Florida Power & Light Company wants to help customers take charge of their energy use and electric bills this summer.

FPL says the largest user of electricity is the air conditioning system that represents about 40 percent of your electric bill. Refrigeration, the second highest user of electricity, represents 15 percent of your electric bill; water heaters total 14 percent of a homeowner's electric bill. The company offers these tips to help customers weather the high electric bill season:

* Set the thermostat no lower than 78 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer. Each degree above 78 degrees Fahrenheit dramatically increases your bill. Also, set the air conditioner to "auto" not "on."

* Use ceiling fans in occupied rooms and move the air conditioner's thermostat to 80 degrees Fahrenheit to save even more.

* Turn off ceiling fans in unoccupied rooms to further reduce your electric usage.

* If your central or room air conditioner is more than 10-years old, it could be doubling your cooling costs. FPL may help to pay for replacement of your inefficient air conditioning with a new, qualifying high-efficiency system or unit.

* Ceiling insulation can reduce your cooling energy costs by as much as 20 percent and make your house more comfortable. Best of all, FPL may help pay for this important energy-saving addition.

* Check or change your air conditioner's filter monthly.

* Professionally service your central air conditioning system every year and the humidistat every one or two years.

* Periodically use the outside grill and microwave for cooking in place of electric kitchen appliances that add heat to living areas and can cause the air conditioner to cycle on more often.

* Set the water heater temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure the power to your water heater is off before adjusting the temperature control.

  * Clean refrigerator condenser coils yearly.
  * Set the refrigerator temperature to between 38-40 degrees Fahrenheit.

* Keep the refrigerator's freezer as full as possible so that the freezer does not have to work as hard.

* Weather-strip doors, windows and around wall-mounted air conditioners to prevent cool air from escaping.

* Caulk between siding and windows and doorframes and beneath windowsills. Reduce heat gain through windows and doors with reflective solar film, solar screens or exterior awnings.

* Close interior drapes, blinds or other window treatments to reduce heat gain, especially during the hottest time of day.

* A longer-term solution to reducing electricity use is to plant shade trees on the sunny side of your house to provide natural shading.

"Because of increases in the cost of fuel used to produce electricity, combined with a much colder than normal winter, our customers already may have experienced electric usage and bills that are higher than anticipated. These summer energy-saving ideas may help lessen the impact of higher fuel costs," said Bill Hamilton, FPL's vice-president of customer service and marketing. "Fuel costs are passed through. FPL does not profit from the cost of fuel used to generate electricity," Hamilton said.

FPL reports that a 1,000-kWh residential bill increased from $74.12 to $80.55 in January 2001 and to $87.98 starting in April 2001 as a result of the increased fuel cost. Recent actions by OPEC to keep oil prices high, combined with a continued strong demand for natural gas, mean no significant reductions in fuel costs are anticipated in the near future.

FPL has taken a number of actions to mitigate the impact of higher fuel costs on its customers, such as minimizing its use of higher-priced natural gas by "fuel switching" at some of its plants to burn lower-priced oil and making economical power purchases from lower-cost, coal-based units of other power producers. In addition, the company sells excess oil-fired generation on the market and returns these profits to FPL customers.

FPL encourages customers who would like to avoid the winter and summer spikes in electricity to take advantage of the budget billing program. This program levelizes payments over 12 months to help minimize the impact of a few months of high use.

In addition, customers who participate in FPL's On-Call program can save money by allowing FPL to periodically cycle-off appliances, such as central air conditioners, water heaters and pool pumps, during times of peak electric usage.

Customers can get additional helpful information, such as no-cost tips, low-cost energy efficiency improvements and billing programs, by visiting FPL on the Internet at http://www.fpl.com/. To speak to a representative call 1-800-DIAL FPL.

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 approximately 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.

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SOURCE: Florida Power & Light Company