Florida solar customers, others shocked over new charge on electric bills 

Told for DECADES that we're using too much water and electricity, now we're charged for using too less. The audacity of these people

It's retaliation for people disconnecting from big electricity, plain and simple. At least the female reporter has the balls to say it.

What they don’t tell you is that it is illegal to be completely off grid in many states. They actually force you to use the local electric companies which forces you to have to pay the electric companies even if you don’t need them. I think that is called a monopoly.

At the very least, I now grasp the concept of leverage.

The fact that an electrical company thinks that they can charge you money if you're not using their service should be illegal in the first place

“This is called a minimum bill.” I’d call it ripping people off.

I'm sure the lawmakers that push this bill are making a profit or kickback from the power companies.

The fees always starts small and only affect a few...

Another point that everyone seems to be missing is: This “minimum charge” is only the opener for higher “minimum” charges down the road.

People trying to lower their environmental impact by going solar are being punished for it, in some areas its illegal to collect rainwater to water your garden, to have large food gardens, to keep a couple of chickens. They don't want people to be at all self sufficient.

I live in Alberta, Canada. My natural gas bill has increased from $97 per month to $155 per month starting in August.

For decades we were told to cut our electricity usage: turn the lights off when you exit a room, buy energy efficient appliances, forced to buy LED lightbulbs, turn your thermostat up in the summer, on an on. Electric companies pushed the business model of "stop using so much of our product". Now that people have found a way to stop using so much of their product they have a minimum charge.

"....customers called our news room trying to find out what is wrong."

“People,we’re thinking about solar, now they are pulling back”

Simply report this extra fee(s) to the IRS on your taxes. If the IRS see this as a way the utilities are making extra money from you and they don’t report it, they will get audited. (You can do this with every bill you have to make sure companies don’t take advantage of you. Up to you to show how much money you send to each biller per year on your taxes. They do it to us.)

Love how the lady had more balls to speak the truth than the, so called, men. She said,”I said it!”

"It really doesn't generate much revenue at all" - Then, obviously, the reason for charging the fee is to discourage people from installing solar panels, not to make a profit.

Imagine driving a hybrid car and the gas station says you have to buy a minimum amount of gas each month or they'll charge you the difference.

Our energy should be cheap and abundant. Oil and gas!

When I was a kid (in the midwest), our electric company was a co=op. When they made too much money they had to give it back to their customers as a dividend.