A. The Sun Select program is designed for customers who support renewable energy but are unable to install solar panels on their home or business: maybe they live in multi-family housing, or their lot is too shady, or they rent a home.

A. Your monthly Tampa Electric bill will include your subscribed solar portion as its own line item with a solar charge. Tampa Electric then removes the fuel charge for the solar portion of your bill.

A. Your monthly Tampa Electric bill will include your subscribed solar portion as its own line item with a solar charge. Tampa Electric then removes the fuel charge for the solar portion of your bill.

A. Rooftop solar requires installing your own solar panels on your roof. Sun Select operates on a shared model – using massive solar arrays built and maintained by Tampa Electric – so that you can enjoy solar power while we do all the work and maintenance.

A. Now everyone can enjoy solar. Sun Select is shared – so you can participate without installing and maintaining solar panels of your own – regardless of whether you rent, own or live in an area with lots of shade. There's no equipment to install, no upfront costs and no long-term contract. Plus, when you sign up, you lock in a portion of your rate and avoid fluctuating fuel costs for the portion of your energy that's solar. You can also feel good about supporting a form of electricity generation that is cleaner and safer for the environment and our community.

A. Both residential and commercial (business) customers can participate:

• Residential and small business customers can purchase locally generated solar power to match 25%, 50% or even 100% of the electricity they use.
• Large business or commercial customers can choose to purchase solar in increments of 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) – as few or as many as needed but cannot exceed monthly usage. For example, if average monthly usage over a 12-month period is 9,500 kWh, you cannot purchase more than 9,000 kWh.

A. You're ineligible to participate if you're a residential customer who has:

• Budget Billing customers will be eligible to enroll at the end of July 2019
• Energy Planner
• Separately billed lighting accounts
• Solar panels on your home

You're ineligible to participate if you're a commercial/business customer who has:

• Standby generator service
• Time of use rate
• GSLM-3 standby rider
• Separately billed lighting accounts
• Solar panels on your business

A. Tampa Electric serves about 2,000 square miles in West Central Florida, covering most of Hillsborough County and parts of Polk, Pasco and Pinellas counties. For new customers see if you're in our service area.

A. In order to keep our bills as simple and easy to understand, and to increase accessibility to solar for customers who are unable to install solar on their rooftop, we are not offering Sun Select to customers with their own solar panels at this time. Check out this page for more about how to install your own solar panels.

A. Solar power generated through the Sun Select shared solar sites goes directly to the local power grid, providing clean energy for the whole community, including your home or business. This directly reduces the amount of energy that is generated at our traditional power plants. Through your continued support, we hope solar and renewable energy sources will become a larger part of the overall energy grid in the Tampa Bay area and surrounding communities.

A. All our solar facilities are located in West Central Florida. Learn more about large solar projects, and the amount of power they generate. 

A. The amount of energy generated varies from one solar facility to the next, based on the size of the facility and weather conditions in the area. Get more detailed information here. 

A. The Sun Select program includes a small Sun Select solar charge, based on usage, that pays for building and maintaining the solar plant. Over time, it is about the same cost as installing solar panels on your roof. In exchange, fuel charges are waived for the same portion of use.

For example:
A residential or small business customer who participates in Sun Select will no longer incur a fuel charge of about 2.9 cents to 3.9 cents per kWh. Instead, they will be charged a fixed Sun Select solar charge of 6.3 cents per kWh.

A residential or small business customer who chooses to replace 100 percent of their electricity bill with solar from Sun Select will see an increase of about $1 per day. (Based on a 1,000 kwh/month bill.)

A residential customer who chooses to replace 50 percent of their electricity bill with solar from Sun Select will see an increase of about 50 cents per day. (Based on a 1,000 kwh/month bill.)

A. Large commercial customers will be charged a fixed Sun Select solar charge of 6.3 cents per kWh for the amount of solar purchased from Sun Select, and the respective fuel charges will be waived. For the portion of their energy that comes from traditional power plants, the typical fuel charge will still apply.

A. Residential and small business customers can elect to have 25%, 50% or 100% of their total electricity come from solar energy. Larger commercial and business customers can purchase solar in increments of 1,000 kWh – as few or as many as needed, up to their average usage.

A. Initially, you will not save money. Just like installing rooftop panels, this program is an investment in renewable energy. Over time, Sun Select does have the potential to save long-term fuel costs. This program works best for customers with a strong support of renewable energy. If you are looking to save money on your bill, we offer several energy-saving programs like our free Energy Audit and Energy Planner that can help you manage your energy costs. Learn more about all these programs.

A. Absolutely not – all you need to do is sign up.

A. No, there are no upfront costs or fees, nor are there any fees associated with leaving the program.

A. There is no long-term contract or commitment. Try it out and see for yourself if Sun Select is right for you. If not, you may cancel anytime.

A. You will receive an email indicating your subscription level. On the first month's bill after you are enrolled, you will see an important message on your bill indicating your participation in the program. Your Sun Select solar purchase will reflect on the second billing period after you enroll.

A. There is no long-term contract or commitment, so you may cancel anytime.

A. We have a handy waiting list that, once you join, will alert you via email when there is solar available for subscription. If you self-serve, you will be guided to the wait list. If you call 813-275-3909, a Tampa Electric customer representative will place you on the Sun Select wait list.

A. There is no fee to cancel the Sun Select program, but please be aware that if you cancel and want to reenroll, you will be placed on a waiting list if the program is fully subscribed when you attempt to reenroll.

A. Absolutely. Simply log into your account and submit your changes, or call Tampa Electric's Energy Management Services, Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm. Please be aware that if the program is full, your increase may be waitlisted until we build more Sun Select shared solar sites or availability opens up.

A. Your Sun Select subscription stays with you as long as you are relocating within the Tampa Electric service area.

A. If you plan to install solar panels of your own, check out our information on connecting your solar to the Tampa Electric grid.
If you are hosting an event in the Tampa area and need green energy to power it, consider our Sun to Go program. This is another option if you already have solar panels of your own.

A. In further support of renewable energy, we're helping our customers transition into electric vehicles.

We are also known for our popular, and free, Manatee Viewing Center, butterfly gardens and nature habitat trails, which connect to our Florida Conservation and Technology Center and were built in partnership with the Florida Aquarium and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.