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Saturday, July 11, 2026

GRU rates unchanged but summer heat is driving customer bills higher

With temperatures reaching the upper 90s across north-central Florida, Gainesville Regional Utilities customers are seeing significantly higher electric bills driven by increased air conditioning use. GRU CEO Edward Belarski confirmed the utility has not raised its rates, attributing the higher bills entirely to greater energy consumption as cooling systems work harder in the extreme heat. One customer reported a monthly bill approaching $700, with the bulk of that cost attributed to HVAC usage.

Sources: WCJB TV20

Storms knock out power to 3,000 GRU customers; most service restored by evening

Thunderstorms swept through the Gainesville area Friday afternoon, bringing hail and cutting power to roughly 3,000 Gainesville Regional Utilities customers, with outages concentrated in the eastern part of the service area. By 9:30 p.m., GRU had restored service to most affected customers, leaving about 230 still without power. Clay Electric reported approximately 245 outages in Alachua County, while Duke Energy had fewer than 100, mainly in northern Marion County.

Sources: WCJB TV20

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