LCEC (Lee County Electric Cooperative) rates and bills
LCEC's 236,578 residential customers in Florida paid an average of 14.20¢ per kWh in 2025, for an average bill of $166.98 a month on 1,176 kWh.1
EIA-861 2025 final, released October 7, 2026; the next annual release is due in August 2027. Averages are revenue divided by kWh, all charges included: not the rate printed in a tariff.
6 of 67 Florida counties served (EIA-861 2025)
LCEC's 236,578 residential members paid an average of 14.20¢ per kWh in 2025, less per kWh than customers of FPL, the other large utility in Southwest Florida (14.62¢ per kWh). Their average bill was still higher, $166.98 against $162.381, because LCEC homes used more electricity, and rooftop solar is more common on LCEC's lines than in Florida as a whole.
What LCEC members paid per kWh in 2025
Lee County Electric Cooperative is a member-owned electric cooperative, one of 16 in Florida and, with SECO Energy and Withlacoochee River, one of the three largest by residential customers in EIA's 2025 data. Its 236,578 residential accounts paid an average of 14.20¢ per kWh1 in 2025. That figure is average revenue per kWh: what residential members paid in total, including fixed monthly charges and cost adjustments, divided by the kilowatt-hours they used. It excludes most taxes and is not a tariff line.
Among the 36 Florida utilities with 10,000 or more residential customers, LCEC's 2025 average was the 16th highest, 6.6% below the Florida average. Nationally it ranked 74th lowest of 177 among utilities with 100,000 or more residential customers, whose median was 15.07¢ per kWh. Against other cooperatives it was close to the national figure: 0.7% above the national average for electric cooperatives, and a little below the 14.43¢ per kWh1 average of all Florida co-ops in 2025.
Source: EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final. EIA-861 2025 final. Average revenue per kWh is all charges divided by kWh; it is not a tariff rate.
Show the numbers
| Utility | average residential price (bundled customers) |
|---|---|
| Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative (FL) | 13.70¢ |
| Clay Electric Cooperative (FL) | 14.02¢ |
| LCEC (FL) | 14.20¢ |
| Florida Power & Light (FL) | 14.62¢ |
| SECO Energy (FL) | 14.98¢ |
EIA's monthly utility survey does not sample LCEC, so the 2025 annual figure is the most recent one for the cooperative; there is no LCEC average for the last 12 months or for August 2026. For the state as a whole, all providers together, the residential average over the 12 months from September 2025 to August 2026 was 15.41¢ per kWh2, with 2026 months still preliminary.
A lower price than FPL, a higher bill
Florida Power & Light reports service in most of the counties LCEC serves, which makes it the natural comparison. In 2025, LCEC's homes paid less per kWh on average (14.20¢ per kWh against 14.62¢ per kWh) but used more electricity: 1,176 kWh a month against 1,111 kWh. The extra use outweighed the lower price, and the average monthly bill came to $166.98 at LCEC and $162.381 at FPL.
Source: EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final. EIA-861 2025 final. Average revenue per kWh is all charges divided by kWh; it is not a tariff rate.
Show the numbers
| Utility | average monthly residential use |
|---|---|
| SECO Energy (FL) | 1,010 |
| Florida Power & Light (FL) | 1,111 |
| LCEC (FL) | 1,176 |
| Clay Electric Cooperative (FL) | 1,220 |
| Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative (FL) | 1,248 |
LCEC's homes also used more than the Florida average of 1,103 kWh a month in 2025, and the state's average use already ranked 6th highest among the states. Its bill was close to the Florida average of $167.863. The two co-ops whose homes used more, Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative (1,248 kWh) and Clay Electric Cooperative (1,220 kWh), had larger average bills, $170.89 and $171.01; SECO Energy, whose homes used 1,010 kWh, averaged $151.311.
The 2025 increase: price and bill rose together
From 2024 to 2025, LCEC's residential average rose 4.9%, from 13.54¢ per kWh to 14.20¢ per kWh. Use per home barely changed (1,177 kWh in 2024, 1,176 kWh in 2025), so the average bill moved almost exactly with the price, from $159.344 to $166.98 (+4.8%1).
That increase was smaller than the state's and smaller than at FPL and the three other large co-ops. The state's residential average rose 7.6%5; FPL's rose 6.6%, Clay Electric's 7.1%, Withlacoochee River's 10.9% and SECO Energy's 14.4%1, all from 2024 to 2025.
For 2026, EIA's utility-level figures will come with the annual survey in August 2027. The statewide monthly series gives the latest reading: Florida's residential average in August 2026 was 14.99¢ per kWh, −2.2%2 against the same month a year earlier (preliminary, all Florida providers, not LCEC alone).
Who sets LCEC's rates
Florida law treats a cooperative as an "electric utility" but not as a "public utility" (Florida Statutes, definitions), so the base-rate cases the Florida Public Service Commission holds for FPL do not apply to LCEC. The commission's power to prescribe a rate structure does extend to all electric utilities, co-ops included (same chapter, commission jurisdiction). The rates themselves, including any change for 2026 or 2027, appear on the rate schedule the cooperative publishes; the guide to rate increases explains how such changes reach a bill.
Rooftop solar: more common than in Florida as a whole
At the end of 2025, LCEC had 10,389 residential net-metered solar installations with 93.5 megawatts of capacity. That is 43.9 per 1,000 residential customers, against 29.9 for Florida and 38.1 for the United States. Among its neighbours and peers the gap is wider: FPL had 22.4 per 1,000 customers, SECO Energy 28.5, Withlacoochee River 24.3 and Clay Electric 18.96.
Every residential meter on the system is an advanced (AMI) meter: 100.0% in EIA's 2025 count, against 96.2%6 statewide. Net-metering terms and any optional residential rates are set out in LCEC's own rate schedule.
Six counties, mostly shared
EIA's service-territory records list LCEC in 6 counties: Broward County, Charlotte County, Collier County, Hendry County, Lee County and Monroe County. In 5 of them at least one other distribution utility also reports customers, most often FPL; in 17 county LCEC is the only one reporting service. A county or a city name therefore does not settle which utility serves a home, and EIA publishes no city prices. LCEC's own service-area map decides by address.
Source: EIA-861 2025, service territory; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file, counties. EIA-861 2025 service territory: 6 counties. Counts whole counties even where the utility serves only part of one; check the utility's own service-area map for an address.
Show the numbers
| County | Other utilities reporting service |
|---|---|
| Broward County | Florida Power & Light |
| Charlotte County | Florida Power & Light |
| Collier County | Florida Power & Light |
| Hendry County | Florida Power & Light, Glades Electric Cooperative, City of Clewiston |
| Lee County | none |
| Monroe County | Florida Power & Light, Florida Keys El Cooperative Association, Utility Board of the City of Key West, F |
Outages, measured another way
LCEC members averaged 58 minutes without power in 2025, fewer than the Florida average of 70 minutes, with 0.88 interruptions per customer against 0.85 statewide. LCEC reports under another method (not IEEE 1366), and its figure is the same with or without major event days (58 minutes), so it is not strictly comparable with utilities that use the IEEE 1366 standard, such as FPL (47 minutes9 including major events). A single year with or without a hurricane can move these numbers far, so 2025 is a reading, not a trend.
Business accounts and help with bills
LCEC's 30,441 commercial accounts paid an average of 12.18¢ per kWh in 2025, with an average monthly bill of $450.13; FPL's commercial customers paid 10.94¢ per kWh. Across all 267,019 LCEC accounts the average was 13.62¢ per kWh1.
Florida households that need help with energy bills can apply for the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which allotted Florida $121.6 million10 for fiscal year 2026. For the statewide picture, see electricity in Florida.
Questions and answers
What is LCEC's rate per kWh?
LCEC's residential members paid an average of 14.20¢ per kWh1 in 2025, the latest year EIA reports for the cooperative. That is residential revenue divided by kWh sold, so fixed monthly charges and cost adjustments are spread into it; it is not the energy charge printed on LCEC's rate schedule. LCEC is not in EIA's monthly sample, so there is no 12-month or latest-month figure for it.
What is the average LCEC electric bill?
$166.98 a month in 2025, for an average of 1,176 kWh1. In 2024 it was $159.344.
Did LCEC raise its rates?
The average price LCEC's homes paid rose 4.9% from 2024 to 2025, from 13.54¢ per kWh4 to 14.20¢ per kWh1, a smaller rise than the Florida average's 7.6%5. EIA has not yet published annual utility figures for 2026; the rates in force today are on the rate schedule LCEC publishes.
Is LCEC cheaper than FPL?
Per kWh, yes on average: 14.20¢ per kWh against 14.62¢ per kWh in 2025. Per month, no: LCEC's average bill was $166.98 and FPL's $162.38, because LCEC homes used 1,176 kWh a month and FPL homes 1,111 kWh1. Florida has no retail choice, so the utility is set by the address, not chosen.
Related pages
Sources
- EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final; table Sales_Ult_Cust_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA, Electric Power Monthly / EIA-861M sales and revenue by state; table sales_revenue.xlsx (EPM Table 5.6.A); January 2001 to 2026-08; months since January 2026 preliminary; released October 23, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 2025, average monthly bill by state; table Average_Bill_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2024 final; table Sales_Ult_Cust_2024; 2024, final (file updated December 3, 2025); released December 3, 2025. www.eia.gov
- EIA, Historical state data, annual sales, revenue and customers; table HS861 2010-.xlsx; 2010-2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 2025, advanced meters, dynamic pricing and net metering; table Advanced_Meters, Dynamic_Pricing, Net_Metering 2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 2025, service territory; table Service_Territory_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file, counties; table cb_2025_us_county_5m; cb_2021_us_county_5m; 2025 (2021 for Connecticut). www.census.gov
- EIA-861 2025, reliability; table Reliability_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- HHS, LIHEAP funding releases to states; table FY2027 first release; FY2026 final; FY2027 first release (October 9, 2026); FY2026 total; released October 9, 2026. acf.gov
How every figure is built: methodology. Found an error? Write to [email protected]; corrections are listed on the updates page.