The Tampa Electric (TECO) Heating & Cooling Rebate rewards residential customers for replacing an old, inefficient ducted system with a higher-efficiency one. The structure is two flat tiers, and the gap between them is steep: $40 for equipment meeting SEER 16.00 / SEER2 15.20, and $550 for equipment meeting SEER 17.00 / SEER2 16.20. Geothermal systems qualify on an EER basis (14.00 EER for the $40 tier, 15.00 EER for the $550 tier). The decision number here is the efficiency cliff — clearing SEER2 16.20 instead of stopping at 15.20 is worth an extra $510.
Both heat pumps and straight-cool systems qualify, as do mini-splits. If the system cost happens to be less than the rebate, TECO matches the rebate to the invoice total rather than paying out the difference.
The mechanics run through the contractor, not the homeowner. The installing contractor must hold a valid Florida DBPR HVAC license and an 8-digit TECO vendor number (requested from TECO, issued in 5–7 business days). The contractor deducts the rebate from your invoice — it shows as a separate line — and TECO pays the rebate directly to the contractor. There is no homeowner check in the mail. The application must be filed within 90 days of the install with the system's AHRI reference certificate and the paid invoice, so make sure your contractor is already a registered TECO vendor before the job, or the vendor-number lead time can push you past the window.
Coverage matters around Tampa Bay. TECO serves Hillsborough County and parts of Polk, Pasco, and Pinellas — but much of Pinellas, including St. Petersburg and Clearwater, is Duke Energy Florida territory with a different program. The rebate follows the electric meter, so a St. Petersburg homeowner is usually claiming Duke's rebate, not TECO's. Confirm the utility on a recent bill before counting on either.
The program runs on an annual budget, and the tiers and amounts can change from year to year, so treat the $40/$550 split as current-program rather than fixed.