ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. , Feb. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Floridians will likely see higher power bills after last week's cold snap, but Duke Energy is here to help its customers with bill-payment resources and important fraud prevention information.

What to know

• Higher bills ahead: As temperatures plunged, customers' heating systems worked harder, requiring more energy.
• But rates are still going down : Compared to January, residential customers using 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity will see a $33 reduction on their February bills – and another $11 decrease in March.
• Scams may spike (again): Nearly 800 scam reports were called into Duke Energy in February 2025, after another cold snap, and the company expects a similar uptick this month.
  • Customers are encouraged to slow down and learn to recognize common types of scams.

Get help

• Payment assistance : Customers can request installment plans and due date extensions, use the payment assistance finder and access programs like the Share the Light Fund ®.
• Energy-efficiency solutions : Customers can lower energy usage over time with free home assessments, rebates for improvement projects and a range of other tips and tools.
• Scam reporting: Customers should alert law enforcement, Duke Energy and the Better Business Bureau.

Our view

"Duke Energy has a dedicated team ready to provide our customers with the individualized support they need," said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. "It's my hope they will come directly to us so we can help them get back on track as quickly as possible and avoid opportunistic, increasingly sophisticated scams."

Duke Energy Florida
Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 12,300 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 2 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida. 

Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. The company's electric utilities serve 8.4 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 54,800 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities serve 1.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. 

Duke Energy is executing an ambitious energy transition, keeping customer reliability and value at the forefront as it builds a smarter energy future. The company is investing in major electric grid upgrades and cleaner generation, including natural gas, nuclear, renewables and energy storage. 

More information is available at duke-energy.com and the Duke Energy News Center. Follow Duke Energy on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook, and visit illumination for stories about the people and innovations powering our energy transition. 

Contact: Aly Raschid
24-Hour: 800.559.3853
X: @DE_AlyRaschid

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SOURCE Duke Energy