LEE COUNTY, Fla. — The cost of your electricity is changing again in Lee County. Karen Ryan is the public relations director with the Lee County Electric Cooperative. She says there are many variables at hand in regard to electricity, and its fluctuating costs.
"When temperatures are high, your air conditioner is working extra hard that uses more electricity. So if you put high temperatures with high fuel prices, it can cause quite an increase to your bill," Ryan said.
That's been the case for some time now in Southwest Florida. One year ago, in the summer of 2022, people were paying more, at times even double what they're paying now, each month for power.
"I understand a lot of people are upset because they had the increase over the course of the year," LCEC customer Nicole DiZio said.
She is one Cape Coral homeowner who has seen her power statement drop in June, still reflected this July.
"The last bill that just came in, we used a little over 2600 kw, and for us that was a saving of over $40," DiZio said.
The price drop is due to the cost of natural gas leveling off. It's difficult to know when power cost adjustments will go up or down because of environmental changes, supply, and demand.
If you can tolerate your home being on the warmer side, you could save even more.
"For every degree below 78, you add 8% to your cooling costs, that's just the cooling cost part of the bill," Ryan said.
