Sumter Electric Cooperative (SECO) Solar & Net Metering Guide
Last updated: July 13, 2026 by Goldin Solar
Sumter Electric Cooperative — universally known as SECO — is a member-owned electric cooperative serving central Florida from its Sumterville headquarters. SECO is the dominant utility for The Villages (the largest 55+ retirement community in the United States) and serves substantial portions of Sumter, Lake, Marion, Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, and Levy counties. As a member-owned cooperative, SECO’s net metering program is governed by the SECO board, not the Florida Public Service Commission.
Who SECO serves
SECO’s service territory covers parts of:
– Sumter County — most of it (including most Villages addresses)
– Lake County — substantial coverage (including northern Villages addresses)
– Marion County — substantial coverage (including northwestern Villages addresses)
– Pasco County — limited rural eastern Pasco coverage
– Hernando County — substantial coverage
– Citrus County — substantial coverage
– Levy County — limited eastern service
– Lake, Marion, Sumter — coverage confirmed; SECO serves portions of all 7 counties
SECO is NOT Duke, FPL, TECO, or any other Florida utility. If you’re served by SECO, your meter swap and net metering tariff all run through SECO directly.
SECO net metering: the basics
As a member-owned cooperative, SECO operates under cooperative-governance principles rather than state PSC regulation:
- Eligibility: Customer-sited residential PV; cooperative membership
- System size cap: Typically 100% of historical annual usage; confirm current cap per SECO tariff at application
- Bill credit structure: Per current SECO tariff
- Annual true-up: Excess credits trued up annually per defined methodology
- Interconnection application: Required before installation
- PTO process: SECO-managed meter swap and PTO grant after final inspection
What makes SECO different from Duke / FPL
- Cooperative governance. SECO is owned by its members. Major tariff decisions go through the cooperative board, not a state PSC docket.
- The Villages concentration. A substantial fraction of SECO members are Villages residents. SECO has extensive experience with residential PV interconnection at scale because of this — much more than the typical Florida electric cooperative.
- Net metering tariff structure can differ from PSC-regulated IOU tariffs. We model the actual economics against your usage pattern.
Permit + utility coordination for SECO customers
- Building permit (jurisdiction varies — see our county/city-specific guides)
- SECO interconnection application — submitted in parallel
- HOA / ARC approval (Villages ARC if applicable)
- Installation after permit issuance
- Final inspection by the building department
- SECO meter swap after final inspection
- SECO PTO grant
Typical SECO timeline
| Stage | Typical days |
|---|---|
| Building permit + SECO application | 14-30 (parallel) |
| Installation execution | 1-2 days |
| Final inspection | 3-10 |
| SECO meter swap + PTO | 28–56 days typical; confirm current queue with SECO |
What we’ve learned working with SECO
- SECO has scale familiarity with residential PV. Because of The Villages footprint, SECO sees more residential interconnection applications than most Florida electric cooperatives. The process is well-developed.
- Submit interconnection in parallel. Sequential adds weeks.
- Battery + solar is supported. Additional documentation for ESS.
- Cooperative-governance tariff cycle is different from IOU. SECO board decisions don’t track PSC dockets — separate timing dynamic.
Frequently asked questions
Is SECO net metering as good as Duke / FPL?
Different structure. We model your specific case against current SECO tariff.
What system size can I install on SECO?
Typically sized to 100% of historical annual usage. Confirm current SECO NEM cap at application.
Does SECO charge a monthly fee for net metering customers?
Read the current SECO tariff; confirm any NEM-specific monthly customer charge at application.
Can I install batteries with my SECO solar system?
Yes. Additional documentation for the ESS portion.
Does Goldin Solar handle SECO interconnection paperwork?
Yes — included on every SECO-area contract at no additional charge.
Talk to a SECO solar specialist
Goldin Solar, LLC · 1105 US Highway 1, Vero Beach, FL 32960 · (855) 765-2730 · CVC 57300
Related guides: Solar permits in Sumter County / The Villages · Solar permits in Lake County · Solar permits in Marion County · Duke Energy net metering (for comparison)
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