Sunprint
The short answer
Net metering is the rule that lets solar exports offset your electric bill. Every utility we cover in Florida offers some version of it, so that part is not in question. What is in question is the rate: what one kWh of exported solar is worth. That number ranges from full retail, 11 to 18 cents depending on the utility, all the way down to about 3.5 cents at the lowest utility we found with a published figure.
That gap matters more than almost anything else in a solar quote. Two identical systems at two different utilities can produce very different savings, and it has nothing to do with the panels.
How net metering works
Your solar system feeds your home first. Anything it makes beyond what you are using at that moment flows out through a bidirectional meter and onto the grid. Most Florida utilities then credit that exported power against your bill. The two things that vary from utility to utility are the rate applied to that credit, and how often leftover credit gets settled, monthly, annually, or not at all. Homes that go fully off the grid give up these credits, one reason they need far more panels and batteries, as our guide to living off the grid in Florida shows. Florida's net metering rule also covers a system you lease, as long as you don't buy electricity from the company that owns it; our guide to solar power purchase agreements explains why.
Utilities that pay full retail
Florida's net metering rule requires the state's investor-owned utilities to credit exports at the full retail rate each month, with any true excess settled once a year at a much lower rate. A handful of municipal utilities go further and credit at full retail with no separate true-up rate at all, though the fine print still varies.
| Utility | Export credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FPL | Full retail, monthly | December true-up at its COG-1 rate, roughly 2–3¢/kWh |
| Duke Energy Florida | Full retail, up to 12 months | Same state rule; leftover settles at a much lower rate |
| TECO | Full retail energy rate | Same state rule as FPL and Duke |
| FPU | Full retail, monthly | Only genuine annual excess is paid at a lower rate |
| Beaches Energy | Retail, monthly; true-up yearly | Solar customers use a separate 12¢/kWh PV rate |
| New Smyrna Beach | Full retail, banked monthly | Under a municipal policy adopted in 2008 |
| Tallahassee | Full retail value, banked | Unused credit expires each year, unpaid |
| Lakeland Electric | Full retail | Residential systems capped at 10 kW |
| Keys Energy Services | Full retail for 75 customers only | Everyone enrolled since is credited at avoided cost instead |
| OUC (systems by 6/30/25) | Full retail through 2045 | New systems get a far lower rate, see below |
Utilities that pay less than retail
Most cooperatives and several municipal utilities credit exports at an avoided-cost or wholesale-tied rate instead, and a few publish the actual number. These move with fuel or wholesale costs, so treat every figure below as a recent snapshot rather than a fixed rate, and confirm the current number with the utility directly.
| Utility | Export credit | vs. its own retail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Peace River (PRECO) | 5.685¢/kWh | vs 11.24¢ delivered |
| West Florida Electric | 5.2¢/kWh, avoided cost | vs 11.637¢ delivered |
| JEA | 3.6–6.0¢/kWh, its fuel rate | vs ~13.8¢ retail |
| OUC (new systems) | ~4.6¢/kWh after 10/31/26 | vs 15.2¢ retail |
| Glades Electric | ~4.5¢/kWh, past filings | vs 16.6¢ retail |
| GRU | 5.0¢/kWh in Sept. 2026, its fuel adjustment (3.5¢ through 2025) | vs 14.7¢ retail |
| LCEC | Flat 8.21¢/kWh, no tiers | vs 13.5¢ retail |
| SECO | 9.5¢/kWh + monthly adjustment | vs 15.0¢ retail |
| CHELCO | Time-of-use, tied to wholesale cost | vs 14.0¢ retail |
| Homestead | Avoided cost, true excess only | vs 11.4¢ retail |
CHELCO's credit also carries a catch: unused credits revert to the cooperative if you ever leave net metering.
Utilities that don't publish a rate at all
Five of the 26 utilities we cover describe an avoided-cost or wholesale credit in their own materials without ever stating a per-kWh number:
- Clay Electric: enrolls you in its "Avoided Cost" net billing program on signup, with no rate published.
- Florida Keys Electric Cooperative: describes the metering mechanics, not the credit rate.
- KUA: sets the credit under a Tri-Party Power Purchase Agreement with the Florida Municipal Power Agency; its own tariff lists no per-kWh figure.
- Ocala Electric Utility: says exports are bought at a wholesale rate, without naming one.
- Withlacoochee River Electric: nets your generation over a full year and pays true excess at its wholesale supplier's avoided cost, again with no figure stated.
If your utility is one of these, ask directly, in writing, what you would be paid per kWh for exported power before you sign anything.
What happens to credit you don't use
Even among utilities that credit fairly generously, what happens to leftover credit at year's end is its own source of variation:
- FPL, Duke, TECO, FPU: unused monthly credit rolls forward, then any true excess is settled once a year, in December, at a far lower avoided-cost rate.
- Tallahassee: unused credit expires at year's end, unpaid.
- Keys Energy Services and Homestead: leftover credit is paid out once a year rather than expiring.
- Talquin: doesn't pay out leftover credit at all. Excess in one billing cycle rolls into the next month's bill as an in-kind credit.
- Withlacoochee: nets your whole year at once, and only pays out, at wholesale avoided cost, if you generated more than you used across the entire year.
Net metering rates aren't guaranteed to stay put
A rate that looks good today isn't locked in forever. Three real examples from just the past two years:
- OUC changed how it pays solar customers starting in 2025. Systems connected by June 30, 2025 keep full retail credit through 2045; anyone connecting after the grace period ends on October 31, 2026 gets roughly 4.6¢/kWh instead.
- GRU paid full retail for exports until its governing Authority voted 3-0, on April 17, 2024, to move new systems to its fuel-adjustment rate, reported at about 3.5¢/kWh at the time.
- Lake Worth Beach doesn't use a fixed tariff at all. The City sets its net metering rates, including what it pays for your exports, by resolution every single year, so the number is designed to move.
None of this means net metering is going away. It does mean the rate you're quoted today deserves a written source, not just a verbal promise, and a habit of checking back every year or two.
Is net metering going away in Florida?
No. Florida law requires each investor-owned utility (FPL, Duke Energy Florida, Tampa Electric and Florida Public Utilities) to offer a net metering program, and the Public Service Commission's net metering rule, 25-6.065, hasn't been amended since April 2008. The statute behind it, section 366.91, was last changed in 2021.
The one serious attempt to scale it back failed. In 2022 the Legislature passed HB 741, which would have let each kWh exported by new systems offset only 75 percent of a kWh for applications approved in 2024 and 2025, 60 percent in 2026, and 50 percent in 2027 and 2028. Governor DeSantis vetoed it on April 27, 2022. The Florida Senate's bill search finds no bill mentioning net metering in the 2023, 2024 or 2025 regular sessions, and the two 2026 bills that mentioned it died in committee. Some websites still describe HB 741's schedule as if it were law. It isn't.
City-owned utilities and co-ops are the exception: state law requires them to offer net metering but lets each one set its own terms, which is how OUC and GRU could cut their credits for new systems.
Find your exact utility's rate
Every utility linked on this page has its own dedicated guide with the full application process, fees and current rate. For a side-by-side view of all 52 Florida utilities we track, see solar by utility, or run your own address and bill through our calculator, which already knows which rate applies to you.
Your estimate in three steps
- Enter your billYour ZIP code, your utility and last month's bill.
- See your estimateA yearly savings range based on your utility's rates and Florida sun.
- Choose what's nextAsk for a quote call if you want real pricing, or just keep the number.
See what solar could save you
It takes about a minute. You don't need a site visit, a commitment or a sales call to see your number.
Common questions
How does net metering work in Florida?
Your solar system runs your home first. Power it makes beyond what you use at that moment flows out to the grid, and a bidirectional meter tracks it. Most Florida utilities credit those exports against your bill, but how much a kWh of export is worth, and when leftover credit gets settled, changes a lot from one utility to the next.
Do all Florida utilities pay the same for solar exports?
No, and the gap is large. FPL, Duke, TECO and FPU credit exports at the full retail rate each month under Florida's state net metering rule. Several co-ops and municipal utilities pay a fraction of that. Gainesville Regional Utilities credits exports at its fuel-adjustment rate, 3.5 cents per kWh through 2025 and 5.0 cents in September 2026, roughly a third of what the investor-owned utilities credit.
Which Florida utilities pay full retail for exported solar?
FPL, Duke Energy Florida, TECO and FPU are required to under the state's net metering rule for investor-owned utilities. A handful of municipal utilities also do, including New Smyrna Beach, Tallahassee and Lakeland Electric. OUC pays full retail only on systems connected by June 30, 2025, and only the first 75 customers ever got it at Keys Energy Services.
Which Florida utilities pay the least for exported solar?
Among utilities that publish a number, JEA and Gainesville Regional Utilities credit exports at their fuel rates, which ran from about 4 to 6 cents per kWh in 2026, OUC pays about 4.6 cents on new systems, Glades Electric has cited about 4.5 cents in past filings, West Florida Electric pays 5.2 cents, and Peace River Electric Cooperative pays 5.685 cents. All of these move with fuel or wholesale costs, so treat the figures as recent snapshots, not fixed rates.
What happens to net metering credits I don't use?
It depends entirely on the utility. FPL settles unused credit once a year, in December, at its far-lower COG-1 rate. Keys Energy Services and Homestead pay leftover credit out once a year. Tallahassee lets unused credit expire, unpaid. CHELCO takes it back if you ever leave net metering. Talquin rolls it into next month's bill instead of paying it out at all.
Does every Florida utility publish its net metering credit rate?
No. Clay Electric, Florida Keys Electric Cooperative, KUA, Ocala Electric Utility and Withlacoochee River Electric all describe an avoided-cost or wholesale credit in their own materials without stating a per-kWh figure. If your utility does not publish one, ask directly what you would be paid for exported power before you sign anything.
Can my utility change its net metering rate later?
Yes. OUC cut its credit for new systems starting in 2025, with a grace period for full retail credit that ends October 31, 2026. Gainesville Regional Utilities moved from full retail to its fuel-adjustment rate in April 2024. Lake Worth Beach sets its rate by City resolution every year, so it can change annually by design.
Is net metering going away in Florida?
No. State law requires Florida's investor-owned utilities, FPL, Duke Energy Florida, Tampa Electric and Florida Public Utilities, to offer net metering, and the Public Service Commission's rule hasn't been changed since 2008. A 2022 bill, HB 741, would have cut the credit for new systems in steps starting in 2024, but the governor vetoed it. City-owned utilities and co-ops set their own terms and can change them, as OUC and GRU have.
How do I find my exact utility's net metering rate?
Check our utility-by-utility rate table, or your own utility's dedicated guide, both linked from this page. Utility credit rates and fees change without much notice, so confirm the current figure with your utility directly before you sign anything.
Related guides
- Florida electric rates by utility
- Florida solar incentives: what is still available
- Is solar worth it in Florida in 2026?
- How much solar do I need for a $300 to $700 electric bill?
- Solar for smaller Florida utilities
- How long does going solar take in Florida?
- Solar and an EV in Florida: FPL vs. Duke programs
Sources: each utility's own net metering tariff, program page, or PSC filing, as cited on its dedicated guide linked throughout this page; for the law, Florida Statutes 366.91, PSC Rule 25-6.065 and HB 741 (2022) and its veto record; for GRU's rate, GRU's monthly billing factors. Reviewed September 2026; confirm current terms with your utility before you sign anything.
Next guideFlorida electric rates by utility: the full rate table →