After all storm costs were paid, there was a balance remaining – and customers will benefit
Tampa Electric customers will receive a one-time refund on their energy bills in January, thanks to the utility’s proposal that regulators approved today.
This benefit is due to changes made to the federal tax law in late 2017. Tampa Electric used the savings from 2018 to cover the cost of restoring power after Hurricane Irma and several other earlier named storms.
After all storm costs were paid, there was a balance remaining of $11.5 million, which will be refunded to Tampa Electric customers in January. The average residential customer, who uses 1,000 kilowatt-hours a month, will see a refund of about $8.
The Florida Public Service Commission unanimously approved the refund today. It is the result of Tampa Electric working together with Florida’s Office of Public Counsel, the Florida Industrial Power Users Group and the Florida Retail Federation.
The refund will appear as a separate line item on January bills.
Tampa Electric, one of Florida’s largest investor-owned electric utilities, serves about 765,000 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.
