TECO bill vs. solar payment: how to run the comparison honestly

Solar savings in Tampa are one subtraction, and it is easy to do wrong.

Step 1: get twelve months, not one

Pull twelve months of TECO statements. A single August bill overstates your annual average badly; a single February bill understates it. Add the twelve totals and divide by twelve. That is your baseline.

Step 2: separate the fixed charges

Your bill is not all energy. Customer charges and certain fixed components remain after solar. A system that offsets most of your consumption does not send your bill to zero, and any proposal that shows a zero should be questioned.

Step 3: add the financed payment

Whatever structure you choose — lease, prepaid lease, PPA or loan — write down the monthly payment for year one and for year ten. If there is an escalator, both numbers differ.

Step 4: subtract

Baseline utility, minus expected residual utility, minus financed payment. That gap is your monthly savings. If it is positive and durable across the escalator schedule, the deal works. If it only works in year one, it is a year-one deal.

Seasonality

Tampa cooling load makes summer months heavy and winter months light. Under net metering, credits banked in shoulder months help cover summer. Read how Florida net metering works before judging any single month's performance.

Read more

• Solar panel cost in Florida
• Are solar panels worth it in Florida?
• Financing programs
• Tampa solar installation

Talk it through with a Tampa crew

Origin is a Tampa-based solar, roofing, battery and electrical contractor (Florida license EC13012465) serving Tampa Bay and Central Florida. Start with the quick questionnaire, compare programs on the financing page, or book a consultation — in person, virtual, or a call back.

Approvals, rates and terms are set by each lender. Nothing here is a guarantee of approval or of savings.