2025 Storm Surcharge
Helping Our Community Recover From Unprecedented Storm Impacts
Recovering from storms is never easy. At Tampa Electric, we’re committed to restoring power quickly and safely while keeping costs as manageable as possible for our customers. Here’s what you need to know about the 2025 Storm Surcharge—and how it supports our community’s recovery.
The 2024 hurricane season was the deadliest and most destructive in more than a century. Our customers were impacted by three major storms—Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton. Hurricane Helene brought unprecedented flooding to West Central Florida, and shortly after, Hurricane Milton caused widespread outages and significant damage from high winds and downed trees.
Over the course of the season, Tampa Electric launched its largest-ever restoration effort, deploying 9,500 workers from across the U.S. and Canada. Thanks to their dedication, power was restored to essentially all customers within one day after Helene and within seven days after Milton.
What is the Storm Surcharge?
In Florida, cost-effective insurance is unavailable to cover the poles and wires most vulnerable to severe weather. Instead, utilities can request a temporary storm surcharge after storms to recover actual restoration costs. This charge:
- Has no markup – Tampa Electric does not profit from it
- Goes directly toward storm recovery and rebuilding
- Was approved by the Florida Public Service Commission on February 4, 2025
What is the Cost?
From March 2025 through August 2026 (18 months), residential customers will see a storm surcharge of $0.01995 per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
Example:
- If you use 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh)/month, your bill will increase by about $20/month.
- If you use more, your storm surcharge will be higher; if you use less, it will be lower.
For commercial and industrial customers, bills will increase by 1 to 12%, depending on usage.
Spreading the surcharge over 18 months helps reduce the monthly impact compared to a shorter recovery period.
What Does it Pay For?
The storm surcharge covers the cost of restoring power after:
- Hurricanes Helene and Milton (2024)
- Tropical Storm Debby (2024)
- Tropical Storm Idalia (2023)
- And replenishing the storm reserve for future events
These costs include:
- Fixing, rebuilding and replacing key equipment like poles, cables and transformers that were damaged or destroyed by strong winds and storm surge
- Supporting thousands of restoration workers with meals, housing, base camps and staging areas and paying for their service
Need Help or Have Questions?
We’re here for you. If you need help managing your bill, please consider our payment assistance options and nearly 30 energy- and money-saving programs.
In the heat of summer, many customers use more energy to keep cool, which causes bills to increase. On our Summer Bills page, we offer tips and resources to help you lower your energy use.
We’re happy to help, and we’re standing by Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at (888) 223-0800.
We know you may have questions about our storm surcharge. If you don't find an answer here, please contact us.
A. From March 2025 through August 2026 (18 months), residential customers will see a storm surcharge of $0.01995 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). For the average customer who uses 1,000 kilowatt-hours/month, that would be a bill increase of about $20. If you use more, your storm surcharge will be higher; if you use less, it will be lower.
Commercial and industrial customers’ bills will increase between 1 and 12%, depending on usage.
It's important to note that storm recovery costs are passed directly on to customers without any markup from Tampa Electric.
A. Storm restoration costs will be recovered over 18 months to reduce the impact to customers’ monthly bills. This storm surcharge will end in August 2026.
A. The new “Storm Surcharge” line item will appear on your bill for an 18-month period, beginning in March 2025.
A. We invested $464 million to restore power. While we prepare year-round for extreme weather, Hurricane Milton presented challenges unlike any we've faced before – requiring the largest restoration deployment in Tampa Electric’s history. Over the course of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the company brought in 9,500 workers from out-of-state utilities, which allowed a speedy recovery.
A. Storm surcharge expenses include the cost of fixing, rebuilding and replacing key equipment, like poles, cables and transformers, that were damaged or destroyed by strong winds and storm surge. The storm surcharge also includes the cost of getting help from thousands of workers across the U.S. and Canada to support a speedy restoration, as well as providing them meals and setting up temporary locations for staging, base camps and housing.
A. In 2022, Tampa Electric promptly restored service after Hurricanes Ian and Nicole impacted our service territory. Tampa Electric paid these storm expenses upfront, and the costs were passed directly to customers without any markup. The storm surcharge to recover those expenses expired on December 31, 2024. The new storm surcharge began in March 2025.
A. We work hard to help mitigate the effects of bill increases. On Jan 1. Tampa Electric increased base rates to allow us to enhance our reliability by strengthening our system, upgrading critical facilities, improving power outage response and improving power plant efficiency and generating more solar energy - actions that reduce fuel and operating costs to help keep customer bills as low as possible in the long term. The temporary storm surcharge allows us to recover the storm restoration expenses we’ve incurred.
A. In Florida, utility rates do not include the cost of restoring power after hurricanes and tropical storms. Instead,
utilities can request a temporary charge after the storms to reflect the actual cost of restoration.
A. In Florida, cost-effective insurance is not available to cover the poles and wires that are most vulnerable to severe weather. Instead, utilities can request a temporary charge after the storms to reflect the actual cost of restoration. There is no markup from Tampa Electric.
A. Our customers are at the forefront of every decision we make. To help control costs in the long term, Tampa Electric is focusing on making smart and meaningful investments. We continuously invest in equipment upgrades and technological advancements at our power plants to convert fuel into electricity with the greatest efficiency possible. We’re also investing in solar energy and energy storage capacity, increasing reliability through a second power generation form and offering customers cost savings.
A. To help those who need it most, Tampa Electric contributed $1 million to our Share program to assist customers who are still struggling with Hurricanes Helene and Milton. This donation provides direct relief to help people pay their utility bills. It comes from shareholder funds and will not affect customer bills.
We have various programs and partnerships that offer support for those who need help with utility bill payments and household expenses. If you need help, call us at 888-223-0800 or visit TampaElectric.com/PayAssist for additional resources.
Tampa Electric also offers nearly 30 energy-efficiency programs and money-back rebates to help customers save money and energy. For a comprehensive list of available programs, please visit TampaElectric.com/Save (Residential) or TampaElectric.com/BizSave (Business). For additional everyday energy-saving tips, visit TampaElectric.com/SavingsTips (Residential) and TampaElectric.com/BizSavingsTips (Business).
A. To learn about the charges on your bill and what they mean, visit TampaElectric.com/AboutMyBill. For more information about the factors, like fuel costs, that affect your bill and how they are calculated, visit TampaElectric.com/UnderstandingPowerCosts. For more information on our rates, visit TampaElectric.com/Rates.
A. To ensure fair and reasonable customer rates, investor-owned utilities, like Tampa Electric, are regulated by the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC). Whenever a rate or charge adjustment is requested, the PSC reviews and discusses the prudency of the request. They also hold 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 the decision is based on the PSC's examination of the company’s carefully considered costs to provide reliable and safe electric service. Additional information about how the PSC regulates utilities is available at FloridaPSC.com.
A. Customers may contact the PSC by calling 1-800-342-3552, emailing contact@psc.state.fl.us or through the PSC Contact Form.
Our commitment to you
Tampa Electric understands that some customers are experiencing financial hardship, and we want to help.
Residential Customers
Tampa Electric partners with community agencies that can connect you to resources. We also offer several programs like Share, free energy audits and billing and payment options that can help you manage and reduce your bill.
Business Customers
If you need help paying your electric bill, Tampa Electric has resources to help. We offer flexible payment arrangements, billing and payment options and more energy- and money-saving programs than any other electric utility in the state.
