Florida solar calculator
Size a Florida home solar system from your electric bill — kW, panel count, roof area, true cost with no federal credit for 2026 installs, and payback.
Quick answer: At $0.150/kWh and 5.3 peak sun hours, a $200/month bill needs about 11.07 kW — 27 × 410 W panels covering ~54 m². Gross cost is ~$23,468 with no federal credit for systems installed after 2025, offsetting $2,400 a year for a ~9.8 year payback.
Your details
Ballpark, not gospel. Ballpark, not gospel. Sized at 78% real-world output with the Florida sun-hour average — confirm shading, roof angle and your utility's interconnection rules with a local installer before buying.
The 30% credit ended — what changed
The residential clean energy credit (26 U.S.C. § 25D) gave homeowners a 30% credit on solar installed from 2022 through 2025. The July 2025 tax law ended it: no credit is available for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. That is why every figure on this page is ~30% higher than pre-2026 guides show. If your system went live by the end of 2025, tick the box above to see the credit applied; leased systems may still benefit because the leasing company claims the commercial credit. Source: IRS — Residential Clean Energy Credit.
Typical Florida system sizes by monthly bill
| Monthly bill | System size | Panels (410 W) | Net cost (no 2026 federal credit) | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | 5.74 kW | 14 | $12,169 | 10.1 years |
| $200 | 11.07 kW | 27 | $23,468 | 9.8 years |
| $300 | 16.40 kW | 40 | $34,768 | 9.7 years |
Computed at $0.150/kWh, 5.3 peak sun hours and $2.12/W installed, with no federal credit for 2026 installs. Run your exact bill above.
Solar in Florida: the details
Solar cost in Florida
Florida installs are among the cheapest in the US. The EnergySage marketplace averaged about $2.12 per watt installed in 2026, with market quotes typically $1.80–$2.45/W — well under the $2.50–$3.50/W national band. A typical ~14.5 kW system grosses around $30,600, with no federal credit for 2026 homeowner installs.
Florida's competitive installer market and flat, sun-soaked roofs keep labor costs down. Hurricane-rated racking and permitting add a little, but the per-watt figure stays low.
Export rules: getting paid for surplus power
Florida still has full 1:1 retail net metering for customers of the investor-owned utilities (FPL, Duke Energy Florida, TECO) under Florida PSC Rule 25-6.065 — exported kWh offset imported kWh, surplus rolls forward up to 12 months, and Tier 1 systems (≤10 kW AC) pay no application fee.
The 2022 rollback bill (HB 741) was vetoed and never became law. One caveat: municipal utilities and co-ops set their own terms — Orlando Utilities Commission, for example, moved newer residential systems to avoided-cost export credits (~5.5¢/kWh). Check your specific utility, not just the state rule.
Florida solar incentives
Florida's two tax exemptions do the heavy lifting:
Sales tax exemption (Fla. Stat. §212.08(7)(hh)) — solar equipment is exempt from the 6% state sales tax (plus local surtaxes), saving roughly $1,500–$2,000 on a typical system. Property tax exemption (§193.624) — 100% of the value solar adds to your home is shielded from property tax. There is no statewide rebate program — and Florida's Solar Rights Act (§163.04) stops HOAs from banning panels.
Is solar worth it in Florida?
Verdict: one of the best solar states in the US. A $200/month bill pays back in ~9.8 years with no federal credit, helped by cheap installs, strong sun, and genuine 1:1 net metering at the big utilities. The honest caveat is resilience: grid-tied panels shut off in outages, so hurricane-country homeowners should price a battery into the plan.
Questions people actually ask
Straight answers, no fluff. Then run your own numbers above.
How many solar panels do I need in Florida?
It follows your bill. At the Florida average of $0.150/kWh and 5.3 peak sun hours, a $200/month bill needs about an 11.07 kW system — roughly 27 × 410 W panels covering ~54 m² of roof.
What is the average cost of solar panels in Florida in 2026?
The EnergySage marketplace averaged about $2.12 per watt installed in 2026, with market quotes typically $1.80–$2.45/W — among the cheapest in the US. A typical ~14.5 kW system grosses around $30,600, with no federal credit for 2026 homeowner installs.
Does Florida still have net metering?
Yes. Florida's investor-owned utilities (FPL, Duke Energy Florida, TECO) still offer 1:1 retail net metering under PSC Rule 25-6.065 — the 2022 rollback bill was vetoed. Municipal utilities and co-ops set their own terms and may pay less for exports.
What solar incentives does Florida offer?
Solar equipment is exempt from Florida sales tax (Fla. Stat. §212.08(7)(hh)) and the value solar adds is exempt from property tax (§193.624). There is no statewide rebate. HOAs cannot ban panels under the Solar Rights Act (§163.04).
Is the 30% federal solar tax credit still available?
Not for homeowner purchases anymore. The residential clean energy credit (26 U.S.C. § 25D) is not available for property placed in service after December 31, 2025, under the July 2025 tax law (Public Law 119-21). Systems installed by the end of 2025 can still claim 30%, and leased systems may still benefit because the leasing company claims the commercial credit instead. (Source: IRS — Residential Clean Energy Credit.)
Is solar worth it in Florida?
The calculator puts a $200/month bill at a ~9.8-year payback with no federal credit — cheap installs, strong sun, and 1:1 net metering at the big utilities. In hurricane country, add a battery: grid-tied panels alone give no backup in outages.
Figures last checked October 2026. Sources: EIA Electric Power Monthly (July 2026: ~15.0¢/kWh), NREL PVWatts/NSRDB (~5.0–5.7 peak sun hours), DSIRE, Florida Public Service Commission; IRS — Residential Clean Energy Credit.
More US solar calculators
Compare other states: Texas, California, Arizona, North Carolina. And the national US solar calculator for country averages.
Comparing quotes? The solar cost calculator breaks down cost per watt and the solar ROI calculator maps your payback year by year. Going deeper: installation cost guide, how net metering works, how much you can save with solar and the solar batteries guide.