TAMPA, Fla. — Energy company Tampa Electric, widely known as TECO, said its customers set an all-time record on Tuesday for the highest amount of electricity used at any one moment.
According to a statement released by the company, TECO customers used a record 4,640 megawatts of electricity at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 8.
The culprit: Extreme heat.
Temperatures on Tuesday reportedly reached 96 degrees with a heat index of 110 degrees.
"This weather is not easy on our customers. Air conditioners are working harder, and bills are higher as a result,” TECO president and CEO Archie Collins said in a statement.
Extreme heat continues in Tampa after a July that broke records for the city's hottest month ever recorded.
To accommodate its customers, TECO announced that it would not disconnect anyone with unpaid bills through at least Aug. 20 and that it would donate $1 million to the Salvation Army and Catholic Charities' "Share" program to help provide assistance for people struggling to pay their utility bills.
The company also issued a series of tips to help customers try to lower their electric bills:
- Set your thermostat at 78 degrees or higher in the summer.
- Only use ceiling fans in occupied rooms. Fans cool people, not furniture.
- Lower the temperature setting on your water heater to 120 degrees.
- Clean or replace air conditioning filters each month. This helps the unit run more efficiently.
Hundreds of people in the Tampa Bay area are struggling to pay their electric bills. In addition to the "Share" program, there are other nonprofit groups in the area, as well as federal programs including the Low Income Energy Assistance Program and The Emergency Home Energy Assistance for the Elderly Program (EHEAP).