Keep your small business’s energy bills down as your employees return to work
While Floridians continue to return to work, many business owners in the state know all too well that a full return to pre-coronavirus operations is still a long way off. All of us at Florida Power & Light understand the needs and challenges of small businesses and are here to be part of the solution. From tips on keeping bills lower to smart tools that can help you save, we are committed to doing the right thing and helping keep small businesses healthy.
Dollars and Sense
We get it — at the end of the day, making the finances work is crucial to taking care of your employees and customers. That’s why we’re working hard to keep energy bills as low as possible this year to ensure that paying for energy is one of the last things worried business owners need to think about. We gave a significant one-time fuel credit to our business customers in May and want to continue working with businesses to ensure their long-term success.
Your business may be eligible for payment extension. If you are unable to pay your business’s energy bill in full on time, please contact us at 800-226-3545. Our team can work with you to develop a unique solution that will fulfill your payment responsibility over the long term while easing your short-term financial burden.
Ramp Up Right
As you reopen your small business, taking the right steps to conserve energy could net you notable savings on your energy bill, especially during high-temperature season. It doesn’t take an expert to know why energy costs are typically higher in the warmer months. Air conditioning (A/C) is the costliest aspect of energy bills in Florida, as increased humidity and temperatures force an A/C unit to work harder and longer. In fact, cooling can account for as much as half of an entire small business's energy costs during the hottest months of the year.
Here are some key things to keep in mind as you welcome employees and customers back that could mitigate some energy costs:
- When you first reopen, stagger starting your HVAC units 30 minutes apart or turn on half of them 24 hours prior to opening. Keeping your energy usage steady instead of sporadically surging keeps costs down.
- Turn on lighting only in areas where it’s needed until your air conditioning has reached its set point temperature.
- We recommend turning on your water heater and any refrigerated equipment in a staggered fashion beginning 48 hours prior to reopening.
Take Advantage of FPL’s Resources
Navigating energy bills can be complicated. At FPL, we understand that your focus needs to be on running your business and taking care of your employees and customers, not spending too much time analyzing energy costs. Let us take care of that for you with our comprehensive and completely free Business Energy Manager online tool.
Your business’s energy needs are unique, and this tool allows business owners like you to track, learn about and control their energy usage to help their businesses save money. You can view your usage in intervals as specific as 15 minutes and as broad as a month, all while receiving personalized recommendations to lower your bill. Business owners can even take advantage of an energy audit from an FPL Business Energy Expert. It’s all available at FPL.com.