Dear Valued Customer,
At Beaches Energy we accomplished quite a bit this year, including:
- Placing additional lines underground and storm-hardened overhead lines to increase reliability, and focusing on the areas around Isabella Blvd. and Jacksonville Dr. in Jacksonville Beach and Roscoe Blvd. in Ponte Vedra Beach
- Updating major substation equipment and enhancing security to protect our substations
- Beginning the design of an outage map that will allow customers to obtain additional information about current outages
- Working with the Beaches Sea Turtle Patrol (BSTP) to change out streetlights near the ocean to protect sea turtle hatchlings, and raising over $9,750 to fund the continuous work of the BSTP in protecting these beautiful creatures when visiting our shores
Despite this great work, we know we are all still feeling the impact of higher oil and natural gas prices in everything that we purchase. Just two years ago, for the first time, our nation was a net exporter of oil and gas. Since then, we have seen a higher demand for energy and consumer goods post-pandemic, coupled with reductions in domestic production. Until this demand is reduced, or supply is increased, we will continue to see higher, more unpredictable energy costs.
This year we experienced a natural gas price increase of 64.14% through November. Because the majority of electricity in Florida is generated through natural gas, customers will likely spend an additional $800 to $900 for electricity as compared to the previous year. These increased costs will require us to increase natural gas prices effective January 1st to ensure that we have the available funds to procure natural gas and continue to serve our customers.
Utilities also continue to see the impacts of higher fuel prices, meaning more adjustments to fuel charges. Rest assured, Beaches Energy understands the effect these changes may have on your homes and businesses, and we are attentively monitoring fuel charges to ensure we can continue to provide every customer with reliable service at an affordable price.
Your power costs over the last decade had been the lowest since 2005, and we will continue working hard to keep our controllable costs to a minimum without affecting the level of service that you deserve. In the meantime, for energy-saving tips to keep your bill as low as possible, visit our website at BeachesEnergy.com/Save-Energy. Our mission is to provide low-cost, clean, safe and reliable power and natural gas to our customers. Know that we remain committed to meeting these expectations today, tomorrow and into the future. Thank you for being our customer. Best wishes for a bright future ahead.
- Allen Putnam
Director of Beaches Energy Services