Company implements plan to meet additional power demand; reminds customers to stay safe
Jan 7, 2014
JUNO BEACH, Fla. – Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) today announced that it continues to monitor the first cold front of the new year to affect Florida and implement its plan for managing another night of unseasonably cold weather, especially in the northern and western parts of the state.
“Although the temperatures have been a bit warmer than expected, we continue to monitor the weather and respond as necessary to ensure our customers receive the reliable electric service that they expect from us,” said Manny Miranda, FPL’s vice president of Power Delivery. “While Florida experiences extreme weather conditions such as summer storms and tropical systems, we also are susceptible to unseasonably cold weather. Our commitment to our customers is to ensure that our employees have a plan and are prepared to do their part to respond safely and quickly in any type of situation.”
FPL carefully monitors its power supply each day and how it may be affected by severe weather conditions, and annually trains its employees to respond to these situations. The company has sufficient power generation to meet the increased electric needs of its customers.
“While the temperatures we are seeing here in Florida are not as extreme as in the rest of the country, we recognize the potential effect colder temperatures can have on our customers’ lives,” Miranda said.
Safety a priority for customers
Although the temperatures are predicted to be warmer than Tuesday morning, FPL encourages its customers to stay safe when heating their homes or businesses, especially when using space heaters:
- Use space heaters for only limited amounts of time and not as a primary heat source.
- Direct the heater to warm people, not space.
- Keep flammable materials such as bedding, clothing, draperies, rugs and furniture at least 3 feet away from the heater.
- Keep children and pets away from the heater.
- Keep space heaters away from water to avoid electric shock.
- Turn off and unplug the heater when leaving the room for an extended period of time.
- Avoid using extension cords.
The company also encourages customers to use their energy wisely to keep their bills as low as possible. To lower energy usage and save money in colder weather, heat your home at 68 degrees or cooler with the thermostat fan switch on "auto." Lower your thermostat to 65 degrees or cooler at bedtime or when you are away from home.
Customers can visit www.FPL.com/safety for additional safety tips. Should customers experience a power interruption, the easiest way to report it to the company is on a mobile device at www.FPL.com. The progress of their restoration can also be tracked at www.FPL.com using FPL’s Power Tracker map. As a safety reminder, if customers see a downed power line they should call 9-1-1 or FPL at 1-800-4 OUTAGE (1-800-468-8243).
Florida Power & Light Company
Florida Power & Light Company is the largest rate-regulated electric utility in Florida and serves the third-largest number of customers of any electric utility in the United States. FPL serves approximately 4.6 million customer accounts and is a leading Florida employer with approximately 10,000 employees as of year-end 2012. During the five-year period ended December 31, 2011, the company delivered the best service reliability among Florida investor-owned utilities, while its typical residential customer bills, based on data available in July 2012, are about 26 percent below the national average. A clean energy leader, FPL has one of the lowest emissions profiles and one of the leading energy efficiency programs among utilities nationwide. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit www.FPL.com.