Renewables could raise bills

The Florida House Energy and Utilities Subcommittee passed a measure (ENUS 11-01) this week that would allow investor-owned utilities to raise rates by 2% to recover costs for renewable energy projects. According to the Public Service Commission, that would increase the bill for a small commercial customer by $3.56 a month on average and increase bills for large commercial customers by an average of $356.30 per month. A typical household's bill would rise by $2.83 a month on average, but slightly less for FPL and Tampa Electric Company customers.