Orlando Utilities Commission customers are about to see a new line item on their electric bills. Starting with the November 2026 statement, most residential and small business customers will be charged based on the highest amount of energy they used in any single 15-minute window during the previous month, even as the utility lowers its per-kilowatt-hour consumption rate by 14 percent to help offset the new fee.
The change, known as DemandLevel pricing, sorts residential customers into one of three monthly tiers depending on peak usage: $5 for 0 to 7.999 kW, $10 for 8 to 11.999 kW, and $15 for 12 kW or more, according to OUC. Small business customers face steeper tiers of $7.50, $15, and $22.50. As WKMG reports, a customer's tier resets every month, and OUC officials say the structure is meant to reflect how and when people use the most energy rather than simply how much.
How the November Bill Gets Calculated
The station's report notes that most customers will see the new charges appear on their November 2026 bill, which will be based on peak demand recorded during October 2026. OUC has said the lower consumption rate is expected to offset most of the new DemandLevel charge for most households, though the exact effect depends on individual usage patterns.
OUC officials described the new pricing as intended to educate customers, encourage them to stagger energy use throughout the day, reduce demand peaks on the grid, and delay the need for future power generation investments, per the same account. The utility has recommended that customers stagger appliance use and program thermostats to minimize cooling costs while away from home, and it offers tools to track and lower energy peaks along with rebates for energy-efficient upgrades. A conservation specialist is also available to help customers identify ways to cut consumption through an energy audit, the article notes.
Part of a Larger Multiyear Overhaul
DemandLevel is not a standalone change. It is the second phase of PeakSHIFT, a four-part pricing overhaul the OUC Board of Commissioners approved on December 10, 2024, after a proposal first unveiled in May 2024 and a series of community workshops, according to OUC. The broader program also includes SunChoice Solar, a community solar option launched in October 2024; TruNet Solar, a restructured rooftop solar compensation system taking effect in 2025 and 2026; and Shift & Save, a time-of-day pricing plan starting in January 2027 that customers may opt out of.
The December 2024 board vote drew heavy public opposition. Sixteen of seventeen public commenters spoke against the proposal, raising concerns about mandatory peak charges and reduced financial incentives for rooftop solar owners, according to Central Florida Public Media. Clean energy advocates argued the restructuring penalizes households that had already invested in solar panels.
Solar Customers Face a Cutoff Date
Under the TruNet Solar component, existing rooftop solar customers and anyone who applied by June 30, 2025 are grandfathered into full retail net-metering rates for 20 years, while later applicants receive reduced energy export credits, according to the Florida Public Service Commission. Technical billing system changes pushed full implementation of TruNet Solar into 2026.
OUC has projected that PeakSHIFT will be revenue-neutral overall, estimating in December 2024 that about half of residential customers would see no change or a decrease in their bills without altering their habits, and that 80 percent would stay within plus or minus $3 a month. The utility has said savings from flattening peak grid demand are meant to help delay costly future power plant construction.
Coal Plant Kept Running Under Federal Order
The rate overhaul arrives as OUC navigates separate pressure over its power generation mix. On September 1, 2026, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright issued an emergency federal order under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act directing OUC to keep Unit 1 of its coal-fired Stanton Energy Center running through November 30, 2026, halting the utility's planned cold shutdown of the 464.5-megawatt unit, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. OUC had planned to retire the coal unit as part of its push toward carbon reduction targets, but federal officials cited rising demand and planned data centers in ordering it to stay online.
OUC has a goal of reaching net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, according to DRIVE Electric USA. OUC serves more than 400,000 accounts in Orlando, St. Cloud, and parts of unincorporated Orange and Osceola counties.
Before rolling out the new demand pricing, OUC had already cut customer fuel charges by 5 percent on July 1, 2024, marking its third fuel rate reduction since June 2023 following drops in wholesale natural gas and coal costs. That reduction applied to fuel costs, which OUC distinguishes from variable non-fuel costs.
