On Tampa Bay Rays Opening Day, Duke Energy Pledges Funds For Florida Customers Facing Financial Hardships

Duke Energy marks Opening Day of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball season with additional commitments to Floridians. The company and its foundation will donate $1,000 to its Share the Light Fund for every Rays regular-season game win, providing financial support to Florida customers.

“Duke Energy Florida is proud to serve each of our 2 million customers each day. During life’s challenging times we remain committed, which can be seen through the availability of our assistance programs,” said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. “Partnerships with organizations with a strong platform, like the Tampa Bay Rays, offer us a great opportunity to reach more of our customers in need.”

The Share the Light Fund is a customer assistance program to help Florida residents pay utility expenses. Employees, retirees, customers and Duke Energy shareholders contribute to these funds. Donations are then matched dollar for dollar, up to $500,000, by the Duke Energy Foundation.

In 2024, nearly $750,000 in energy bill assistance was distributed to qualifying Florida customers through the company’s Share the Light Fund.

All funds received by Share the Light Fund are distributed to social service agencies in each of the company’s 35-county territory, such as United Way Suncoast, on a monthly basis, to assist Duke Energy Florida customers in need. Click here to find a listing of service providers by county.

Additionally, Duke Energy offers tools and resources to help customers take control of their energy use and save money. Energy and bill management programs, including Usage Alerts, inform customers when their bills may be higher than normal so they may make adjustments before their bill arrives.

Financial assistance programs, incentives and rates made available by the company include:

• Home Energy Checks – free in-person, online or phone evaluations of your home’s energy efficiency, as well as recommendations for improvement.
• Home Improvement Rebate Programs – rebates for energy efficiency upgrades made around your home (only if you have completed a Home Energy Check first).
• Income-Qualified Weatherization Program – free installation of energy efficiency upgrades around your home (only if you have an income less than 200% of federal poverty guidelines).
• EnergyWise® Home Program – annual bill credits for automatically reducing your energy usage during periods of high demand.
• Time-of-Use Rate Program – lowered rates for shifting your energy usage away from the three to six hours a day when demand typically surges.  
• Budget Billing – predictable monthly energy bills regardless of changes in your energy usage or the weather.
• Share the Light Fund – funds distributed by participating agencies to help pay electric bills, deposits and connection/reconnection charges.

The following low-cost or no-cost tips can help lower energy usage as well:

• Reduce your thermostat to the lowest comfortable setting. The smaller the difference between the temperature inside your home and outside, the lower your energy usage and the greater the savings.
• Change your air filter and schedule regular maintenance for your heating systems. Maintaining your heating systems can help increase efficiency.
• Set your water heater to 120 degrees to manage water heating, which is typically the second biggest user of energy in your home.
• Caulk, seal and weatherstrip air leaks in windows, doors and vents to save 10% to 20% in heating and cooling costs.
• Replace standard bulbs with LEDs, which are more efficient than regular bulbs, while giving off the same amount of light.
  • Replacing just six of your most frequently used bulbs with LEDs can save up to $480 over the lifetime of the bulbs.

To learn more about these programs, including Share the Light Fund, visit duke-energy.com/SeasonalBills or call the Customer Care number listed on your energy bill.

About Duke Energy Foundation
Duke Energy Foundation provides more than $30 million annually in philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. The Foundation is funded by Duke Energy shareholders.

About Duke Energy Florida
Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 12,300 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 2 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.

Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America’s largest energy holding companies. The company’s electric utilities serve 8.4 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 54,800 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities serve 1.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.

Duke Energy is executing an ambitious energy transition, keeping customer reliability and value at the forefront as it builds a smarter energy future. The company is investing in major electric grid upgrades and cleaner generation, including natural gas, nuclear, renewables and energy storage.

More information is available at duke-energy.com and the Duke Energy News Center. Follow Duke Energy on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook, and visit illumination for stories about the people and innovations powering our energy transition.