Lakeland Electric customers are likely to see a slight uptick in their monthly bills after the upcoming holiday season.
City commissioners voted 6-0 on Nov. 17 to approve increasing the municipal-owned utility’s fuel rate from $43.50 to $47 per 1,000 kilowatt-hour starting Jan. 1, 2026.
The average residential customer who uses 1,200 kilowatt-hours in a month will see a roughly $4.20 increase for fuel on their bills starting in 2026.
Sanda Ruede, LE’s fuels manager, said that forecasts show the upcoming winter season is expected to be mild, potentially warmer than last year. She said The Old Farmer’s Almanac worded it as “mostly mild with pockets of wild.”
“The mild weather doesn’t impact us, but pockets of wild impact us,” she said.
Earlier this month, Central Florida had a sudden cold weather snap with an arctic blast that brought record-low temperatures for a few days. Ruede said the natural gas and fuels market reacted quickly to news of the cold snap with immediate price increases.
“Volatility is the big thing we are watching this winter,” she said.
Ruede said a Lakeland Electric residential customer who uses 1,000 kilowatt hours will see a monthly electric bill of $117.06. She provided a comparison showing Lakeland Electric is lower than Orlando Utilities Commission, whose customers’ bill is an estimated $134, and City of Tallahassee Utilities’ customers, who should expect to pay $139.75 per 1,000 kilowatt-hours.
Lakeland Electric is next scheduled to discuss the utility’s fuel rate with city commissioners in February 2026.