Florida Solar in 2026: Net Metering, Rising FPL Rates & Is It Worth It?
Florida still has 1-to-1 net metering and some of the fastest-rising utility rates in the country. Here is what solar looks like for Florida homeowners in 2026 — after the federal tax credit changes.
Florida is one of the best solar states in the country that most people underrate. We don't have the sky-high electricity rates of California or the Northeast, but we have brutal summer bills, hurricane risk, and a utility landscape that keeps pushing rates up. Here is the honest 2026 picture for Florida homeowners.
Florida still has full-retail net metering — but not at every utility
This is Florida's quiet advantage — at the four investor-owned utilities. Under PSC Rule 25-6.065, FPL, Duke Energy Florida, Tampa Electric and Florida Public Utilities credit exported power at the full retail rate, rolling forward up to twelve months. Municipal utilities and co-ops set their own terms and several are far less generous: JEA and GRU credit exports at the fuel rate only, and OUC stops paying full retail to new solar customers on November 1, 2026. Check yours before you size a system — see Florida solar incentives 2026.
The catch, and be careful with how this gets sold to you: Rule 25-6.065 contains no grandfathering clause. Signing today does not guarantee today's credit for the life of your system, whatever a salesperson tells you. The rule has not changed since 2008 and the 2022 bill that would have phased down credits was vetoed — that is a good track record, not a lock. Two Florida utilities do publish grandfathering dates: OUC protects customers whose complete interconnection application was in before July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2045, and Kissimmee Utility Authority grandfathers a more favorable demand-credit method for customers who filed complete documents with an active solar permit by May 31, 2023.
FPL and Duke rates keep climbing
Florida Power & Light, Duke Energy Florida, and TECO have all pushed rate increases in recent years, and storm-recovery surcharges show up on bills after every major hurricane season. When you produce your own power, you stop being exposed to those increases. Solar in Florida is less about a flashy rate and more about getting off an escalator that only goes up.
What changed federally in 2026
The 30% federal residential solar tax credit (Section 25D) ended December 31, 2025. For Florida homeowners in 2026, there is no longer a 30% personal credit on any system you own — cash, loan, or any other self-owned structure. The statute terminated it for expenditures made after December 31, 2025, and an expenditure counts as made when the installation is completed, so paying in 2025 for a system finished in 2026 does not preserve it. One thing that did survive: if your install was completed in 2025 and the credit was larger than your tax bill, the unused amount still carries forward — ask your CPA. The Florida solar incentives that remain in 2026 are the sales-tax exemption, the property-tax exclusion and net metering.
But here is the Florida-specific silver lining: because we have no state income tax, that federal credit was always the only tax incentive in play — so its loss is simpler to reason about here than in states with their own programs. And the alternative is the same nationwide: a $0-down lease or PPA. Be precise about what that is. You get no federal tax credit and nothing goes on your tax return — the company that owns the panels is the taxpayer, and whether it actually qualifies on a residential roof is its problem to prove, not a fact we will assert for it. Any value it passes along reaches you in exactly one place: your monthly payment. That is a price the provider sets, so whether it stays a saving over the term comes down to the escalator.
Hurricanes make the battery conversation different in Florida
Anyone who has sat through a multi-day outage after a hurricane knows that backup power is not a luxury here. A solar-plus-battery system keeps your refrigerator, internet, and AC running when the grid goes down — and in Florida, that resilience is often the deciding factor, not just the savings.
Is solar worth it in Florida in 2026?
For most Florida homeowners with a $130+ monthly bill, a sun-exposed roof, and plans to stay in the home: yes. The combination of full-retail net metering at the investor-owned utilities, relentless rate increases, abundant sunshine, and hurricane resilience makes the case — and a $0-down lease means you can capture it without writing a check — provided you read the escalator before you sign.
It is worth waiting if your bill is very small, you are moving soon, or heavy shade covers most of your roof.
See your Florida numbers
Every roof, utility, and bill is different. Get a free Solarfying quote or explore solar in Florida to see what your system, savings, and $0-down options actually look like in 2026 — with no expired tax credits in the math.