[beach43ofus]

Originally Posted by sinatras

Thank you! I will make sure to share this info. w/ everyone who used to pay $200 summer electric bills in Tampa and now pay close to $400 (or over $400 considering this record-setting hot summer in Tampa).

I'm sure this info. will make them feel much better!

Next summer I'm sure there will be more good reasons to jack up the bills to $600! Why don't we see if we can inch close to $1,000 summer electric bills???

TECO raised rates by an average of 11%. Call teco to schedule your free energy audit to find out what is going on w/ your property. Gov't utility oversight commissions don't allow the therm rates to double, so you need to dig down into your bill, AND get the energy audit.

Florida's overall cost of living ranks 24th out of 50 in 2022.

[FL_Expert]

Originally Posted by beach43ofus

This says TECO increased prices by an avg of 11% so it your went up 62%, somebody may be stealing electricity from you, or there's some other issue going on. Utilities don't increase rates by 62% year to year, the oversight commission won't allow that.

https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/ne...%20pay%20today.

I strongly suggest calling TECO and having them do a free energy audit of your place/s to see where you are losing energy from.

You are in a unique situation, not reflective of life in the free state of Florida. Good luck!

A bad water heater will do that… Then again, that’s something someone who claims to own multiple properties should already know.

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by FL_Expert

A bad water heater will do that… Then again, that’s something someone who claims to own multiple properties should already know.

Or lousy insulation, poorly sealed windows and door opening. Or poorly maintained AC or AC reaching the end of it's useful lifespan, leaking freon.

[beach43ofus]

Originally Posted by FL_Expert

A bad water heater will do that… Then again, that’s something someone who claims to own multiple properties should already know.

The free energy audit is the way to go. The first ultra high bill I got, I'd be calling to schedule mine the day I got that bill. I know people that had an energy audit, & they were impressed by the technology used, & made the repairs/enhancements, then their bills dropped a lot. These audits really do work if you follow through on the recommendations.

Our utilities dropped a lot when we moved from GA to FLA. We did downsize by 50% in sq ft, but our utilities bills fell by the same 50% as our square feet fell...even a bit more some months. We keep our thermostat at 77, & our home is now 5 yrs old, so very efficient.

My wife pays the bills, and is in awe at how inexpensive it is to live in Florida overall. Our groceries cost more by ~20%, so we shifted from Kroger/Publix in ATL to an Aldi/WalMart/Publix combo in GA to negate the increase.

Our property taxes increase a bit when calculated per sq. ft.. Car insurance is about the same.

I get it that not every single place in FLA is cheaper than every single place in state X or Y or Z, but when you look at the FLA state average & compare to other state averages, FLA's near the middle:

https://meric.mo.gov/data/cost-living-data-series

FLA varies from place to place by a wide spread. Southeast FLA is by fare the most costly:

https://www.rentcafe.com/cost-of-liv...culator/us/fl/

College costs much less than most places too...FLA ranks #1 for lowest cost/best value in U.S. News & World Report.

Some people are unhappy no matter where they live, & others are pushing a hidden agenda by trying to knock all things Florida. I think readers here can spot them, after a few visits to this great forum.

[bale002]

Cost of living is high in California because many people want to live there.

Cost of living is high in Florida because many people want to live there.

Cost of living is high in _________ because many people want to live there.

By the way, FPL recently announced rate reductions and I haven’t touched my thermostat, so electric bill is going down. Dade County draft budget is proposing a 1% reduction in property taxes and a gas tax holiday for four months.

Rises in insurance rates suck, but insurers are pulling out of California too.

Can’t win’m all.

[carnivalday]

Let me correct your title:

Life In Tampa...


Your welcome.

[sinatras]

Originally Posted by beach43ofus

This says TECO increased prices by an avg of 11% so it your went up 62%, somebody may be stealing electricity from you, or there's some other issue going on. Utilities don't increase rates by 62% year to year, the oversight commission won't allow that.

https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/ne...%20pay%20today.

I strongly suggest calling TECO and having them do a free energy audit of your place/s to see where you are losing energy from.

You are in a unique situation, not reflective of life in the free state of Florida. Good luck!

The only one stealing from Tampa residents is TECO. Here is my tenant's July bill for my 1750 sq foot rental property. This is now a very average
Tampa electric bill.

But hey, who said "freedom" was free???

[sinatras]

Originally Posted by beach43ofus

TECO raised rates by an average of 11%. Call teco to schedule your free energy audit to find out what is going on w/ your property. Gov't utility oversight commissions don't allow the therm rates to double, so you need to dig down into your bill, AND get the energy audit.

Florida's overall cost of living ranks 24th out of 50 in 2022.

I have had countless energy audits over the past 15 years and I am insulated up to the wazoo and believe me when I tell you that among ALL of my Tampa rental properties, a $400 electric bill this July is now AVERAGE. All of my tenants are complaining about it. And so are homeowners in the neighborhoods. All you have to do is read Next Door and Facebook Tampa groups. But of course you don't do that; you just come here and make false claims.

[sinatras]

Here's another bill from one of my other tenants!

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by sinatras

The only one stealing from Tampa residents is TECO. Here is my tenant's July bill for my 1750 sq foot rental property. This is now a very average
Tampa electric bill.

But hey, who said "freedom" was free???

2,455 kWh in a month for a 1750 sqft home at 76 degrees????????

That's not normal. At all. Even with all appliances and TVs constantly running.