LCEC (Lee County Electric Cooperative) Solar & Net Metering Guide
Last updated: July 13, 2026 by Goldin Solar
LCEC — Lee County Electric Cooperative — is one of Florida’s largest electric cooperatives. Despite the name (referencing Lee County, where it was founded in 1940), LCEC serves portions of five southwest Florida counties: Lee, Collier, Hendry, Charlotte, and Broward (Everglades portion). LCEC is the dominant utility for Cape Coral, Sanibel, Pine Island, Captiva, and much of unincorporated Lee County — and a major utility for Marco Island and parts of Collier.
Who LCEC serves
LCEC’s southwest Florida footprint covers:
– Lee County — Cape Coral, Sanibel, Captiva, Pine Island, North Fort Myers, much of unincorporated Lee
– Collier County — Marco Island, Immokalee, much of east/rural Collier
– Hendry County — parts of LaBelle and Felda areas
– Charlotte County — parts of southern/eastern Charlotte
– Broward County — small Everglades-area service
This is one of Florida’s largest cooperative service areas. If you’re an LCEC member, your net metering tariff is governed by the LCEC board, not the FL Public Service Commission.
LCEC net metering: the basics
- Eligibility: Customer-sited residential PV at member’s premises; LCEC membership
- System size cap: Per LCEC Net Meter Rider; typical residential sizing to historical usage
- Bill credit structure: 1:1 retail-rate net metering monthly — exported kWh credited at retail rate and rolled forward. NEM customers have a +$2.22/month additional customer charge on the NEM rate schedule.
- Annual true-up: Remaining excess credits at the end of the annual cycle are purchased at LCEC’s avoided purchase power cost (below retail); account resets to zero.
- Interconnection application: Required before installation
- PTO process: LCEC-managed meter swap and PTO
What makes LCEC different from FPL / Duke
- Cooperative governance. LCEC is owned by its members.
- Hurricane Ian (2022) direct landfall and rebuild context. LCEC’s service territory took the brunt of Ian — Sanibel, Captiva, Pine Island, Fort Myers Beach, and Cape Coral all saw catastrophic damage. LCEC’s grid was substantially rebuilt 2022-2024. Member experience with post-Ian interconnection is well-developed.
- Cape Coral scale familiarity. Cape Coral is one of the largest single-municipality member concentrations of any FL cooperative. Standardized residential interconnection process.
- Cooperative cycles differ from PSC dockets.
Permit + utility coordination for LCEC members
- Building permit with the relevant county/city building department
- LCEC interconnection application — submitted in parallel
- HOA / ARC approval if applicable
- Installation after permit issuance
- Final inspection by the building department
- LCEC meter swap after final inspection
- PTO grant
Typical LCEC timeline
| Stage | Typical days |
|---|---|
| Building permit + LCEC application | 14-30 (parallel) |
| Installation execution | 1-2 days |
| Final inspection | 5-14 (post-Ian beach areas longer) |
| Meter swap + PTO | 28-56 |
What we’ve learned working with LCEC
- Hurricane Ian rebuild documentation matters. We verify post-Ian rebuild permit-of-record before quoting in Sanibel, Captiva, Pine Island, Fort Myers Beach.
- Cape Coral is the largest concentration. Standardized residential approach.
- LCEC interconnection process is well-developed. Member-base scale produces process efficiency.
- Battery + solar is supported.
- NOA hardware on the islands. Sanibel, Captiva, Pine Island, Marco Island.
Frequently asked questions
Is LCEC net metering as good as FPL?
Different structure. We model your specific case.
My Sanibel/Captiva/Pine Island home — different process?
Yes — NOA hardware + post-Ian rebuild verification. We’ve worked with LCEC on Ian-rebuild interconnection.
Cape Coral solar — typical install?
Yes; LCEC’s Cape Coral process is well-developed.
Marco Island — LCEC or FPL?
LCEC for most of Marco Island. Verify from your power bill.
Battery + solar — supported?
Yes. Additional ESS documentation.
Does Goldin Solar handle LCEC interconnection paperwork?
Yes — included on every LCEC contract at no additional charge.
Talk to an LCEC solar specialist
Goldin Solar, LLC · 1105 US Highway 1, Vero Beach, FL 32960 · (855) 765-2730 · CVC 57300
Related guides: Solar permits in Lee County · Solar permits in Collier County · Solar permits in Hendry County
Credentials
- Tesla Certified Installer (Solar + Powerwall)
- Sol-Ark Authorized Installer
- SolarEdge & Enphase certified
- Co-founder & CEO Joe Cataldo: BS Electrical Engineering (University of Florida)
- Florida licenses: CVC 57300 (Solar), EC1301385 (Electrical), CCC1331878 (Roofing)
- 3,000+ installations across Florida since 2014
- Office: 1105 US Highway 1, Vero Beach, FL 32960 · (855) 765-2730
Author + dates
- Author: Joe Cataldo, BS Electrical Engineering (University of Florida)
- Published: July 13, 2026
- Last reviewed: July 13, 2026
- Next review: every 6 months or sooner if the utility revises its tariff or program rules