JEA Bill

[BridgeTroll]

JEA rates seem to be pretty low compared to other places...

http://www.publicpower.com/electricrates.shtml

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

JP - That being the case, did you actually consider the fact that 'someone' and not 'some-entity' is robbing you?

After a re-read, how about Christmas lights?  They would appear on a Jan. billing.  

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

You seem to be mistaking consumption for price gouging.

So what's a fair price to pay for electricity?

[BridgeTroll]

Another rate comparison...

http://www.jea.com/services/electric/rates_quarterly.asp

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Another rate comparison...

http://www.jea.com/services/electric/rates_quarterly.asp

We can post rates, comparisons, bills dated back 25 years, etc. etc....  Stephen's only reply will be we shouldn't have to pay anything.  Or that they are fleecing everyone of their customers out of 1,000s of dollars to support the lavish lifestyles of the few people in cahoots.  Or any other rant he can think of that makes sense in his head, maybe JEA is after jaxpastor specifically for some perceived ill that he may have cause the lady at the cal center when he told them that the streetlights were out. 

It's never fair.  All corps should be non-profit.  May there be Peace on Earth and everlasting Good will to all of mankind, Amen.

[tufsu1]

If it was acting like a business, then we taxpayers, who funded the damned thing would be entitled to a return of the billions of dollars that we put into it as the initial and operating capital.  

JEA provides a pretty significant return to the City coffers each year

significant to an individual, statistically nonexistent to a power company.  It amounts to a couple of hundred thousand bridge troll.  Or about the amount of one executive salary.

not hardly....JEA has a budget item called City Contribution...defined as such:

"City Contribution is the portion of JEA’s electric services budget that is collected by JEA for the City of Jacksonville to support general government services not related to JEA."

In 2009, that amounted to $97 million

[BridgeTroll]

Sounds like a pretty good contribution to the city coffers... or... a very well paid executive...

[Debbie Thompson]

Jax Pastor, you can't replace any windows (or do anything like that to the outside of your home) in the historic district without first seeking a COA (certificate of appropriateness) from the Historic Preservation Commission, and I doubt it would be permitted.  We are a National Trust Historic District, you see, and there are rules about changing the exterior of your home so that we maintain the historic architecture of our homes.

That said, we live near you. Last year, we added spray foam insulation to our attic, and have noticed a difference this year of 6-7 degrees.  Last year, we couldn't get the downstairs above 57 on really cold days. The last really cold day we had this year, I noticed the thermo read 63 (set on 68) so I guess the heat pump was doing better keeping up.  We, too, use a space heater in the living room at night, although we don't run them while sleeping. I don't trust them enough for that. We use down blankets instead.

Our house is about 2000 sq. ft., and the electricity part of our bill was about $250 this month.  Had we set the thermo down to 65 instead of 68, it would probably have been less.  As Janet said over on MySpringfield, crank that thermo down when you see the little light come on for the heat strips. Good advice.  I'm going to watch for that, crank the thermo back down to 65, and wear a sweater. :-)

We have 40 windows in our moderately sized home, and all but one are original.  So window replacement may not help that much.  In one of our former homes, we replaced really leaky old awning windows (they would not even close all the way) and three wall AC units with double paned windows and a high efficiency heat pump. Net savings on our electric bill?  $0 - that's right - $0.  After spending  $8,000 (in the 80's when that was a lot more than it is now) the bill stayed about the same. 

I would put your money in insulating your attic and crawl space before you think of windows, which I have not seen making much difference.  Oh...and I did have one friend on the Southside who taped visqueen on the inside of his windows one year, leaving an air space. I don't remember if that helped on his bill, but you could try that on your rear windows.  I guess you could call that a "redneck storm window."  "-)

[uptowngirl]

hmmmm I run the airconditioner all summer and consume much more water yet my bills are in the $200 range. In the winter I do not run the heater, use much less water, and my bills are in the $500 range. I do put up a crap load of Christmas lights, but that would have no effect on October, November, and January actuals and yet they are the same. In fact I did not see a real difference in bills with Christmas lights or without. So basically looking at my bills I pay less the more I consume and more the less I consume?

I had JEA look at my old house where my bills were significantly higher (one month was over 1K!!!) they said I had an old house. What I found out later.....my reader was broken. Did they refund me my money, yep a whole 18months later!!! 

There is no rhyme or reason to the billing. When you disupte it takes over a year to get anywhere with them and you HAVE to pay or get cut off, it is not like I can call someone else to hook up my power until JEA gets it together. Basically they can hold my money indefinately until they finally feel like giving it back to me. I am guessing most people just give up and they get to keep it forever.

[duvaldude08]

I dunno. I have never had a problem with my JEA bill. I have stayed in six ddiferent very large apartments over my life time, some older and some fairly new, and I have NEVER had an issue. Maybe I just lucky. The highest bill I ever had was 231.00, and that is when I had a roommate. It was the heat of the summer, I had AC issues, and when the AC was working, I ran it 24-7. My BF is cold natured, so at the same time she had a portable heater plugged up in her room. But as soon as she moved out, it dropped to 70.00. So i dunno..some of us just get lucky I guess.

[ChriswUfGator]

If it was acting like a business, then we taxpayers, who funded the damned thing would be entitled to a return of the billions of dollars that we put into it as the initial and operating capital.  

JEA provides a pretty significant return to the City coffers each year

No they simply tack the franchise fee they were supposed to pay COJ onto all of our bills. WE pay, not JEA.

[tufsu1]

it is part of our JEA bill is it not Chris?

The fact is this....without that revenue stream buit into JEA bills, our property taxes would be that much higher

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

It's clearly stated on the bill, so it's not like they're hiding that fact:

City of Jacksonville Franchise Fee: Franchise fees are charges made by governments to utilities for exclusive/non-exclusive rights to operate within municipal boundaries. Florida statute requires franchise fees to be charged to customers directly and not included in rates. The City of Jacksonville (COJ) Franchise Fee is a 3 percent fee on the electric, water, irrigation and sewer usage of JEA customers living in the city of Jacksonville, effective April 1, 2008. City ordinance directs JEA to collect the fee on behalf of the City, which receives all of the revenue produced by the Fee. On electric usage only: The COJ Franchise Fee is capped at $72,000 per year on electric service usage only. There is no fee cap on any other JEA service to which the fee is applied.

Don't you think that I pass the cost on to my customers when they have me bid a LEED (green) project i.l.o. a regular job?  You're damn right I do, it's called the 'running a business.'  JEA's business is selling electricity.  But you already knew that didn't you?  

Since both you and Stephen think that JEA is ripping everyone off, my question to you both is, "What is a fair price for electricity?"  

[JagFan07]

No they simply tack the franchise fee they were supposed to pay COJ onto all of our bills. WE pay, not JEA.

Isn't that true of all business taxes?

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

No they simply tack the franchise fee they were supposed to pay COJ onto all of our bills. WE pay, not JEA.

Isn't that true of all business taxes?

It's true of every cost that a business incurs.  One might call it operating costs.