For the second consecutive day, extreme heat pushed Tampa Electric customers to use record amounts of energy. After setting a record for summer energy use on Tuesday, just 24 hours later, customers used even more.
At 5:37 p.m. Wednesday, customers set a new record for summer electricity use – the highest amount of electricity used at any one moment – with 4,754 megawatts (MW). That surpassed the previous hourly record of 4,640 MW, which was just set on Tuesday.
“We remain concerned about the impact this heat is having on the comfort and safety of our customers,” said Archie Collins, president and chief executive officer of Tampa Electric.
Temperatures in the Tampa Bay area have been breaking records. In Ruskin on Wednesday, it was 97 degrees, which broke a record from that day in 2020, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). In Tampa, the temperature hit 96 degrees on Wednesday and the heat index was 110 degrees. In addition, July was Tampa’s hottest month since record-keeping began in 1890, according to the NWS.
Because of the extreme heat, Tampa Electric will not disconnect any customers for unpaid bills through at least Aug. 20. For most residential customers, bills are highest in July, August and September. As the weather becomes milder later in the year, bills tend to drop.
Higher temperatures can result in a higher energy bill. To assist customers who are having difficulty making utility bill payments, Tampa Electric donated $1 million to the Share program. Share is administered by the Salvation Army and the Catholic Charities Diocese of St. Petersburg, specifically to provide utility-bill assistance. TECO’s charitable contributions are paid by shareholders and do not affect customer bills.
Tampa Electric offers more energy-saving programs than any other investor-owned utility in Florida. Learn more online at TampaElectric.com/save.
- Set your thermostat at 78 degrees or higher.
- Only use ceiling fans in occupied rooms. Fans cool people, not furniture.
- Lower the temperature setting on your water heater to 120 degrees.
- Check air conditioning filters each month, and replace as needed. This helps the unit run more efficiently.
Prime Time Plus is a free and easy way to earn credits on your electric bill, saving you money each month. The average customer earns $144 per year. It does this by letting Tampa Electric reduce electricity use during periods of extremely high demand. By reducing demand, we can avoid the need to invest in additional power plants.
Our free Energy Planner program is a powerful tool to save money. It allows you to plan your highest energy use during the time of day when electricity rates are lowest. You can save about a month’s worth of electricity each year – like tossing out one electric bill – by making simple adjustments to the time of day you use electricity.
Tampa Electric is ready to help customers do everything possible to use energy wisely. Complete an online audit.
Tampa Electric, one of Florida’s largest investor-owned electric utilities, serves more than 830,000 customers in West Central Florida. Tampa Electric is a subsidiary of Emera Inc., a geographically diverse energy and services company headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
