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According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average American home uses an average of 10,791 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year.
If you didn't know already, the city of Leesburg manages its own power company, and about 27,747 residents are customers of the government-run electric and gas service.
An electric advisory board, which convened for its first meeting last November to discuss policies related to Leesburg electric and gas, continues to meet the first Monday of the month. A page on the city explains the members' terms and other details.
At a May 6 meeting, the advisory board began discussions related to a two-year pilot program that would allow new residents who live in the coverage area and are employed as licensed K-12 teachers in Lake County to qualify to have their utility connection fees of up to $205 waived.
"We are drafting the program’s implementation resolution," City Manager Al Minner told the Daily Commercial after the meeting. "Not sure if it will make the May 13 or May 28 commission meeting for consideration."
Advisory board member Marc Schwarz proposed the idea, and a majority of the board voted in favor of going forward with deciding the requirements and drafting a teacher pilot program proposal to present to the city commission.
Minner sounded optimistic when he cited that Leesburg Electric's current financial stability , allowing the city to keep power costs down. The utility ranks ninth in the state among the 35 municipalities who run their own power, putting Leesburg in the average range of municipalities listed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs .
"We were able to bring for April power cost adjustment down to a penny per kilowatt, so that knocks about 10 bucks off your average bill," Minner said.
Also at the May 6 meeting, members discussed the existing surge protection service for around an extra $13 a month, including a warranty for the equipment. Minner said a slim minority of residents use the service.
That could be due to a lack of awareness. A couple of board members admitted that they didn't even know the surge protection service existed. So, it bears repeating that if you have expensive electronics that could be affected by a power surge from lightning or other interruption, you can sign up for the service on the city's website, leesburgflorida.gov .
Minner also told the board and citizens in attendance about Leesburg's utility assistance program. Leesburg utility customers who are having difficulty paying their utility bill can call the customer service department at 352-728-9800 to set up a payment plan.
Rebates and solar installation savings are also explained on the city's website.
The Leesburg Electric Advisory Board meets the first Monday of the month at 5:30 p.m., and the next meeting will take place June 3. You can tune in live to Leesburg meetings on LakeFront TV's YouTube channel , Xfinity channel 22, CenturyLink ch. 21 (HD, 1021) or Spectrum ch. 497.
This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Leesburg Electric Advisory Board plugs into teacher discount and other fee-related topics
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