This is the total amount owed for electric service.

This is the period of time that’s included on a bill. The number of days in a billing period may fluctuate due to weekends, holidays or changes in the date we read the meter.

These charges are associated with any outdoor lighting services leased from Tampa Electric.

This optional, free program averages past energy use to spread electricity costs over time, giving participants more predictable payments from month-to-month, even with changes in energy use, rates or fees. Budget Billing is not a discount plan. Customers are responsible for the total amount of energy they use. 

While on the Budget Billing program, the bill may show a deferred balance. This is the difference between the cost of the actual energy used and the amount charged through the program. 

We review each Budget Billing participant’s account annually and periodically throughout the year and adjust the monthly payment based on changes in usage, rates or fees. Monthly payment amounts may increase or decrease based on these reviews.

At annual and periodic review:

If a deferred balance is positive, more energy was used than paid for, or the cost of that energy changed. The difference will be included in the new payment amount over the next 12 months - the adjusted monthly Budget Billing amount will include 1/12^th of the deferred balance.

At your annual review ONLY:

If your deferred balance is negative at the end of a participant's enrollment period, they paid for more energy than they used and will receive full credit on the bill following their enrollment anniversary date. 

This charge recovers costs associated with dismantling and retiring certain coal-fired units and other equipment.

This is a daily fee that covers the cost of providing and maintaining a customer’s electric meter and service drops, as well as account services such as meter reading, record retention and billing. Every customer pays this charge for each day of their billing cycle, including any days they don’t use electricity.

The Electric Service Cost includes all electric service charges and credits before any franchise fees and any municipal public service taxes are applied.

The Energy Charge is for the cost of producing and delivering the electricity a customer used, excluding any fuel charges. It includes a Conservation Charge, which helps fund programs that reduce energy use; an Environmental Charge, which recovers costs for programs and rules that protect the environment; and a Capacity Cost Recovery Charge, which recovers expenses for Tampa Electric's purchased power.

Energy Planner is an optional, free energy-saving program that allows customers to shift energy usage to times when electricity costs less. A sample bill for an Energy Planner customer is provided below for reference.

If a bill lists “estimated” in the “current reading” area, we were unable to read the meter on the meter-reading date. This can happen, for example, if the meter didn’t transmit data or if we were unable to access the meter to read it in person. To estimate as accurately as possible, we calculate the amount due based on the customer’s past electricity use and recent weather conditions. We’ll read the meter the following month and adjust the bill to reflect any usage differences. Each customer only pays for the electricity they used.

This is a state tax on electric service. We collect this tax from non-exempt customers and remit it to the state.  

This is a state sales tax on the electricity a customer purchases/uses. We collect this tax from non-exempt customers and remit it to the state. Residential customers don’t pay this tax (they’re exempt).

This is a fee assessed by a customer’s local government for Tampa Electric’s use of public land, such as streets and rights‑of‑way, to deliver electricity. We collect this fee, if applicable, and submit it to the local government.

This is the cost of the fuel used to generate electricity.

An online Interactive Bill is available to provide customers an overview of their energy usage, billing details and account history. It also offers personalized energy-saving tips and daily, weekly and monthly usage insights to help understand bill fluctuations.

A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a unit of energy measuring 1,000 watts used continuously for one hour (1kW x 1 hour = 1 kWh).

This is a charge added to a bill when payment is not received by the due date.

This is a local government tax on electricity used. If a customer's municipality charges this tax, Tampa Electric collects it and remits it to the municipality.

This credit represents the value of any customer-generated electricity sent to the grid, usually from solar panels. The credit is applied to the applicable customer account.

A paperless bill is an electronic version of a bill. Instead of receiving a bill in the mail, enrolled customers receive a text or email notifying them their bill is ready to view online. To switch to Paperless Billing, log in to your online account and select Paperless Billing.

Past-due balances are charges that were not paid by the due date and remain unpaid at the time of billing. These balances are subject to a late payment charge and may result in power interruption (disconnection) if not paid as required.

Prime Time Plus is an optional, free residential energy-saving program that provides monthly bill credits in exchange for letting Tampa Electric temporarily interrupt power to certain appliances during periods of extremely high energy demand. A sample bill for a customer on this program is provided below for reference.

A rate schedule is a listing of electric rates. Rates vary by customer type, such as residential or industrial.

Share is a program of Tampa Electric and Peoples Gas that is available to help pay energy bills. A Share charge on a bill means the customer contributed to the program. A Share credit on the bill appears for customers who’ve received payment assistance from the program. 

The Storm Protection Charge funds work to strengthen the electric system against potential impacts from severe weather. These investments help minimize and shorten power outages and reduce power restoration time and costs.

The Storm Surcharge is a temporary charge that recovers costs Tampa Electric paid to restore service and repair damage caused by named storms. These costs include repairing or replacing damaged equipment, such as poles, cables and transformers, as well as the personnel and resources needed to restore service. Learn about the current storm surcharge.

This charge represents the cost of any solar energy purchased from our Sun Select program. Participants of this optional program do not pay a fuel charge for the Sun Select portion of their bill.

Sun to Go is an optional program that allows customers to purchase solar–generated electricity.

This is an optional program that provides advanced surge protection for your home or business. Charges vary based on the selected package and/or equipment.