The Florida Public Service Commission today approved Florida Power & Light Company's request for a fuel adjustment increase that will raise residential bills by 9 percent beginning the first week in April. While time remains before the summer air conditioning and peak electric use season arrives, FPL urges customers to take advantage of its energy efficiency and conservation programs now to help mitigate the impact of higher fuel prices.

A 1,000 kilowatt-hour monthly residential bill would rise 9 percent -- from $80.55 to $87.98. Commercial and industrial bills would increase 13 and 17 percent, respectively. FPL does not profit from increased fuel costs that are a direct pass-through to customers.

Since January 1999, the price FPL must pay for a barrel of oil used to generate electricity has nearly tripled from $10.61 to $29.10 at the end of 2000 -- up 174 percent. The price FPL pays for natural gas also has increased at a dramatic pace, climbing from $2.67 per million BTU to $6.24 during the same period -- a 134 percent jump. Spot gas market prices have topped $10 per million BTU.

"With fuel prices expected to remain high this entire year because of increased demand for oil and natural gas around the country, we encourage customers to take a variety of measures toward energy efficiency and conservation," said Bill Hamilton, FPL vice president of customer service and marketing.

FPL offers these tips to help customers keep their energy costs down:

* Set the air conditioning system (which is the largest user of electricity) thermostat to 78 degrees in summer months.

* Make monthly inspections of air conditioning system filters for the purpose of cleaning or replacing them when needed.

* Reduce the temperature setting on the electric water heater to 120 degrees.

There's still more that residents and businesses can do to take control of energy usage and costs. FPL offers these programs:

* Home Energy Survey - During a free home energy survey, an FPL energy expert will make recommendations to help improve energy efficiency in residential dwellings such as single-family homes, townhouses, condominiums, apartments and mobile homes. FPL also will determine if the home qualifies for ceiling or roof insulation incentives, as well as heating and cooling discounts. These monetary incentives help customers pay for additional insulation and for new high-efficiency central air conditioning systems or heat pumps.

* Budget Billing - FPL urges customers -- particularly those on fixed incomes or others who need a bill that is a consistent amount -- to take advantage of Budget Billing. The program is free and helps customers forecast monthly energy costs as well as better plan their finances. Customers pay an average amount that is approximately the same each month. The difference between the budget billing amount and the actual amount also appears on the bill.

* Duct inspection and repair - The Florida Solar Energy Research Center says, "The single, largest energy waste in existing Florida homes occurs as the result of leakage in air conditioning duct systems." FPL says seven out of 10 Florida homes have leaky heating and air conditioning ductwork. To help homeowners find and repair leaky ductwork, FPL can test a home's air conditioning duct system for a small fee. If repairs are needed, FPL will pay a portion of the repair cost. Repairs are performed by an independent, participating contractor.

* On-Call Program - At both residences and businesses, FPL connects a special energy-management device to appliances including electric water heaters, central air conditioning units and pool pumps. During periods of high-energy use on FPL's system, participants are "on call" to have power briefly interrupted to those appliances. Residential On-Call participants save up to $161 each year. Businesses are compensated based on the size of their air conditioning and heating system.

Florida Power & Light Company is the principal subsidiary of FPL Group, Inc. , one of the nation's largest providers of electricity-related services with annual revenues of more than $7 billion. The company serves 3.9 million customer accounts in Florida. FPL Energy, LLC, FPL Group's energy-generating subsidiary, is a leader in producing electricity from clean and renewable fuels. Additional information is available on the Internet at www.fpl.com

SOURCE: Florida Power & Light Company