FPL and solar in 2026 — the quick picture
Florida Power & Light is the largest electric utility in Florida, serving about 5.8 million customer accounts across most of South Florida and large parts of the state. If you're an FPL customer, you're in one of the best positions in the country for residential solar — high electricity rates, excellent sun, and a favorable net metering policy that makes every panel you install work harder for you.
FPL's average residential electricity rate of approximately $0.148/kWh is above the national average. Combined with South Florida's 5.6 peak sun hours per day — among the highest in the continental US — FPL customers typically see payback periods of 8–11 years, and 25-year savings of $60,000–$80,000 on a properly sized system.
FPL offers full retail net metering to residential solar customers in 2026. Excess solar generation is credited to your bill at the full retail rate of ~$0.148/kWh. Credits roll month to month and are trued up annually. This is one of the most valuable net metering policies in the US and a major reason FPL customers see strong solar ROI.
How FPL net metering works
Net metering is the policy that makes solar financially viable for most homeowners. Here's exactly how it works for FPL customers:
- During the day: Your panels produce electricity. Your home uses what it needs. Excess flows back to the FPL grid.
- At night: You draw electricity from the FPL grid as normal.
- Your bill: FPL credits your daytime exports at the same rate you pay for nighttime imports — $0.148/kWh. You only pay for the net difference.
- Monthly billing: Credits roll forward month to month. In high-production months (winter/spring) you build credits. In high-consumption months (summer AC) you use them.
- Annual true-up: At the end of 12 months, any remaining credits are paid out — though at a slightly lower wholesale rate. A well-sized system avoids large annual credit balances.
At $0.148/kWh, every 1,000 kWh your panels export to FPL is worth $148 in bill credits. A 10kW system in South Florida generates approximately 16,000 kWh per year — worth $2,368 in annual FPL credits. Over 25 years, that compounds to over $70,000 in electricity value with FPL's historical rate increases factored in.
FPL interconnection process
Before your solar system can connect to the grid, FPL must approve it through an interconnection review. Here's what to expect:
- Step 1 — Your installer submits: A licensed Florida solar installer submits an interconnection application to FPL with your system specs and electrical drawings.
- Step 2 — FPL technical review: FPL reviews whether your system is compatible with local grid capacity. This typically takes 2-4 weeks for standard residential systems.
- Step 3 — Approval and installation: Once approved, your installer can complete the installation. FPL may require specific equipment or modifications in some cases.
- Step 4 — Meter upgrade: FPL installs a bidirectional meter that tracks both consumption and export. This is done at no cost to you.
- Step 5 — Permission to operate: After a final inspection, FPL grants permission to operate and you're live on net metering.
Total timeline from application to operation: typically 6-10 weeks. FPL has one of the more organized interconnection processes among Florida utilities.
The FPL solar math in 2026
Let's run real numbers for a typical FPL customer with a $215/month electric bill: