PENSACOLA — Gulf Power customers' electricity bills will decrease this month, and the company will begin using wind generation as renewable energy.
Customers will see a 2.7 percent decrease in their January bills; the average residential bill for 1,000-kilowatt hours of electricity will drop $3.71.
The price decrease is a result of Gulf Power employees’ commitment to use the most cost-effective fuel resources available to generate electricity, according to Rick DelaHaya, Gulf Power spokesperson. Employees found lower prices for natural gas and coal, which the utility company uses to generate electricity.
Each January, the Florida Public Service Commission adjusts the company's prices to reflect cost changes in fuel, environmental compliance and energy conservation programs.
Gulf Power customers also will see the addition of a renewable energy source added to the utility’s portfolio. The company's first wind project became operational Jan. 1. “The power we get from this project in the new year is expected to represent approximately 5 percent of our projected energy mix,” DelaHaya said.
Built in central Oklahoma, where conditions are favorable for wind energy, the project will supply 178 megawatts of renewable energy to Gulf Power — enough to annually power about 50,700 homes.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Gulf Power lowers prices, adds renewable energy to portfolio