Cold weather likely means higher JEA bills

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – January is nearly over with and it has been a cold one. Jacksonville has had many freezing nights, forcing most to turn on the heat more than normal.

Because of that, many will be seeing an increase in coming bills from JEA. So how much can you expect your bill to go up?

According to JEA, the first 23 days of January had 13 days in the 30s, compared to last year, which only had two. And the last day of January will see temperatures in the 30s as well.

"I do expect the bill to be higher," said one customer. "I think we have to do something to get these bills lower."

"We know there's a direct correlation between the temperature and your heat and the amount of energy you use, so your bills will be higher than the ones you're getting right now," JEA spokeswoman Gerri Boyce said.

Boyce said bills for January are beginning to be sent out and the utility doesn't want customers to be alarmed.

So far for January, JEA's electric system production is up 24.94 percent from January of last year. Every degree adds more to each bill, so for those who keep it at 72 degrees, opposed to 68 degrees, bills will be about 20 percent more.

Boyce said to ensure your bill isn't a surprise, look at the utility tracker on JEA.com. You can check your daily usage and how much your bill has gone up.

"It also allows you to look at daily temps and look at average energy use so you can see how weather has an affect on your bill and usage," Boyce said.

Another way to avoid those unexpected jumps in your bill is to sign up for the My Budget Program. It's a 12-month rolling average program so your bill never varies more than $10-$15.