Sunprint
What matters, and what doesn't
Matters more than the month
- Your utility's credit for exported power, and whether a change is coming. Some Florida utilities set your terms by the date you connect.
- How soon you start. Each month without panels is a month of full bills, and FPL's typical bill goes up every year through 2029.
- Your roof. If it needs replacing in the next few years, do that first.
- A battery before June, if keeping the lights on in storms is your reason for solar.
Matters less than you'd think
- The season you install in. Your first 12 months include every season, whichever month you start.
- A tax credit deadline. The 30% federal credit ended for home systems finished after December 31, 2025, so there's no year-end rush to beat.
- Waiting out hurricane season. It covers half the year, June through November. Plan around it instead.
Florida's solar year, month by month
Spring, not summer, is when Florida's panels do their best work. We modeled a south-facing roof at a common pitch in six Florida cities with PVGIS, the European Commission's solar model, using NREL's weather data. In every city, March, April and May were the three best months and December the weakest. Summer days are longer, but June through September are Florida's wettest months, and the National Weather Service says you can "usually count on the afternoon cloud buildups." In Orlando, a summer month makes about 13% less than a spring month.
Your use runs the other way. The chart puts the two together: the average Florida home's use in 2025, from EIA, against a system sized to make the same amount over the year, about 8.7 kW in Orlando.
EIA reports by billing month, so each month partly reflects the month before. Solar output is a long-term average; a given year runs a little above or below it.
The share of each month's use that system covers:
What 1 kW of panels makes per month, kWh (south roof, 20 degree tilt)
| City | March to May | June to August | December | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | 149 | 136 | 110 | 1,554 |
| Fort Myers | 151 | 128 | 113 | 1,566 |
| Tampa | 153 | 130 | 110 | 1,567 |
| Orlando | 148 | 129 | 106 | 1,527 |
| Jacksonville | 146 | 132 | 97 | 1,487 |
| Tallahassee | 142 | 129 | 93 | 1,472 |
PVGIS 5.2 with the PVGIS-NSRDB weather database, 14% system losses. For how direction and roof pitch change these numbers, see our guide to the best direction and angle for solar panels in Florida.
Is solar worth it in the summer?
Yes, and at many Florida utilities your spring power helps pay for it. In August 2025 the average Florida home used 1,451 kWh, its biggest month, and paid $222.47, according to EIA. The 8.7 kW system above would make about 1,110 kWh that August, 76% of that use. In June, July and September it covers 79% to 85%.
Where your utility carries credit forward, spring makes up the gap. At FPL, Duke Energy Florida, TECO and FPU, the state's net metering rule credits extra kWh to the next month's bill, lets credit build for up to 12 months, and pays out whatever is left at the end of each calendar year, at a much lower rate. In our example, the system builds up about 900 kWh of credit from February to May. That covers the whole shortfall in June, July and August and runs out in September.
City utilities and co-ops set their own rules. New Smyrna Beach credits every kWh sent to the grid at 2.936 cents, and OUC's credit for newer systems is about 4.6 cents from November 2026, so at those utilities spring's extra power is worth far less than the summer power you'd buy. There, the solar you use as it's made does most of the saving. Our net metering guide lists what each Florida utility pays.
The Florida solar calendar
From PVGIS on NREL weather data, EIA's 2025 Florida bills, the National Weather Service, the National Hurricane Center (its busiest stretch runs mid-August to mid-October) and Florida PSC Rule 25-6.065.
None of these makes one month the right one to sign. They tell you what to expect: if you switch on in spring, your first bills show the biggest drop, and if you switch on in late summer, the first few bills still look high because you're using the most power of the year.
Utility rules can change on a date
Several Florida utilities have changed what they pay for solar power sent to the grid, and each time, the date a system connected decided which terms it got:
OUC
Systems connected, or with applications approved, by June 30, 2025 keep the full retail credit through June 30, 2045. Newer systems are credited about 4.6 cents per kWh for power sent to the grid from November 2026 to June 30, 2030, then the fuel rate.
Gainesville (GRU)
On April 17, 2024, the GRU Authority voted to credit exports from new installations at its fuel adjustment rate instead of full retail. GRU staff said existing solar customers' billing would not change.
CHELCO
Systems installed after May 1, 2023 go on a time-of-use rate whose credit is tied to wholesale costs. Older systems can stay on the earlier rate until August 1, 2035, unless they're upgraded or the home changes hands.
Keys Energy Services
Only the first 75 residential and small business customers got the full retail credit. Everyone after them is credited at the utility's avoided cost.
New Smyrna Beach moved its solar customers to net billing on February 1, 2026, and asks owners of older systems to check which terms apply to them. FPL, Duke Energy Florida, TECO and FPU credit solar under the Public Service Commission's net metering rule; every other utility sets its own terms.
So before you sign, ask your utility, not the seller, what it credits for exported power today, whether it has announced a change, and which date locks in your terms: the application, the approval, or the day the system is switched on.
Hurricane season: plan around it
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. It peaks around September 10, with most activity from mid-August to mid-October, the National Hurricane Center says, and an average season (1991 to 2020) brings 14 named storms, 7 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes.
The part to time is backup power. A grid-tied system without a battery shuts off when the grid goes down, because interconnection rules require equipment that disconnects it from a dead grid (for FPL, Duke, TECO and FPU, PSC Rule 25-6.065). If riding out outages is the reason you want solar, aim to have the battery working before June, and count back for the permit and utility approval.
For what panels go through in a storm and what to check before one, see solar panels and hurricanes. For backup, see solar batteries in Florida.
What waiting costs
Any 12 months in a row include every season, so a system makes about the same yearly total whether it starts in April or October. Starting later doesn't change your yearly savings. It changes how many months you keep paying full price first.
Those prices are rising at the state's biggest utility. Under the four-year plan regulators approved in November 2025, FPL expects a typical 1,000 kWh home bill in its main service area of:
Typical 1,000 kWh bill each year, and the rise over the $134.14 before the plan
From FPL's announcement of its rate agreement. Consumer advocates have appealed the approval to the Florida Supreme Court, which could change the later years. Duke, TECO and the city utilities set their own rates; see why FPL bills are rising.
There's also no tax credit to race. Since the federal credit for home systems ended with 2025, buying in December or in March makes no difference at tax time. If you lease, the company may be counting on a federal credit of its own, section 48E, which for a system leased now generally needs it in service by the end of 2027. That's the company's deadline, not yours, but ask whether your lease price depends on it. Our Florida incentives guide has what's left, including local rebates that close when their yearly funds run out.
Count back from when you want it running
- Check the roofIf it will need replacing within a few years, do that first. Our roof guide explains why.
- Ask your utility two questionsWhat does it credit for power you send to the grid today, and is a change coming? If one is, ask which date sets your terms.
- Get your numbersOur estimate takes about a minute. If the number looks good, a free quote call prices a system for your roof.
- PermitFlorida law gives the building department up to 30 business days for a standard first review, or 5 with a private provider.
- Utility approvalAt FPL, Duke, TECO and FPU, the utility signs the agreement within 30 days of a complete application, and you return it at least 30 days before switching on.
- Switch onFrom contract to permission to operate is commonly several weeks to a few months. See the full timeline.
What a free quote call gets you
- One verified local installer
- The installed price for your roof
- Your payback years from that price
- Free, with no obligation
See what solar could save you
About a minute, and no phone number needed. If the number looks good, a free quote call gets you the exact price.
Common questions
What is the best month to install solar panels in Florida?
Any month. Panels make the most power in March, April and May, but your first year includes every season whichever month you start, so the yearly savings come out about the same. Your utility's credit rules, and how many months you pay full price before you start, matter more than the month.
Do solar panels work in the Florida summer?
Yes. In our model, a south-facing system in Orlando makes about 129 kWh per kW in a summer month, against about 148 in March to May. Summer days are long, but the afternoon storm clouds of Florida's wet season, June through September, hold output down.
Is solar worth it in the summer in Florida?
Yes. A system sized to the average Florida home's yearly use covers about 76% to 85% of use from June to September. At FPL, Duke Energy Florida, TECO and FPU, extra power from spring is credited forward for up to 12 months, which covers much of the summer gap.
Should I wait until after hurricane season to install solar in Florida?
There's no need. The season runs June 1 to November 30, half the year. A grid-tied system without a battery shuts off when the grid goes down, so if storm backup is your goal, aim to have a battery working before June.
Is there a deadline to install solar in Florida?
Not for a federal tax credit any more. The 30% credit ended for home systems finished after December 31, 2025. Local deadlines still matter: some utilities set your credit terms by the date you connect, and some local rebates close when their yearly funds run out.
How long does it take to install solar in Florida?
Commonly several weeks to a few months from contract to permission to operate. Florida law gives building departments up to 30 business days for a standard first permit review, and at FPL, Duke, TECO and FPU the utility signs the interconnection agreement within 30 days of a complete application.
Related guides
- Is solar worth it in Florida in 2026?
- How long going solar takes in Florida
- Florida net metering, utility by utility
- Solar panels and hurricanes in Florida
- The average electric bill in Florida
- Should you replace your roof before solar?
Solar output is modeled, not measured, and your roof, shade and utility change the numbers. Utility terms are as each utility published them in October 2026; confirm yours before you sign. Sources: European Commission JRC, PVGIS 5.2 (PVGIS-NSRDB weather data) · EIA Form 861M sales and revenue data, Florida, 2025 · National Weather Service Melbourne, The Florida Rain Machine · National Hurricane Center: tropical cyclone climatology · Florida Administrative Code Rule 25-6.065 · OUC rooftop solar and TruNet Solar · GRU: net energy metering · Mainstreet Daily News on the GRU vote, April 2024 · CHELCO net metering tariff filed with the PSC, 2023 (PDF) · KEYS net metering tariff filed with the PSC (PDF) · NSBU Net Billing Rider, effective February 1, 2026 (PDF) · NSBU electric rates effective October 1, 2026 (PDF) · FPL rate agreement announcement, November 20, 2025 · IRS FAQs on the 2025 credit changes · IRS Notice 2025-42 (sections 45Y and 48E) · Florida Statutes 553.792 · Florida Statutes 553.791. Reviewed October 2026.
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