ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Utilities Commission’s Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve a new PeakSHIFT multi-year electric pricing plan.

Under the proposal, the company said the plan is designed to encourage conservation by reducing peak demand and helping achieve clean energy goals.

“When they implement this, they will likely see a lower kilowatt hour charge. So, their bill will be more stabilized throughout the year. This is not designed to collect one penny more. And customers will see the same average price,” said incoming CFO Mindy Brenay.

OUC’s PeakSHIFT concept is broken down into three parts:

• TruNet Solar, which would take effect in July 2025, will give new solar customers 4 cents per kilowatt hour. That’s a 6-cent decrease from current rates.
• DemandLevel, which would start in March 2026. It’s a tiered, fixed distribution charge based on each customer’s monthly grid use.
• Shift and Save, which would start January 2027. It’s a time-of-day pricing plan with a 2 cent per kilowatt price differential between on-peak periods.

Brenay said OUC is also implementing an online tool for customers to see their usage habits.

However, some customers worry about how the new plan will affect their bills.

Heaven Campbell believes in solar. That is why she’s a part of the nonprofit Solar United Neighbors that connects people of all socio-economic backgrounds to access to solar. 

Campbell feels OUC’s plan is overly complicated.

“If you are saving energy in your home, you are not using energy from them. That’s a lost revenue. That’s just simply a really outdated way to look at it and it’s not how a nonprofit public power utility should be looking at their rate making,” said Campbell.

Over 20 community members spoke during Tuesday’s meeting, raising concerns about the plan will affect the future of solar.

“This is not meant to disincentivize solar. This is meant to ensure that our non-solar customers are not picking up the price,” said Brenay. “We think that it will bring value to all our customers and really help us keep prices affordable.”

However, Brenay admitted the industry may need to change their business plan regarding solar. She hopes solar can encourage energy storage, as well as sizing the rooftop solar appropriately for customers to use the energy they produce.

She said OUC’s long-term goal is more solar. However, she wants to make sure OUC is compensating their customers fairly.

To read an overview of the PeakSHIFT program, visit here.