Letter from Managing Director and CEO
Wishing You a Happy Holiday Season
December 1, 2023
Dear Valued JEA Customer,
As I come to the end of my third year with JEA, I’m filled with gratitude for the chance to serve such a special community. I consider it an honor to work with our board of directors and more than 2,000 dedicated team members to deliver foundational, not-for-profit services to Northeast Florida.
In the coming weeks, you may be celebrating with out-of-town guests, sprucing up your home with bright lights or enjoying a festive meal. The seasonal holidays can bring our community closer together but can also lead to a jump in how much electricity and water you use.
To help you avoid a big bump in your utility bill this festive season, I want to personally direct you to some holiday tips and reminders for ways you can help conserve and reduce your costs at the same time. Please check out our Winter Holiday Preparation Guide at jea.com.
It might seem odd living here in the Sunshine State, but we do get cold days in the winter months, which can tax our electric infrastructure and cause icy conditions that can freeze water pipes and service lines. Rest assured that our winterized fleets — not to mention our power plants — stand ready to quickly restore your utility services if needed.
Even with these extra efficiencies, however, it will probably be necessary in the new year ahead to also increase our investments in our electric system and in serving you most efficiently and reliably. This is due to both growing demand — 800,000 new folks will call Jax home through the next decade — and our obligation to pay for the clean nuclear power we are now receiving from Georgia’s Plant Vogtle.
Vogtle will have the capacity to produce enough clean energy to power South Georgia and Northeast Florida, but it’s a costly commitment.
What does this mean for you? Starting in April, you may see your bill go up about $3.50 per month for a typical 1,000-kilowatt hours of use. Small commercial customer bills may also increase somewhat as well, under a modest rate proposal pending further consideration by the JEA board.
But, while we’re taking what we believe to be a reasonable approach to any pending rate hikes, we recognize it could still mean an extra burden, however small, for some of our fixed- or lower-income customers. That’s why we have made it easier for households to qualify for payment extensions, and we’ve eliminated credit and debit card fees for bill payments.
On your end, you can further manage your costs with:
- JEA Efficiency Rebates: Helping you save on upfront costs of efficiency upgrades.
- Account Alerts: Keeping you informed about your energy and water usage.
- Free Efficiency Assessments: Helping you find ways to reduce your energy usage and learn best irrigation practices.
- Free Water Conservation Kits: Helping you reduce water usage and save up to $75 per year on water bills.
In addition to our payment extensions and payment arrangements, JEA operates a Neighbor-to-Neighbor Fund and partners with community resources such as the United Way and ElderSource.
I promise you that, as a community-owned provider, we’re not driven by profit. All of our income is re-invested in the business of directly providing for our customers, or in other city services. For the past six months, we have had the lowest overall utility costs among all major Florida cities, and we expect that to continue next year.
We care about you and what matters to you; that’s central to our core values of improving lives and building and enhancing neighborhoods. That’s what community-owned utilities do.
Northeast Florida is Your Community. JEA is Your YOUtility.
Enjoy the holidays,
Jay Stowe
Jay Stowe was JEA's managing director and CEO from November 2020 through April 2024.