Your OUC Bill Is Changing: Why Using Too Many Appliances at Once Could Cost You More
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Beginning in October 2026, OUC will change the way it calculates your monthly electric bill.
Today, your electric cost is based mostly on how much electricity you use during the month. Under OUC’s new DemandLevel plan, your bill will also depend on how much electricity you use at one time.
This means Fairway Cove homeowners will need to think about two things:
How much electricity they use all month.
How many large appliances they use at the same time.
What is DemandLevel?
OUC will look at every 15-minute period during your billing cycle.
It will find the 15 minutes when your home used the most electricity. That one period will determine your DemandLevel tier for the next bill.
For example, your electricity use could be high if your air conditioner, oven, clothes dryer and pool pump are all running at the same time.
Even if this happens only once during the month, it could place your home in a higher tier.
How Much Is the New Charge?
OUC plans to have three monthly tiers for Orlando homes:
The difference between the lowest and highest tiers is $10 per month, or up to $120 over a full year if a home remains in the highest tier instead of the lowest.
Could You Use Less Electricity but Still Pay More?
Yes, it is possible.
Imagine that you use less electricity this month than you did last month, but one evening, you run the oven, clothes dryer, dishwasher, and air conditioner at the same time.
That 15-minute period could place your home in the higher DemandLevel tier.
So, under the new system, your bill will not be based only on how much electricity you use, it will also be based on how much you use all at once.
Why?
OUC says when many homes and businesses use large amounts of electricity together, OUC may need to turn on more power plants, buy electricity from other sources, or build new equipment. OUC says reducing these busy periods could delay the need for expensive new power plants and help keep future electric rates lower.
OUC said it will lower non-fuel price charged for each kilowatt-hour of electricity by 12.5%, helping to offset most of the new DemandLevel charge. OUC also provides a large amount of money to the City of Orlando. For the 2025-2026 budget year, the City expects to receive approximately $114.4 million from OUC through its annual dividend and franchise fees. That equals about 15% of Orlando’s General Fund. However, OUC says DemandLevel is intended
What To Know
For most customers, DemandLevel will appear on the November 2026 bill, but the tier shown on that bill will be based on your highest 15-minute use during the October billing cycle.
This means homeowners should begin paying attention to energy use in October.
Your tier is not permanent. OUC will calculate it again after every billing cycle. Your home could move into a higher or lower tier each month.
Customers are encourged to sign into their myOUC account and use the Usage Dashboard to see when they use electricity the most.
What You Can Do Today
Stagger Appliance Use: For example, wait to start the clothes dryer until the oven or pool pump is off.
Program Your Thermostat: Minimize cooling costs when you’re away and ensure maximum comfort on your return.
Get Energy-Efficient Upgrades: OUC has several rebates available to help offset the costs of upgrades.
Schedule An Audit: An OUC conservation specialist will help you identify ways to reduce your consumption.
