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Net Metering Program
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Tampa Electric net metering in Florida

Hillsborough and parts of Polk, Pasco and Pinellas.

Type
Investor owned
Accounts
830K

What they credit you

Full retail rate

Set by state rule

One kilowatt hour out is worth one kilowatt hour in.

Month to month
Credits roll forward month to month, for no more than twelve months.
Once a year
At the end of each calendar year the utility pays out any unused credits at an average annual rate based on its COG-1 as-available energy tariff, which is well below the retail rate.
System size
The state rule caps generation at 90% of your distribution service rating. Your utility may also cap the system against your own past usage; where it does, that is its own policy rather than the rule, and it is shown on this page.

Set by Florida PSC Rule 25-6.065 · checked 2026-08-26

Installers serving TECO customers

Pick one. Only the company you choose receives your details, and only that company calls you.

Not sure which to choose?

These are real companies operating in TECO territory. EPC Solar and Bold Energy are listed first because they are the companies we introduce first. Volt Home is listed last. That order is our choice, not a score. The other companies are ordered by reviews, years trading and BBB grade. None of them pays us for placement. Pick the one you want and we will call you to arrange it.

Ordering combines three things we read from primary sources: Google review count and rating, years trading taken from the company’s Better Business Bureau profile rather than its own marketing, and its BBB letter grade. BBB accreditation is shown but never scored, because it is a paid membership rather than a mark of quality.

Check any contractor license yourself at the state register. Do that before you sign anything, with any company, including ours.

What this looks like on a TECO bill

An average Florida household, against a system sized to cover its year. The energy charge is the part that goes to zero. The fixed monthly charge underneath it is the part that never does, and it is the number that decides whether a system pays for itself.

Meter readingkWh
Energy charge$153.46
$153.46
Minimum monthly bill$13.69
Still due$13.69
DirectionReading…

Meter reading falling from 41926 to 41618 kilowatt hours. A 1,104 kilowatt hour month against 1,412 kilowatt hours produced leaves 0 kilowatt hours billed and 308 banked for next month, so the energy charge falls from $153.46 to $0.00 at 13.90 cents per kilowatt hour. A fixed monthly charge of $13.69 still applies and is not offset.

Florida average household use, 1,104 kWh a month, at this provider’s own published residential rate. The fixed charge is its minimum bill: it lands at zero kilowatt hours, so nothing you generate removes it. Tampa Electric, Important Rate Information, January 2026, storm surcharge expired August 2026.

TECO is investor owned, so Florida PSC Rule 25-6.065 applies and these terms are set by the state rather than by a board that can revise them. That is the strongest position a homeowner can be in on net metering.

What TECO bills you anyway

In a month when your production covers everything you use, the energy charge can reach zero. This does not. It is the floor under every bill, and it is the number that decides whether a system pays for itself.

The charge
$0.45 a day, about $13.69 a month
How it is set
Tampa Electric states the Basic Service Charge per day rather than per month, at $0.45, which works out at roughly $13.69 over an average month and moves with the length of the billing cycle. Read the January 2026 rate insert with care: it prints the figure as "0.45 cents per day", which would be fourteen cents a month. That is a unit slip in the insert itself; the January 2023 edition of the same document gives the same field as "$0.71 per day".

Standard Residential Rate (RS), Important Rate Information, January 2026 · checked 2026-09-19 · source

Applying to TECO

What TECO itself requires, as distinct from what the state rule requires. Read from its own published guidelines on the date shown.

Apply after install, not before
TECO’s process starts once the system is installed. This is the opposite of FPL, which wants the application approved before you buy anything. If your installer works across territories, make sure they are following the right one for you.
How long it takes
Up to 30 calendar days from a complete application, and approval also depends on TECO inspecting the installation and accepting your disconnect switch.
If your system is 10 kW AC or less
Tier 1. No application fee. You file the Tier 1 agreement, tariff Section 8 sheet 8.1000, with your inverter’s manufacturer instructions and proof of local code inspection.
A disconnect switch even at Tier 1
TECO requires a manual disconnect of visible load break type next to the meter at every tier, including Tier 1. Duke Energy explicitly does not require one at Tier 1, so this is a real difference between neighboring territories.
TECO pays for that switch
Reimbursement up to $320 for single-phase and $395 for three-phase. We have not found another Florida utility that reimburses it. If your quote charges you for the switch, ask whether they are claiming this back.
The placard is not optional
The switch needs a placard reading ON-SITE GENERATION UTILITY DISCONNECT SWITCH, engraved or stamped, and you must submit a photo of it with the application. Installations get held up on this specific detail.
If your system is over 10 kW AC
Tier 2, sheet 8.1035: a $250 application fee and proof of not less than $1,000,000 general liability. Above 100 kW it is Tier 3, sheet 8.1070, a $500 fee and $2,000,000 cover.
Insurance is an annual obligation
At Tier 2 and Tier 3 you must email an updated declaration page to PVInsuranceRenewal@tecoenergy.com every year. It is not a one-off at application, and letting it lapse is your problem rather than your installer’s.
Read the electrical standards first
TECO requires you to have read its Electrical Standards and to agree to them during the application; the application cannot be submitted otherwise.

From TECO’s published guidelines · checked 2026-08-26 · source

TECO net metering questions

Does TECO offer one for one net metering?
Yes. One kilowatt hour out is worth one kilowatt hour in. Credits roll forward month to month, for no more than twelve months.
What does TECO pay for power sent back to the grid?
Full retail rate. At the end of each calendar year the utility pays out any unused credits at an average annual rate based on its COG-1 as-available energy tariff, which is well below the retail rate.
Do I need a battery with TECO?
Not for the economics. TECO credits exports at the retail rate, so power you send out during the day comes back at the same value after dark without storage. A battery is still worth considering for outages during hurricane season, but it is an upgrade here rather than a requirement.
How do I find my TECO bill?
Sign in at tampaelectric.com or open the Tampa Electric app. Go to My Account, then Billing history. Open the most recent bill and save the PDF. Or screenshot the summary showing your total and kWh used. If you cannot get to it, a rough guess at your average monthly amount is enough to start.