Florida solar is a slow, steady return, and the company that sends your bill sets the pace. With FPL, Duke Energy Florida or Tampa Electric, a typical owned system pays for itself in about 11 years in our example, because extra power comes back as a full kWh credit. On the Orlando Utilities Commission’s new export rate, the same system takes about 15.
Typical payback, one-for-one creditAbout 11 years
One-for-one vs Orlando’s new rateAbout 11 to 15 years
Typical owned 11.09 kW Florida system at $27,281 cash (EcoGen Solar Cost Index, September 2026), exports credited one for one, 15.39¢ EIA average price. Our assumptions: 60% of the solar power used at home, $200 a year in owner costs. See the math.
- Utility: the four under the state rule credit extra kWh one for one. City utilities and co-ops set their own rate.
- System size: match your yearly use. December leftovers earn far less.
- Time in home: plan to stay past payback. Price a roof or battery separately.
2026 rules: new home systems get no 30% federal homeowner credit (IRS), and Florida has no personal income tax. The state net metering rule is unchanged since April 7, 2008; Orlando’s utility cuts its export rate for newer solar homes on November 1, 2026.
How we checked this guide
Rules come from the Florida Public Service Commission rule, the Florida Statutes, FPL, Duke Energy Florida and the Orlando Utilities Commission tariff; the electricity price from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The example system is the EcoGen Solar Cost Index typical Florida home. Where we had to assume a number, the page says so.
The writer and checker shown above are EcoGen staff. EcoGen is paid when homeowners request quotes, which is explained beside the quote form. Read our editorial standards.
Five Florida checks before the sunshine math
In Florida, solar is rarely a quick win. It is a way to make power costs steadier over many years. There is no rebate for panels, so the result rests on things you can check. Read each row across.
Who sends your bill
Worth a closer look
FPL, Duke Energy Florida, Tampa Electric or Florida Public Utilities, which must credit extra kWh one for one.
Pause and check
A city utility or co-op whose export rate you have not seen in writing.
Check next: the utility name on your bill and its export credit per kWh.
Size against your use
Worth a closer look
The quote’s year-one kWh is close to, or a little under, your last 12 months of use.
Pause and check
The system makes far more than you use. December leftovers are paid at a low rate.
Check next: your last 12 months of kWh next to the quote’s year-one output.
Roof and insurer
Worth a closer look
A roof with many years left, and your insurer has said yes to panels on it.
Pause and check
The roof is near the end of its life. Replace it first.
Check next: the roof’s age and a written answer from your insurer.
Storm plans
Worth a closer look
You want lower bills first, and will price any battery separately.
Pause and check
You expect panels alone to keep the lights on. Without a battery they shut off in an outage.
Check next: whether the quote includes a battery, and its price on its own line.
Price and time in home
Worth a closer look
A cash price near the Index’s $27,281 for 11.09 kW ($2.46 per watt), and you plan to stay past payback.
Pause and check
A loan with a dealer fee, or a likely move within a few years.
Check next: cash and financed prices side by side, with APR, fees and term.
How many years until a Florida system pays for itself?
A kWh (kilowatt-hour) is the unit on your power bill. Simple payback is net cost divided by yearly savings. An export credit is what you get for each kWh your panels send to the grid. At FPL, Duke, Tampa Electric and Florida Public Utilities it is a kWh you use later, so it is worth the full price.
- Cash price
- $27,281
- Confirmed incentives
- $0
- Year-one production
- 17,212 kWh
- Used at home / exported
- 60% / 40%
- Average price (EIA, 12 months)
- $0.1539/kWh
- Export credit
- $0.1539/kWh
- Owner-cost allowance
- $200/yr
- Used-at-home value
17,212 × 60% × $0.1539$1,589/yr - Export value
17,212 × 40% × $0.1539$1,060/yr - Yearly savings after owner costs
$1,589 + $1,060 − $200$2,449/yr - Simple cash payback
$27,281 ÷ $2,449about 11.1 years
Inputs: the EcoGen Solar Cost Index typical Florida system (11.09 kW, $27,281 cash, September 2026; about 1,552 kWh per kW a year). No rebate: Florida has none for panels. Exports are valued at the full 15.39¢ EIA average because these utilities credit them one for one, which holds only if the system makes no more than your home uses in a year. The average includes fixed charges, so the rate you avoid is likely a little lower. Our assumptions: 60% of the solar power used at home, 40% sent to the grid, and $200 a year in owner costs.
Now move the house to Orlando. Homes that applied to the Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) on or after July 1, 2025 keep the full credit only through October 31, 2026. Then each exported kWh earns OUC’s fuel rate of 4.767¢ plus 0.7 cents per kWh, or 5.467¢ in all.
| Scenario | Export credit | Export value | Yearly savings | Simple payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-for-one credit (FPL, Duke, TECO) | $0.1539/kWh | $1,060 | $2,449 | about 11.1 years |
| OUC credit for newer solar homes | $0.05467/kWh | $376 | $1,766 | about 15.5 years |
About four years ride on a rule you cannot shop away. OUC’s rate holds until June 30, 2030; after that the credit is the fuel charge alone. On OUC terms, a kWh used at home is worth far more than one sent out, so a smaller system can make more sense there. Homes that applied by June 30, 2025 keep the full retail rate through June 30, 2045.
Run your own Florida numbers
Start from the one-for-one case, put in your own quote and bill, then press Calculate. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
Example result
about 11.1 years
simple cash payback
- Used-at-home value
- $1,589/yr
- Export value
- $1,060/yr
- Owner costs
- −$200/yr
- Yearly savings
- $2,449/yr
- Net cost
- $27,281
Starts with the one-for-one case above. For a newer Orlando Utilities Commission solar home, lower the export credit to OUC’s rate shown above. Flat first-year values; rates, panel wear and repairs will change the result.
Where Florida’s one-for-one credit stops paying
Under Rule 25-6.065, power you do not use flows out, and those kWh come off what you buy in later months. Credits roll forward for up to 12 months. Here is the first-year split under our 60/40 assumption.
Used at home: 10,327 kWh. Each one replaces power you would have bought, so it saves the full variable rate ($0.1539 here).
Sent to the grid: 6,885 kWh. These earn whatever your utility pays for exports ($0.1539 here). Here that matches the price you pay, but check your utility’s rule.
Two limits apply. Any kWh still banked at the December meter reading are paid at the utility’s average cost of making power, not your price, so a system far bigger than your yearly use gives its surplus away cheaply. And the bill never reaches zero: FPL and Duke Energy Florida each keep a $30 a month minimum bill.
The typical system makes about about 17,212 kWh a year; set that next to your last 12 bills. Its AC rating, about 9.43 kW, is under the 10 kW Tier 1 limit, so no extra fee or liability insurance applies. Florida homes paid an average of 15.39¢ per kWh from August 2025 to July 2026 (EIA).
Get quotes sized to your own bills
In Florida the best quote matches your yearly use and names your utility’s export rule. Ask each installer for both.
Solar providers that serve your area may contact you, and they pay EcoGen for the introduction. How we make money.
Paying for it, and the two taxes that do not apply
How you pay can change the answer as much as the roof does.
| Option | Who owns the panels | Upfront | Ongoing | Check before signing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | You | Full price, with no state sales tax on the equipment | None to a lender. A smaller utility bill. | A size based on your use, and the export rule the savings estimate assumed. |
| SELF loan | You | Often little or nothing | A 8.25% to 8.75% fixed loan over 7 years, with a 2% origination fee. | The payment next to the bill savings. Ask any other lender for the cash price and dealer fee. |
| PACE | You | Often $0 | Paid through your property tax bill, for up to 20 years. | You can cancel within 3 business days. The payment stays with the house, so ask how a sale works. |
| Lease | Solar company | Often $0 | A monthly lease payment, plus your remaining utility bill. | The yearly escalator, what happens if you sell, and who handles storm repairs. |
Solar equipment is exempt from the 6% state sales tax under section 212.08(7)(hh). The value a system adds is left out of your property tax assessment under section 193.624, with nothing to file. Whether a buyer pays more for a house with solar is uncertain, so we leave it out. More in our solar financing guide.
Seven lines a Florida quote should spell out
Line up two or three quotes. One that cannot answer these cannot back up its payback.
- Your utility and its export rule. One for one under the state rule, or a city or co-op rate per kWh.
- Year-one kWh next to your use. The output estimate beside your last 12 months of bills.
- Sales tax line. No 6% state sales tax on solar equipment, under section 212.08(7)(hh).
- Roof and insurer. The roof’s age, any roof work in the price, and your insurer’s approval.
- Battery on its own line. Its price, so you can see the panel payback without it.
- Cash and financed prices. Both totals side by side, with any dealer fee shown.
Compare Florida solar quotes
Ask each installer to name your utility’s export rule and size the system from your own bills. Enter your ZIP code to request quotes from solar providers that serve your area.
How EcoGen is paid
EcoGen America does not sell or install solar. When you request quotes, we pass your request to solar providers serving your area, and they pay us for the introduction. Providers can include installers, solar marketplaces and lead exchanges, and more than one may contact you. You never pay us.
More Florida solar guides
- Florida solar incentives: bill credits, sales tax and property tax
- What solar costs in Florida
- Free solar panels in Florida: what $0 down really means
- Are solar panels worth it? The national guide and payback calculator
All 51 state guides
Florida solar questions, answered
Are solar panels worth it in Florida without the federal tax credit?
They can be, on a slower clock. The homeowner credit ended for systems switched on after December 31, 2025. In our example a typical owned system now pays back in about 11 years with FPL, Duke or Tampa Electric. What helps is a low price per watt, no sales tax on the equipment and one-for-one bill credits.
What are the main benefits of solar panels in Florida?
Lower bills for decades, steadier costs when rates rise, and two tax breaks: no 6% state sales tax on the equipment and no property tax on the value the system adds. With a battery, it can also run essentials in an outage. Panels alone cannot.
Is solar worth it in Florida if my bill is low?
It is harder to justify. A small bill leaves less to cut, and FPL and Duke Energy Florida keep a $30 a month minimum bill with or without solar. A smaller system sized to your use helps. Compare the quote’s yearly savings with your last 12 months of bills before you decide.
Does every Florida utility credit solar at the full price?
No. FPL, Duke Energy Florida, Tampa Electric and Florida Public Utilities must credit extra kWh one for one. City utilities and co-ops set their own rules. At the Orlando Utilities Commission, homes that applied on or after July 1, 2025 get 5.467¢ per exported kWh from November 1, 2026.
Do solar panels raise home value or property taxes in Florida?
Property taxes, no. Under section 193.624, the value a system adds is left out of your assessment, for systems installed on or after January 1, 2013. Home value at sale is uncertain: it depends on the buyer, the roof and whether a loan or lease comes with the house. We leave it out of the payback.
Will solar panels keep my power on during a hurricane?
Not on their own. Grid-tied panels shut off when the grid goes down, to protect line workers. A battery lets them run essentials. It adds cost and stretches the payback, so price it separately. Orlando Utilities Commission customers can get $150 per kWh of battery size, up to $2,000.
Sources, method and corrections
The example uses the EcoGen Solar Cost Index typical Florida system (September 2026) and the EIA average price. The second case uses OUC’s posted Community Solar Energy Rate. Our assumptions: 60% of the solar power used at home, $200 a year in owner costs, and a system that makes no more than the home uses. Home value is not counted. Simple payback uses flat first-year values. The calculator sends nothing.
Spotted an error? Tell us through our corrections and feedback process.
- Florida PSC Rule 25-6.065: net metering and interconnection
- Florida Power & Light: net metering questions and answers (minimum bill, December credit)
- Duke Energy Florida: minimum bill
- Orlando Utilities Commission: TruNet Solar
- Orlando Utilities Commission: tariff book, Sheets 3.500, 5.010 and 5.925 (fuel rate and Community Solar Energy Rate)
- Orlando Utilities Commission: battery storage rebate
- Florida Statutes 212.08(7)(hh): sales tax exemption for solar
- Florida Statutes 193.624: property tax on renewable energy devices
- Florida Statutes 163.081: residential PACE financing
- Solar and Energy Loan Fund: solar PV loans
- U.S. EIA: average residential electricity price by state (August 2025 to July 2026)
- IRS: Residential Clean Energy Credit
- EcoGen Solar Cost Index, September 2026: what solar costs in Florida
