TECO (Tampa Electric) in 2026: rates per kWh, fixed charge, and net metering

Tampa Electric (TECO) is the electric utility for Hillsborough County and parts of Pasco, Pinellas and Polk. In 2026 it added up to about 15.9¢ per kWh on the first 1,000 kWh (energy + fuel + clauses, before taxes), dropping to about 13.9¢ from September when the storm surcharge ended. Its net metering credits 1 to 1 at your energy rate, with an annual settlement at a generation rate.

Who does TECO serve?

Tampa Electric serves about 870,000 customers, 92,000 of them businesses, across 2,000 square miles: all of Hillsborough County and parts of Pasco, Pinellas and Polk, per its own service-area page. If you live in Tampa, Brandon, Riverview, Plant City or Apollo Beach, your bill is from TECO. In St. Petersburg the utility is Duke, and in Lakeland the city core is Lakeland Electric with TECO in parts of Polk County.

How much does TECO charge per kWh in 2026?

The official sheet of approved rates for January 2026 breaks the standard residential (RS) rate down like this:

The totals are our arithmetic on the published components; gross receipts tax, municipal taxes and franchise fee are missing. TECO reported that the 1,000 kWh bill rose $8.88 in January 2026 and that the storm surcharge, spread over 18 months (March 2025 to August 2026), has ended, so bills go down from September through December 2026. EnergySage, using real bills, reports an 18¢/kWh average in Tampa, the highest of Florida’s three big utilities.

The sheet prints the fixed charge as “0.45 per day”; look at the Basic Service Charge line on your own bill for the exact monthly amount. What each line means is in how to read your TECO bill.

Does TECO have a minimum bill?

There is no separate “minimum bill” charge on the 2026 rate sheet, unlike the $30 at FPL and Duke. What you always pay, whatever you produce, is the daily Basic Service Charge plus taxes and franchise fee. It is a lower minimum bill than the other two utilities, which is why TECO customers with a good roof tend to see the smallest bills in the state: we have a real case in Tampa with a $13.67 bill.

Heads up: TECO having no minimum bill today does not mean it cannot ask for one in a future rate case. FPL and Duke got theirs in 2021 agreements. We design and guarantee on the rules in force, and we say it plainly: this can change.

How does net metering work with TECO?

Tampa Electric puts it in one sentence: the surplus you generate goes to the grid and “you will receive a credit based on your current retail energy rate.” Your bill shows kWh Delivered (what TECO gave you) and kWh Received (what your panels sent), and they net out. The rest of the rules come from PSC Rule 25-6.065 and TECO’s connection pages:

• Monthly credit: surplus kWh is credited to the following month.
• Annual true-up: at the end of the calendar year, unused credits are paid at an average rate based on TECO’s COG-1. That is “as-available” energy: not much.
• Tiers and fees: Tier 1 (10 kW AC or less) no application fee; Tier 2 (over 10 up to 100 kW) $250; Tier 3 (100 kW to 2 MW) $500.
• Insurance: Tier 2 not less than $1,000,000 general liability; Tier 3 not less than $2,000,000; annual renewal sent to TECO. Batteries up to 15 kW require $100,000 and above 15 kW $1,000,000.
• Timeline: up to 30 calendar days from a complete application, plus a TECO inspection; failed visit $37.
• Meter: TECO installs the bidirectional meter; nothing is turned on without it.

The full version, with examples of a negative bill at settlement, is in net metering in Florida.

Does TECO have a time-of-use rate?

It has Energy Planner (RSVP-1), a plan with low, medium, high and critical prices by hour, with energy at 8.462¢/kWh on the January 2026 sheet versus 9.569¢ on the standard plan. But TECO says it without hedging: Energy Planner is not available to customers with net-metered solar; when the bidirectional meter goes in you move to the RS rate. If you are on Energy Planner today, your solar proposal must be compared against what you would pay on RS, not against what you pay now.

How do I download my TECO bill?

Log in at account.tecoenergy.com (TECOaccount) with your account number. There you can view and pay the bill, turn on paperless and open the Interactive Bill with daily, weekly and monthly usage history. For the diagnosis we ask for 12 months; the 13-month kWh chart on the printed bill also works.

What does this mean for sizing your system?

In TECO territory the kWh you replace is among the most expensive in Florida, the fixed charge is low and there is no $30 minimum bill. It is the territory where a home with a good roof and a high bill sees the biggest percentage reduction. But the annual leftover is still worth COG-1, so oversizing does not pay either: we design at ~110% of annual consumption with monthly production shown. Per-watt prices in solar panel cost in Florida 2026. In the Tampa area with TECO the solar subscription is also available: fixed payment for 3 or 5 years, no debt or lien, 30% savings guaranteed by contract on the total bill.

When solar does NOT make sense with TECO

• You are on Energy Planner and already save with nighttime habits: connecting panels removes the plan; the math has to be redone.
• Bill under $100: the absolute savings are small against the investment.
• Roof with less than 4 years of life or unrepaired 2024 storm damage: roof first, and read solar and hurricanes in Florida.
• They promise “the bill goes to zero”: it does not. It goes to the fixed charge plus taxes.

What to check before deciding

• That the proposal uses the September 2026 rate onward (without the 1.995¢ surcharge), not January’s.
• If you are on Energy Planner, that the comparison is against the RS rate.
• Your 12 bills: real monthly usage, not a neighborhood average.
• That the system is Tier 1 (≤10 kW AC) unless your usage justifies more and you accept the fee and insurance.
• That the TECO interconnection is approved before turn-on.