Tampa Electric’s temporary storm surcharge is scheduled to leave residential bills after August 2026. For a customer on the cited Standard Residential schedule, the direct line-item reduction is 1.995 cents for every kilowatt-hour: $9.98 at 500 kWh, $19.95 at 1,000 kWh, and $29.93 at 1,500 kWh.
Those figures are not complete bill forecasts. They isolate the published surcharge. Taxes and franchise fees can also change when the taxable subtotal changes, and an actual bill depends on days, usage, account adjustments, and the rate schedule in effect.
The published 2026 inputs
Tampa Electric’s customer notice lists these Standard Residential components beginning in January 2026 (January 2026 rate notice):
- basic service charge: $0.45 per day;
- energy charge through 1,000 kWh: 9.569¢ per kWh;
- energy charge above 1,000 kWh: 10.569¢ per kWh;
- fuel charge through 1,000 kWh: 3.210¢ per kWh;
- fuel charge above 1,000 kWh: 4.210¢ per kWh;
- storm protection charge: 0.717¢ per kWh;
- clean energy transition mechanism: 0.406¢ per kWh; and
- temporary storm surcharge: 1.995¢ per kWh.
The notice says the storm surcharge, which recovers specified restoration costs, runs through August 2026. It also says taxes and franchise fees can apply in addition to the listed rates.
The utility’s current rate page confirms the September removal and describes a $19.95 reduction per 1,000 kWh (Tampa Electric rate update).
Our calculation method
We used a 30-day billing period, making the basic charge $13.50. We did not add gross-receipts tax, municipal public-service tax, franchise fee, late charge, optional-program amount, credit, or prior balance.
For the first 1,000 kWh, the listed variable components total:
9.569 + 3.210 + 0.717 + 0.406 + 1.995 = 15.897 cents/kWhAbove 1,000 kWh, the energy and fuel tiers each rise by one cent, so the listed variable total is 17.897 cents/kWh.
After the storm surcharge is removed, subtract 1.995 cents from each kWh. We held every other listed component constant solely to show the surcharge effect. That is a controlled comparison, not a prediction that no other rate will change.
Three worked usage levels
| Monthly use | January–August subtotal | Surcharge removed | Illustrated subtotal after removal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 kWh | $92.99 | −$9.98 | $83.01 |
| 1,000 kWh | $172.47 | −$19.95 | $152.52 |
| 1,500 kWh | $261.96 | −$29.93 | $232.03 |
500 kWh
500 × $0.15897 = $79.485
$79.485 + $13.50 basic charge = $92.985 → $92.99
500 × $0.01995 surcharge = $9.975 → $9.98
$92.985 − $9.975 = $83.011,000 kWh
1,000 × $0.15897 = $158.97
$158.97 + $13.50 = $172.47
1,000 × $0.01995 = $19.95
$172.47 − $19.95 = $152.521,500 kWh
The first 1,000 kWh uses the lower tier. The remaining 500 uses the higher energy and fuel tier.
(1,000 × $0.15897) + (500 × $0.17897) = $248.455
$248.455 + $13.50 = $261.955 → $261.96
1,500 × $0.01995 = $29.925 → $29.93
$261.955 − $29.925 = $232.03We calculated with unrounded values and rounded only displayed dollars to the nearest cent.
Why $172.47 is not the utility’s $176.89 example
Tampa Electric publishes a complete 1,000-kWh illustration of $176.89 for January through August 2026 and $156.43 for September through December. The difference is $20.46, not merely $19.95, because the published full-bill comparison includes a gross-receipts tax component that changes with the surcharge (utility rate page).
The Florida Public Service Commission filing shows the same component framework for a 1,000-kWh bill, including gross-receipts tax (PSC residential bill comparison). Our $172.47 figure intentionally stops before that variable tax and other location-dependent charges. This is why it should not be compared with the amount due on a bill without first matching every line.
Other reasons an actual bill will differ
Billing days
The basic charge is per day. A 29-day bill would use $13.05; a 31-day bill would use $13.95. Tampa Electric’s tariff also describes proration for billing periods shorter than 25 days or longer than 35 days (Retail Tariff Book).
Service territory and local charges
Franchise fees and public-service taxes can vary by location. A Tampa Electric customer inside one municipality may not have the same local charges as a customer elsewhere in the service territory.
Rate plan
The calculation uses Standard Residential service. Optional variable-pricing, load-management, solar, or other programs have different charges or credits. Confirm the rate schedule printed on the bill.
Actual use
The meter determines billed kWh. A 1,500-kWh summer month and a 500-kWh mild-weather month should not be treated as the same household “average.” This report does not separate air-conditioning use from water heating, cooking, pool equipment, electric vehicles, or other loads.
Later adjustments
Fuel and other clause charges can change. The controlled comparison holds January rates constant only to isolate the announced surcharge removal. Recheck the live rate notice before using the table after its review date.
Use your own bill to reproduce the change
- Confirm Tampa Electric and the Standard Residential rate schedule.
- Record the billing days and kWh.
- Separate the first 1,000 kWh from usage above 1,000.
- Copy the current energy, fuel, storm-protection, clean-energy, and surcharge lines.
- Multiply each per-kWh line by the applicable usage.
- Add the per-day basic charge.
- Add the taxes, franchise fee, credits, programs, and balances shown for the account.
- Compare with the actual statement and ask the utility about any unexplained line.
Method and limits
Local Service Ledger transcribed the approved customer-rate inputs, cross-checked the announced removal against the live utility page and a regulatory filing, and calculated three clearly stated examples. We did not use customer bills, survey households, estimate HVAC use, or claim a market average.