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Lakeland has started to warm up since last week’s record-setting deep freeze, but another jolt may be on the way — this time when electric bills arrive.
When temperatures plunged into the 20s on Feb. 1 and 2, heating systems across the city worked harder and longer than they typically do in Central Florida. Electric rates didn’t change, but usage did.
That could translate into “sticker shock” for some customers when their next Lakeland Electric bill arrives, spokeswoman Cathryn Lacy said.
“Most winters, we might get one really cold night,” she said. “What made this different was having multiple cold nights back to back.”
What customers can do now
Lakeland Electric officials say there are several ways to manage higher bills following the freeze.
Pay As You Go: This program allows customers to prepay for electricity and monitor usage daily. If you already have a deposit on your account, switching to Pay As You Go allows that deposit to be applied toward an outstanding balance.
Average billing (budget billing): This option spreads costs more evenly across the year by averaging your usage over 12 months. Utility officials say customers may get the most benefit by enrolling after their cold-weather bill posts.
Payment arrangements: Customers who can’t pay a large bill all at once may qualify for a payment plan of up to six months through Lakeland Electric’s “priority debt” program.
For customers caught off guard, Lakeland Electric encourages calling customer service at (863) 834-9535 to discuss billing options and assistance programs.
Help for those in need
For seniors and others facing financial hardship, Project CARE provides utility assistance funded by donations and customer bill round-ups. The utility also helps connect residents with available federal assistance programs year-round.
Beyond local programs, Lakeland Electric helps customers access federal energy assistance. Last year alone, the utility helped connect residents with about $9 million in federal funding to help pay energy bills, according to Lacy.
“That support is available all year,” she said. “If someone is struggling, we want them to call us so we can help connect them to whatever resources are out there.”
Lakeland Electric also offers free home energy audits, with staff available to assess a home’s efficiency and suggest ways to reduce future energy use.
Small changes, real savings
When the weather gets cold, even modest steps can help reduce energy use, Lacy said.
- Set your thermostat to 68° or lower and keep the fan setting on “Auto.”
- During peak hours (6–9 a.m. and 6–9 p.m.), consider lowering your thermostat a few degrees and limiting use of large appliances.
- Open curtains and blinds on sunny days to let natural warmth heat your home. Close them at night to retain heat.
- Dress warmly and use extra blankets to stay comfortable without turning up the heat.
- Seal drafts by putting a rolled towel under exterior doors.
Grid held steady despite the strain
Despite the surge in demand, Lakeland avoided blackouts and brownouts. Lacy said electric demand peaked at 792 megawatts over the weekend, below Lakeland Electric’s winter generation capacity of 840 megawatts.
City Manager Shawn Sherrouse told city commissioners on Feb. 2 that conservation efforts played a key role.
Lakeland’s water and wastewater plants are its largest electricity users. Sherrouse said the city switched them over to generator power during the coldest hours to relieve pressure on the grid.
Lakeland Electric also reached out to large industrial customers in its “interruptible” service class. About six companies voluntarily delayed operations by a few hours, reduced production during peak demand, or used backup power.
The utility sent text messages and posted on its social media channels, encouraging residents to be mindful of their energy use.
Those combined efforts reduced demand by about 15 megawatts at critical moments.
Strong winds caused several outages
Most of the power outages that did occur were tied to high winds and localized equipment issues, not system overload. The largest outage affected about 1,000 customers for a couple of hours, while most others were much smaller and shorter in duration.
“We certainly sympathize and empathize with those who experienced loss of water or electricity for periods of time,” Sherrouse said. But he added that Lakeland crews were out in force and responded quickly.
“All of this was part of a statewide weather event,” Sherrouse said. “We had some effects from it, but because of the response, our community was one of the least affected.”
Record cold, higher demand
Preliminary data from the National Weather Service’s station at Lakeland Linder International Airport shows lows of 24 degrees on Feb. 1 (the previous record was 33 degrees in 1979) and 26 degrees on Feb. 2 (the previous record was 32 degrees in 1980).
That matters because “Florida homes are not built for cold weather the way homes in Maine or Michigan are,” Lacy said. “They’re insulated differently, they use different heating systems, and they’re typically not as efficient when it comes to heating.”
Most homes rely on electric heat pumps or electric resistance heat, according to Lakeland Electric. In very cold weather, heat pumps lose efficiency and may switch to backup heating — a much more energy-intensive process that can double or even triple electricity use.
Cold weather also creates a bigger gap between indoor and outdoor temperatures, which customers’ systems must overcome.
- In summer, air conditioners typically work to cool local homes by about 15 to 20 degrees — from the 80s outside to the 60s or 70s inside.
- During last weekend’s freeze, many customer systems were working to close a gap of 40 degrees or more — from the 20s outside to the 60s or 70s inside.
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