Florida Public Service Commission protects energy efficiency programs

Last week the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) voted to reject a bid by utilities to cut their energy efficiency programs. This would have made it harder for us to save money by using less energy. This victory is thanks to the thousands of Floridians who contacted the Commission. Their emails and calls persuaded commissioners to keep these programs in place.

Florida’s utilities must file an energy efficiency plan with the Public Service Commission every five years. This includes the state’s investor-owned utilities. It also includes municipal utilities like JEA, OUC, and TECO . These plans say what the utilities will do to encourage energy efficiency. These plans are supposed to come with goals. Higher goals mean a broader scale of energy efficiency programs provided to customers.

The last time these plans were up for review the PSC allowed utilities to make drastic cuts to energy efficiency programs. This time, the utilities asked the PSC to cut them to zero. The PSC rejected their request.

Florida residents pay the eighth highest electricity bills in the country. The PSC’s decision will help hard-working families reduce energy use and save money on their bills.

This important victory demonstrates that when solar supporters join together, we win. Please consider supporting our work. This way we can continue the momentum and ensure that all Floridians can benefit from solar energy.