Electric companies in clearwater (home, tenant, utilities)

[Wldavis419]

I'm relocating to Clearwater from austin. I have a place already, but need to set up utilities. I've looked
on the cities website and can't find info on the water. ie rates. As for electric is there only one company that you can use? After viewing their web site and issued an extremely high deposit based on the previous tenant's usage, I was unable to find what my rate is. In Texas we have the choice of using several electric companies and can shop around for rates. Mine is currently at .078/kwh. We also don't have peak billing hrs. Could someone please explain the ulitiy system for around her.
1. Is there multiple electric companies?
2. Do they do variable rates (different rates for time of day and changes throughout the month)?
3. For the water is it managed through the city?
4. Is sewage and trash included in the water bill

[HWTechGuy]

1) I haven't seen that anywhere down here. I believe Progress Energy is the energy provider for Clearwater.

2) Progress Energy Florida Rates & Tariffs -Duke Energy

3) Water Division

4) Solid Waste/General Services

[chi_tino]

Originally Posted by Wldavis419

I'm relocating to Clearwater from austin. I have a place already, but need to set up utilities. I've looked
on the cities website and can't find info on the water. ie rates. As for electric is there only one company that you can use? After viewing their web site and issued an extremely high deposit based on the previous tenant's usage, I was unable to find what my rate is. In Texas we have the choice of using several electric companies and can shop around for rates. Mine is currently at .078/kwh. We also don't have peak billing hrs. Could someone please explain the ulitiy system for around her.
1. Is there multiple electric companies?
2. Do they do variable rates (different rates for time of day and changes throughout the month)?

Nope, no competition here, and there will not be any for a very long time, if ever.

Your rates are going up about 50%, but your summertime temps are going to be a lot cooler than Austin (where they had 60+ days of 100+ temps last year), and a lot warmer in the winter.

Progress used to have a time-of-day billing rate available to consumers (RST-1), but it was discontinued due to lack of interest. You can see that in the rate tariffs. As I heard from a Progress employee, only a few dozen people have the rate and the special meter that goes with it. Fortunately, I was grandfathered in and my rates are almost half of everyone's else's. People here aren't smart enough to do the math to potentially save thousands of dollars per year.

Smart meters may be on the horizon, as Florida Power & Light recently rolled them out. The problem is that with all of the senior citizens that stay at home all day, a time-of-day rate plan CRUSHES them. It will be interesting to see how far FP&L can change their rates once they install those meters. As has happened throughout the US, people raise holy hell if their behavior causes their rates to go up.

[Wldavis419]

Thanks a bunch. I've checked out the weather and the average temps are about the same. You're right about the out of control 100 plus days. They do teach you how to be creative with cooling. Blackout curtains are amazing for keeping temps down. I'm glad there aren't peak rate hours. I had them in va and it was just too crazy to try and keep track of unless I was working nights. It's a shame about the lack if competition. But it is what it is. Thanks again for the help