Written by Dean Mahmoud, CEO, and checked by Trevor Guilday, founder.Prices from the September 2026 Cost Index. Updated October 19, 2026.
A typical Florida system is 11.09 kW and costs about $27,281 cash at $2.46 per watt, the lowest of 51 in our Cost Index. Before incentives it pays back in about 11.1 years statewide and 11.4 years at FPL, the largest utility (simple payback before incentives). Newer Orlando (OUC) solar homes get a lower credit from November 1.
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Check the name at the top of your electric bill. A state rule makes four companies credit extra solar power kWh for kWh. City utilities and co-ops write their own rules.
Rule 25-6.065: extra kWh come off later use and roll forward for up to 12 months. FPL and Duke charge a $30 minimum bill.
Next: ask for savings at your full price, with the $30 minimum bill counted.
From November 1, 2026, for customers whose complete interconnection application and any required payment reached OUC on or after July 1, 2025. Until then they keep the full retail price. The rate is dated October 1, 2025.
Next: ask OUC in writing for the credit that applies from November 1.
The state rule does not bind them, but state law makes each one run its own net metering program. Gainesville pays its fuel adjustment rate, which it can reset each month. Lakeland adds a demand charge.
Next: get the solar credit rate in writing before you sign.
| Utility | Credit for extra power | Know before you sign |
|---|---|---|
| Florida Power & Light | One for one, in kWh | $30 minimum bill |
| Duke Energy Florida | One for one, in kWh | $30 minimum bill |
| Tampa Electric | One for one, in kWh | A battery can connect but is not net metered |
| Florida Public Utilities | One for one, in kWh | Same state rule as the three above |
| Orlando Utilities Commission | 5.467¢ from November 1, 2026 | For customers whose complete interconnection application and any required payment reached OUC on or after July 1, 2025; full retail through October 31, 2026 |
| Gainesville Regional Utilities | That month’s fuel rate | The credit moves with a monthly fuel charge |
| Lakeland Electric | One for one, in kWh | No payment for leftover credits; a $6.08 per kW net demand charge (RSD, effective October 1, 2026) |
| City of Tallahassee Utilities | One for one, in kWh | Credits expire each year and are never paid in cash |
| Florida Keys Electric Co-op | A dollar credit at your bill’s per-kWh charges | May limit exports if you make more than you use in a year |
| JEA (Jacksonville) | 4.326¢, its fuel rate, from October 1, 2026 | Each kWh sent out earns the fuel rate, far below the price you pay |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
At the four regulated utilities, kWh you send out beyond your use roll forward for up to 12 months. Once a year the utility pays for what is left, at a rate based on what power costs it to generate (its COG-1 tariff), not the price you pay. FPL credits it on the bill after your last billing cycle of the year and does not publish the rate in advance. So power beyond your yearly use earns little.
The rule covers systems you own or lease. It does not cover buying power from a company that owns the panels on your roof (a PPA). OUC customers whose complete interconnection application and any required payment reached OUC by June 30, 2025 keep the full retail price through June 30, 2045; a new owner after a sale moves to the lower credit.
Every case uses the same 11.09 kW system and each utility’s own price per kWh, with its fixed monthly charge set aside. At the four regulated utilities every kWh offsets use one for one. At OUC and JEA, about 36% and 27% of output goes to the grid, the shares their solar homes report to EIA.
| Utility and credit rule | Yearly savings | If the $30 minimum bill applies every month | Simple payback before incentives |
|---|---|---|---|
| FPL: one for one (Rule 25-6.065) | $2,396 | 12.5 years | 11.4 years |
| Duke Energy Florida: one for one | $2,707 | 10.8 years | 10.1 years |
| Tampa Electric: one for one | $2,907 | No $30 minimum | 9.4 years |
| Florida Public Utilities: one for one | $2,848 | No $30 minimum | 9.6 years |
| OUC, customers whose complete interconnection application and any required payment reached OUC on or after July 1, 2025: 5.467¢ from November 1, 2026 | $1,816 | Not modeled | 15.0 years |
| JEA: 4.326¢ fuel rate for power sent out | $1,805 | Not modeled | 15.1 years |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Three parts of Florida’s rule decide how big your system should be and how low your bill can go. The typical system stays under the size line.
11.09 kW of panels × 0.85. Tier 1 runs up to 10 kW AC.
Above it you need liability insurance of up to $1 million, and the utility can charge an application fee.
Paid with or without solar, so your bill does not reach $0.
Leftover kWh are paid once a year at the utility’s cost to generate power, not at your price.
Tier 1 systems pay no application fee and need no liability insurance. The rule has read the same since April 7, 2008, and it binds only the four regulated utilities.
The lowest of 51 benchmarks in the September 2026 Cost Index, $0.43 below the US average. These are modeled cash prices, not quotes we collected.
Panels (kW DC) | Cash price | Power made a year | Counts as (kW AC) |
|---|---|---|---|
5 kW | $12,300 | 7,775 kWh | 4.25 kW |
8 kW | $19,680 | 12,440 kWh | 6.8 kW |
10 kW | $24,600 | 15,550 kWh | 8.5 kW |
11.09 kW (typical) | $27,281 | 17,245 kWh | 9.43 kW |
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Florida pays no rebate for panels and has no personal income tax, so there is no state tax credit. Its help comes from two taxes that do not apply.
No 6% state tax or county surtax, under section 212.08(7)(hh). No end date.
Section 193.624, for systems installed since January 1, 2013. Nothing to file.
No state income tax means no state credit. The federal credit ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025.
Up to $2,000, paired with solar of 20 kW or less. Apply within six months.
| Way to pay | Who owns the panels | Florida detail to check |
|---|---|---|
| Cash | You | No sales tax on the solar equipment |
| SELF loan | You | Nonprofit lender: 8.25% to 8.75% fixed for 7 years, plus a 2% fee |
| PACE | You | Repaid on your property tax bill for up to 20 years; 3 business days to cancel |
| Lease | The company | Net metering applies; ask your county property appraiser how leased equipment is taxed |
| PPA | The company | The net metering rule does not cover it |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Six companies our Florida installer list shows, A to Z, not ranked. Facts from their own sites and the state license registry (DBPR), read September 8 to October 14, 2026.
Momentum Solar and ESD Roofing Solar buy homeowner leads from EcoGen America. That does not change their facts or their place in this A to Z list. How we make money.
Ask each installer to name your utility’s credit rule and the AC size of the system.
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CEO of EcoGen America. Since 2021 he has connected homeowners with residential solar installers in all 50 states.
About Dean
Founder of EcoGen America. He has worked in residential solar since 2016 and maintains the EcoGen Solar Cost Index.
About TrevorEditorial standardsCost Index methodologyVerified Installer methodology
