TECO Energy Planner and Solar: Compare the Required Rate Change

Build one baseline from the actual account

Check the electric provider and rate schedule on your current bill. A Tampa mailing address does not by itself establish Tampa Electric service or Energy Planner enrollment. Collect twelve complete billing periods with start and end dates, billed kWh, charges and adjustments. Keep unusual occupancy, a new EV or a pool change in a separate notes column rather than quietly modifying the historical numbers.

Create a dated comparison sheet with a row for every input: source document, measurement period, units, person who supplied it and whether it is measured or assumed. Keep account numbers and login credentials out of public messages. Origin can review a proposal from the bill and project information you choose to share; it does not need your utility password.

Make the three cases answer different questions

Case A is the household on its current Energy Planner arrangement. Case B holds the same household demand and comparison period constant but applies the confirmed standard residential rate without solar. Case C uses that same rate and demand with the proposed solar production and export assumptions. Use one common tariff date when comparing modeled cases; show actual historical bills separately if their rates differ.

The difference between A and B isolates the modeled rate change. The difference between B and C isolates the modeled utility-bill effect of solar. The overall A-to-C comparison still matters to the household, but it should not be described as entirely caused by the panels. Add any solar payment and other agreed ongoing costs separately before discussing the household budget. This framework is a comparison method, not a forecast that every case saves money.

Use a worked input check before calculating savings

Hypothetical example: twelve bills total 14,400 kWh. One proposal models 12,000 kWh because it used only a few mild months; another uses 16,000 kWh because it assumes a future vehicle. Neither is the unchanged historical baseline. Start all three cases with 14,400 kWh, then make the vehicle scenario a separately labeled comparison. No electricity price or solar payment is assumed in this example.

For each case, list annual consumption, modeled solar generation, energy used onsite, exports, grid purchases and remaining charges in separate rows. Ask the reviewer to explain the measurement boundary and time resolution behind each number. Annual generation alone cannot tell you how much production coincides with household demand. If detailed usage is unavailable, label the timing assumption and show how a different assumption affects the result instead of presenting false precision.

Keep schedule changes visible

Energy Planner uses time-dependent pricing and equipment scheduling. [2] Record the routines your household actually follows: EV charging, pool operation, water heating and temperature schedules. Ask which routines the proposal assumes will continue and which are different. A comparison should not silently give one case a more favorable lifestyle than another.

For example, moving a recurring load into daylight may be a reasonable scenario to discuss, but the household must be able and willing to follow it. Keep an unchanged-routine case beside any proposed change. If storage is included, request its separate operating assumptions, losses and scope. Do not treat a battery as proof that the Energy Planner eligibility restriction disappears, and do not change electrical or control settings based on this worksheet.

Confirm the transition before accepting the proposal

Ask Tampa Electric how the change applies to your account, when it takes effect and what happens to program devices or enrollment obligations. Save the response with the date and reference number. Ask the proposal team to identify the applicable rate source, remaining utility charges and any unresolved transition questions in writing. The utility controls account treatment; Origin does not approve the tariff.

At the decision stage, compare the same installed equipment, scope, exclusions and payment terms against the corrected bill model. Keep uncertain future rates as explicit scenarios rather than increasing inflation until a preferred payback appears. After activation, compare actual bills with the documented assumptions using matched periods. A difference is a reason to investigate usage, rates or performance; it is not automatically a system fault.

Primary sources

1. Tampa Electric: Connecting Your Solar

   Checked October 16, 2026 for the Energy Planner restriction and standard residential rate transition. Confirm the current account-specific rate with Tampa Electric.

2. Tampa Electric: Energy Planner

   Checked October 16, 2026 for program eligibility and time-based scheduling. Published example rates are not a personalized solar savings estimate.

Planning examples and questions are Origin’s editorial guidance, not a property-specific diagnosis, engineering design, tax determination or promise of savings. Manufacturer and utility references do not imply an affiliation with Origin.

Related guidance

• Prepare twelve months of usage
• Compare the complete Tampa proposal
• Understand year-end credit settlement
• Tampa project planning