costs will be a big benefit to our customers coming up as they see their bills over the next month,” Jay Stowe, JEA CEO, said during the utility’s board of directors meeting Tuesday.
For 1,000 kilowatt hours, the fuel rate for November is projected to be $41.48, almost half of the October rate of $79.03 and $83.46 of September. The base rate will stay the same.
Year-over-year cost is still higher than last year's
The cost is still higher than that of last November, which was $30.51 per 1,000 kilowatt hours.
Because JEA primarily relies on natural gas, customers have faced higher costs over the last few months due to skyrocketing market fuel costs. The “caveat” to the projected rates is that they could still change depending on outside factors, Stowe told reporters after the meeting.
The lowered cost for November came as somewhat of a surprise, and Stowe said he expected rates to see a “slight increase” over the next few months until going down again in the spring.
Because JEA primarily relies on natural gas, customers have faced higher costs over the last few months due to skyrocketing market fuel costs. The “caveat” to the projected rates is that they could still change depending on outside factors, Stowe told reporters after the meeting.
The lowered cost for November came as somewhat of a surprise, and Stowe said he expected rates to see a “slight increase” over the next few months until going down again in the spring.