Airo Service on the FPL Rate Increase: Why Your Bill Rose More Than the Rate Did

MIAMI, Fla. — September 5, 2026

Airo Service is offering South Florida homeowners a technical perspective on the electricity rate increase that took effect in January 2026, noting that for most households the approved rate change accounts for a small fraction of what a record cooling season added to the summer bill.

What was approved

The Florida Public Service Commission approved a four-year rate agreement for Florida Power & Light covering 2026 through 2029, with new rates effective 1 January 2026. FPL stated that residential customers in most areas of Florida would see a typical bill move from $134.14 to $136.64 — an increase of $2.50 per month. The agreement provides for base-rate increases of $945 million in 2026 and $705 million in 2027, with further amounts in 2028 and 2029 tied to solar and battery storage projects.

The decision has been contested and reported as the largest rate increase in the utility’s history.

The arithmetic homeowners should actually run

“We had a lot of calls this summer from people convinced the rate increase had doubled their bill,” said Roman Shatokhin, Founder of Airo Service. “It had not. What doubled their bill was 83 days above 90 degrees. The rate change is real, but it is small next to what runtime does. That distinction matters, because one of those two things you can do something about.”

In a South Florida home, cooling is typically the single largest line in the electricity bill through the summer months. When the number of hot days rises by roughly a third over a normal year — as it did in 2026 — cooling runtime rises with it, and the bill follows runtime far more closely than it follows the tariff.

Where the controllable savings actually are

• Duct leakage. Air escaping into a 120°F attic is cooling that was paid for and never delivered. This is routinely the largest single recoverable loss in an older South Florida home.
• Refrigerant charge. A system running undercharged consumes close to full power while delivering reduced capacity, so it simply runs longer.
• A dirty coil or filter. Restricted airflow raises the energy cost of every hour of operation.
• Fan set to ON rather than AUTO. A continuously running blower consumes power around the clock and re-evaporates moisture off the coil back into the house.
• Equipment sizing. An oversized system satisfies the thermostat quickly, shuts off before removing much humidity, and leaves the house cool but clammy — which is what drives people to lower the setpoint further.

What Airo Service is not claiming

Airo Service notes that no equipment upgrade should be sold on a promise of a specific dollar saving. Actual results depend on the condition of the existing system, duct integrity, insulation, occupancy and thermostat behaviour. The company recommends homeowners treat any contractor quoting a guaranteed monthly saving with caution, and instead ask for a measured before-and-after: runtime hours, static pressure and delivered temperature split.

About Airo Service

Airo Service is a licensed and insured Florida air conditioning, heating and home comfort contractor (licence CAC1824778) serving Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Media contact: (305) 846-0155.