Florida cold snap raises bills; Duke Energy warns of scams, expands customer assistance

Florida cold snap pushes near‑term bills up; Duke Energy beefs up help and scam warnings

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Duke Energy is warning Florida customers that a recent cold snap is driving higher near‑term power bills as heating systems run harder, even as the utility says overall residential rates are easing. The company says customers who use about 1,000 kilowatt‑hours see a $33 drop on February bills versus January and an additional $11 reduction expected in March, but cautions that episodic weather can still raise individual household charges.

The utility is also sounding the alarm on a likely rise in scam activity tied to unusually high bills, noting it received nearly 800 scam reports in February 2025 and urging customers to slow down and verify contacts. Duke Energy asks customers to report suspicious calls or messages to law enforcement, the company and the Better Business Bureau, and emphasizes that its teams will not pressure customers for immediate payment or demand unusual payment methods.

To help households manage payments, Duke Energy Florida is rolling out and promoting a suite of assistance and efficiency options, including installment plans, due‑date extensions, a payment assistance finder and its Share the Light Fund. The company also offers free home energy assessments, rebates for improvement projects and other energy‑saving tools, and says it has a dedicated team available to provide individualized support so customers can get back on track while avoiding opportunistic fraud.

White House adviser’s data centre comments stoke industry discussion

In Washington, a White House trade adviser says data centre builders may be required to internalize costs they impose on local utilities, comments that the technology sector and utilities are watching closely. The remarks come amid broader concern about rising electricity prices — which increased about 6.9% year‑on‑year in 2025 — and debate over how large energy users like data centres contribute to grid strain; major companies such as Meta say they already shoulder infrastructure costs for local grids.

Duke Energy scale and clean‑grid investments

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns about 12,300 megawatts of capacity and serves roughly 2 million customers across a 13,000‑square‑mile area. Parent Duke Energy serves 8.4 million electric customers across six states, owns some 54,800 megawatts of capacity and is investing in grid upgrades and cleaner generation including natural gas, nuclear, renewables and storage to bolster reliability and long‑term affordability.