TECO customers to see electricity bills rise next year
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Tampa Electric raised its rates — again.
Why it matters: Customers across Hillsborough, Polk, Pasco and Pinellas counties will see their monthly electricity bills rise by about $5 in 2026.
- It's the latest in a string of rate hikes and surcharges implemented throughout this year.
Driving the news: The state Public Service Commission voted unanimously last week to approve Tampa Electric's rate increase to fund new energy storage facilities, solar infrastructure and power plant upgrades.
- When it takes effect, the average Tampa Electric customer will be paying 82% more for electricity than they did in 2020, according to an analysis by environmental group Food & Water Watch.
- A rate hike of $9 to $13 a month already took effect in January. Tampa Electric then added about $20 a month to recover costs from hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton. In June, fuel charges increased by 10%.
The big picture: Tampa Electric customers had the highest energy bills in Florida for June and the second-highest in the nation, WUSF reported.
- Some 200,000 Tampa residents are considered energy burdened, meaning they spend more than 6% of their income on utility bills.
What they're saying: "TECO customers saw some of the nation's highest electricity bills this past summer," Brooke Ward, an organizer with Food & Water Watch, said in a statement. "DeSantis' PSC is to blame."
- "While TECO asks for more money year after year, families are suffocating under the pressure of rising insurance, expensive groceries, volatile gas prices, and record-setting electricity prices," she added.
The other side: "Like utilities across the nation, we face increased costs driven by stronger storms, record heat, and the cost of upgrading a grid built for a different era," said Cherie Jacobs, a spokesperson for Tampa Electric.
- The company acknowledged that its customers have seen higher-than-typical bills this year. Still, it attributed most of that increase to the storm surcharge it levied after the 2024 hurricane season.
What's next: The storm surcharge, which Tampa Electric does not profit from, drops off in September 2026, providing customers with some relief.