Planning for 2025 and Beyond
In today’s hyper-connected world, dependable energy is not just a convenience; it’s a lifeline. From powering hospitals and other essential services to fueling homes and businesses, a continuous source of energy is more important than ever. As the leading energy provider in West Central Florida, we are dedicated to delivering dependable, affordable power and a seamless energy experience for every customer, today and in the future. To accomplish this, we must take proactive measures to:
- Meet growing energy demands in our service area due to a rising population and the increasing electrification of homes, businesses and transportation.
- Better prepare for evolving risks, like extreme weather and cyberattacks, by improving the safety and security of critical company facilities.
- Remain focused on long-term affordability by maintaining close control of costs while making sound investments to deliver the service and reliability our customers deserve.
We’re investing in grid modernization, adopting smart technologies and streamlining our operations for efficiency. These efforts can also translate into lower electricity bills for customers over time.
On December 9, 2024, the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) approved Tampa Electric’s rates for 2025, which will take effect Jan. 1. The bill for a residential customer who uses 1,000 kilowatt-hours a month will be $145.58, an increase of 6.7 percent, or $9.14. With this increase, Tampa Electric’s residential rates remain among the lowest in Florida and below the national average.
Small commercial rates will decrease by 3 percent. Medium and large commercial and industrial customers will see an increase of 9 to 14 percent, depending on usage.
Our new bill amounts include fuel and other clauses, but they do not include storm restoration costs, which will be filed at a later date.
Learn more about the work we’re doing to deliver more value to you.
Proposed 2025 Rates
Our new rates allow us to enhance reliability and improve resiliency against storms and cyberattacks, provide more convenience to customers and increase energy generation with the least amount of fuel possible, which helps us keep customer bills as low as possible over time. Our investments include:
Enhancing reliability, resiliency and security
Tampa Electric will continue delivering 99.98 percent service reliability for our customers by investing in system maintenance and improvements that strengthen our resiliency to extreme weather events and other service risks.
We’re investing in technology and enhancements to our telecommunication systems that enable the automatic and remote restoration of service. Where more in-depth repairs are needed, these technologies allow us to diagnose and repair problems more quickly, reducing the time and cost to restore service.
Learn more about the work we’re doing to deliver 99.98 percent reliability to you.
To address the growing risks to our service, such as extreme weather and cybersecurity threats, we’re upgrading our energy management systems and moving critical facilities further inland, away from potential storm surge and flooding. These proactive measures allow us to meet increasing security expectations and requirements, as well as mitigate potential system damage.
We’ll continue to expand and leverage smart technology across more than 200,000 street and area lights in West Central Florida. We’re improving and exploring technology that helps us to ensure the reliability of our lighting to help keep our roadways safe and reduce crime. This technology includes smart city applications, which allow faster repairs and reduce maintenance costs by automatically notifying us when a light goes out. Other technologies include smart city applications and solar-powered streetlights that remain operational during outages and after extreme weather conditions, delivering lighting our community can count on.
Reducing fuel and operating costs to keep customer bills as low as possible
Tampa Electric is committed to offering energy that is both reliable and affordable. To achieve this commitment, we're focusing on projects and investments that reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, improve efficiency and lower costs and emissions.
We’re investing in upgrades to our equipment and introducing technological advancements at our existing power plants to optimize their efficiency, reducing fuel costs and lowering emissions. A prime example is turbine modifications under way at our Bayside Power Station. The project will lower operating costs and emissions, as well as reduce start-up time. This allows for faster response when energy demand is high or when we need to supplement intermittent energy sources, like solar, during cloud cover or darkness.
As we continue to shift power generation to solar, our investments will help protect customers from fuel price volatility. Since 2017, our solar projects have saved customers more than $314 million in fuel costs. Today, Tampa Electric generates energy from 1,252 MW of solar capacity, with plans to add another 490 MW by the end of 2026. At that time, we’ll have enough solar energy to power more than 260,000 homes.
Learn more about the work we’re doing to keep bills as low as possible.
We’re working to lower customers’ costs by maximizing our use of lower-cost energy. We’re adding more than 115 MW of energy storage capacity – estimated to power about 18,000 homes. The storage will extend the use of low-cost electricity and can delay the need to invest in new power plants.
Please watch our video to learn more.
Frequently Asked Questions
We know you may have questions about our rate request. If you don't find an answer here, please contact us.
Proposed 2025 Rates
A. On December 19, 2024, the Florida Public Service Commission approved Tampa Electric’s rates for 2025, which will take effect Jan. 1.
- The bill for a residential customer who uses 1,000 kilowatt-hours a month will be $145.58, an increase of 6.7 percent, or $9.14. With this increase, Tampa Electric’s residential rates will remain among the lowest in Florida and below the national average.
- Small commercial rates will decrease by 3 percent. Medium and large commercial and industrial customers will see an increase of 9 to 14 percent, depending on usage.
The projected rates do not include storm restoration costs, which will be filed at a later date.
A. Beginning January 1. 2025, a typical residential customer’s total bill will increase by 6.7 percent, or $9.14, to $145.58 for 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of use. Residential rates would remain one of the lowest in Florida and below the national average. Small commercial rates will decrease by 3 percent. Medium and large commercial and industrial customers will see an increase of 9 to 14 percent, depending on usage. The projected rates do not include storm restoration costs, which will be filed at a later date.
A. Our new rates allow us to enhance reliability, resiliency and security by strengthening our system, upgrading critical facilities, improving power outage response and advancing streetlight technology. With our new rates, we can continue to improve power plant efficiency and generate more solar energy - actions that reduce fuel and operating costs to help us keep customer bills as low as possible in the long term.
A. Tampa Electric charges a Storm Surcharge on customers’ bills after severe weather to recover expenses related to the prompt restoration of service. In 2022, we initiated a Storm Surcharge for Hurricane Ian and Tropical Storm Nicole. This charge is set to expire at the end of 2024. Currently, we are working to identify the most cost-effective way to recover expenses related to our prompt power restoration efforts following Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Our new rates do not include storm restoration costs, which will be filed at a later date. It's important to note that the Public Service Commission (PSC) has the final say on the requested increase.
About My Bill
A. Yes, we want to help our customers who are facing hardships, which is why we’ve developed programs and partnerships to offer utility bill payment support for those in need. Tampa Electric offers flexible payment extensions to qualifying customers, allowing them more time to pay their bills. To request a payment arrangement, log in to TECOaccount.com and click on Payment Arrangement to complete our request form. If additional assistance is needed, you can call 888-223-0800 (Residential) or 866-832-6249 (Business) on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tampa Electric also offers nearly 30 energy-efficiency programs and money-back rebates to help you save energy and money. For a comprehensive list of available programs, please visit residential Save Energy or business Save Energy.
Learn more about programs and services that can help.
A. We are committed to helping customers manage their bills. Whenever possible, we offer flexible payment arrangements and partner with community agencies to connect qualified customers to assistance with expenses and utility bills. If you need help paying your electric bill, call us at 888-223-0800 (Residential) or 866-832-6249 (Business). For additional resources on financial assistance, visit residential Payment Assistance and business Payment Assistance.
A. Tampa Electric offers nearly 30 energy-saving programs to help customers save on their electric bills. These include time-of-day and interruptible-energy programs, online and in-person energy audits and rebates on select energy-efficient equipment. For a comprehensive list of available programs, visit residential Save Energy or business Save Energy.
Tampa Electric’s interactive bill, available at TECOaccount.com, is another great resource. Customers can access personalized insights, such as a monthly and yearly usage comparison, with actionable recommendations on how to save energy. For additional everyday energy-saving tips, visit residential SavingsTips and business SavingsTips.
A. Beginning January 1, 2025, Tampa Electric’s residential customers will pay $145.58 for 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity. This makes our rates among the lowest in Florida and below the national average – a placement where our rates have consistently ranked over the years
Rate Setting Process
A. To ensure fair and reasonable rates for customers, investor-owned utilities, like Tampa Electric, are regulated by the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC). An electric utility company uses a rate case to formally request an adjustment to the base rate component of customer bills. The PSC holds public hearings on proposed rate changes, allowing customers to voice their concerns and objections to the proposed rates. Ultimately, the PSC has the final say on the amount Tampa Electric can charge customers, and that decision is based on its examination of the company’s carefully considered costs to provide reliable and safe electric service, along with an opportunity to earn a reasonable return on our capital investments. Additional information about how the PSC regulates utilities is available at FloridaPSC.com.
A. Customers can contact the PSC directly by calling 1-800-342-3552, by email at contact@psc.state.fl.us or online through the PSC Contact Form.
