LEE COUNTY, Fla — A Cape Coral man is seeking answers after noticing a major spike in his electric bill over the past couple of months.
Bob Moore has been living in Southwest Florida since 2005.
This month his LCEC bill was higher than ever, with a nearly 50% increase.
“It went from $180 to $277 within a two month period, ” said Moore.
Hundreds of other Lee County residents also say they have seen an increase in their monthly rates.
A representative for LCEC says the company has seen an increase in usage, but they haven’t raised rates in over 12 years.
“We’ve had the highest record usage this summer for any year, that’s because the temperatures have been so warm and also because people are home more, ” said Karen Ryan.
Moore says things in his houshold have remained fairly the same.
“Our routine and lifestyle hasn’t changed at all, so that’s kind of what concerned me in the beginning, we didn’t use any more any less, ” said Moore.
LCEC provided tips to save energy and keep electric bills down; keep the thermostat at or above 78 degrees.
“Anything below that adds 8% to each degree below 78 for your cooling costs, ” said Ryan.
She says this next tip may save you an average of $7 per month.
“When you are not in the room, make sure you turn your ceiling fans off because a ceiling fan just cools your skin, ” said Ryan.
Lastly, Ryan recommends sealing off any openings with with caulk and weather strips.
“Make sure that they check around their windows and doors and their installation to make sure that any cool air is not escaping, ” said Ryan.
LCEC also recommends downloading the Smart-Hub app to manage your usage and bills.
For more ways to stay energy efficient head to
