Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative (Chelco) Solar & Net Metering Guide
Last updated: 2026-05-17 by Goldin Solar permitting team
Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative — universally referred to as Chelco — is a member-owned electric cooperative serving the Florida Panhandle. Chelco serves more than 56,000 accounts across Walton and Okaloosa counties, plus western Holmes and eastern Santa Rosa counties. Chelco is the dominant utility for most of Walton County (including the 30A communities) and the northern portions of Okaloosa County, including Eglin Air Force Base.
Who Chelco serves
Chelco’s Panhandle footprint covers:
- Okaloosa County — substantial portions (Crestview, Niceville, inland Okaloosa)
- Walton County — most of the county including the 30A corridor (Seaside, Rosemary Beach, Alys Beach, Watercolor, WaterSound, etc.)
- Holmes County — western portions
- Santa Rosa County — eastern portions
- (Washington and Bay counties are served by other Panhandle utilities, not Chelco)
If you’re a Chelco member, your meter swap and net metering tariff run through Chelco directly — not FPL.
Chelco net metering: the basics
- Eligibility: Customer-sited residential PV at member’s premises; Chelco membership
- System size cap: Up to 10 kW for Chelco’s net-metering program
- Bill credit structure: Per current tariff
- Compensation for exports: Members who interconnect sell excess energy to Chelco at Chelco’s wholesale power cost (avoided cost), credited on the bill
- Interconnection application: Required before installation
- PTO process: Chelco-managed meter swap and PTO
What makes Chelco different from FPL
- Cooperative governance. Chelco is owned by its members.
- 30A architectural-review density. Many Chelco residential members are in 30A communities with detailed ARB processes. Chelco’s interconnection coordination has scale experience with high-end resort residential.
- Vacation-rental ownership. Coordination with property managers is common.
- Cooperative cycles differ from PSC dockets.
Permit + utility coordination for Chelco members
1. Building permit with the relevant county/city 2. Chelco interconnection application — submitted in parallel 3. HOA / ARB approval (30A communities have detailed processes) 4. Installation after permit issuance 5. Final inspection by the building department 6. Chelco meter swap after final inspection 7. PTO grant
Typical Chelco timeline
| Stage | Typical days | |——-|————–| | Building permit + Chelco application | 14-30 (parallel) | | Installation execution | 1-2 days | | Final inspection | 3-10 | | Meter swap + PTO | 28-49 (typical observed range) |
What we’ve learned working with Chelco
- 30A ARB submittal package is the critical-path constraint, not Chelco. Chelco’s interconnection process is generally well-developed.
- Vacation-rental scheduling matters. We coordinate installation timing around peak rental weeks.
- NOA hardware default for Gulf-front. Hardware spec is governed by AHJ wind zone, not utility.
- Battery + solar is supported.
Frequently asked questions
Is Chelco net metering as good as FPL? Different structure. We model your specific case.
My 30A home is in Rosemary Beach / Seaside / Alys Beach — can I install solar? Yes. ARB review applies; cannot prohibit per §163.04. We package thorough documentation.
Battery + solar — supported? Yes. Additional ESS documentation.
Does Goldin Solar handle Chelco interconnection paperwork? Yes — included on every Chelco contract at no additional charge.
Talk to a Chelco solar specialist
Goldin Solar, LLC · 1105 US Highway 1, Vero Beach, FL 32960 · (855) 765-2730 · CVC 57300
Related guides: Solar permits in Walton County / 30A · Solar permits in Okaloosa County