Florida homes, 2026
What do solar panels cost in Florida?
A $160 monthly bill at Florida's average residential rate of 15.17 cents a kWh is about 12,657 kWh a year, which an unshaded south-facing roof covers with roughly 9 kW. At $2.80 a watt that is $25,200 installed, and Florida charges no sales tax on it, worth about $1,512 at the 6% state rate. The federal 30% credit is the part that changed: the IRS states it is not available for property placed in service after December 31, 2025.
How this is worked out
- The federal residential clean energy credit (Internal Revenue Code Section 25D) is not applied. The IRS page for the credit states that it "equals 30% of the costs of new, qualified clean energy property for your home installed anytime from 2022 through December 31, 2025" and that "the credit is not available for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025" (irs.gov, page last reviewed July 4, 2026, read again on our updated date). Confirm your own position with a tax professional before letting any 2026 quote net 30% off the price.
- The default electricity rate of 15.17 cents per kWh is the Florida residential average for May 2026, against 14.97 cents in May 2025 (EIA, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A). It is an input: use the figure from your own bill.
- Sizing assumes roughly 1,400 kWh per kW per year for an unshaded south-facing Florida roof, scaled by 0.85 for an east or west roof and 0.7 for a shaded or north-facing one. These are working estimates rather than figures from an official source we can cite today, so treat the suggested size as a starting point and ask your installer for modeled production for your address.
- Price per watt is your input. The $2.80 default is a typical 2026 Florida quote and moves with roof type and pitch, tile versus shingle, panel and inverter tier, whether the roof needs work first, and the permitting jurisdiction. We publish no Florida market average because no official source we can cite publishes one.
- The sales tax line applies Florida's 6% general state sales tax rate (Florida Department of Revenue) to the system price, because Florida exempts "solar energy systems or any component thereof" from sales tax (s. 212.08(7)(hh), F.S.). Many counties add a discretionary sales surtax, which is exempt too, so the figure shown is a floor rather than the whole saving.
- For residential property, "the just value of the property attributable to a renewable energy source device may not be considered" in determining assessed value, and photovoltaic modules and inverters are named as renewable energy source devices (s. 193.624, F.S.). Adding solar should not raise your Florida property tax assessment.
- Nothing here estimates savings. Florida does run net metering for customer-owned renewable generation, but the value of a banked credit at year end is not the retail rate: see how Florida net metering works.
Florida Solar Cost Calculator is an independent information site operated by Ellul Solutions Ltd. It is not affiliated with the IRS, the Florida Department of Revenue, the Florida Public Service Commission, any utility or any installer, and nothing here is tax, insurance or financial advice. Confirm credit eligibility with a tax professional, coverage with your own insurer, and prices with licensed installers before buying.
Florida solar cost by monthly bill, 2026
Last updated
System size and installed cost for a range of Florida electricity bills, at the state's May 2026 average rate of 15.17 cents per kWh and a panel price of $2.80 a watt. The last column is the Florida sales tax you do not pay, because solar energy systems are exempt.
Every row comes from the calculator's own formulas. Annual kWh is monthly bill x 12 divided by the rate in dollars per kWh (15.17 cents, the Florida residential average for May 2026 from the EIA). System size is annual kWh divided by 1,400 kWh per kW per year for an unshaded south-facing roof, rounded to one decimal and clamped to 2-20 kW. Installed cost is size x 1,000 x $2.80 a watt. The tax column is 6% of that cost, Florida's general state sales tax rate, which solar energy systems are exempt from under s. 212.08(7)(hh), F.S. The electricity rate and the tax rate are official; the price per watt and the production figure are editable inputs with typical 2026 defaults, not published market rates. No federal credit is applied.
| Monthly bill | Electricity bought per year | System size | Installed at $2.80 a watt | Sales tax not paid (6%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | 7,910 kWh | 5.7 kW | $15,960 | $958 |
| $140 | 11,074 kWh | 7.9 kW | $22,120 | $1,327 |
| $160 | 12,657 kWh | 9 kW | $25,200 | $1,512 |
| $200 | 15,821 kWh | 11.3 kW | $31,640 | $1,898 |
| $250 | 19,776 kWh | 14.1 kW | $39,480 | $2,369 |
| $300 | 23,731 kWh | 17 kW | $47,600 | $2,856 |
- A $160 monthly Florida electricity bill at the state's May 2026 average rate of 15.17 cents per kWh implies about 12,657 kWh a year, which an unshaded south-facing roof covers with roughly 9 kW of solar, $25,200 installed at $2.80 a watt.
- Florida exempts solar energy systems and any component of one from sales tax, so a $25,200 system carries no 6% state sales tax, a saving of about $1,512 before any county surtax.
- For residential property, Florida law says the just value attributable to a renewable energy source device may not be considered in the assessment, so a rooftop solar system should not raise your property tax bill.
Cite this page
“Florida solar cost by monthly bill, 2026”, Florida Solar Cost Calculator, https://floridasolarcostcalculator.com/ (updated 2026-08-14). Every row comes from the calculator's own formulas. Annual kWh is monthly bill x 12 divided by the rate in dollars per kWh (15.17 cents, the Florida residential average for May 2026 from the EIA). System size is annual kWh divided by 1,400 kWh per kW per year for an unshaded south-facing roof, rounded to one decimal and clamped to 2-20 kW. Installed cost is size x 1,000 x $2.80 a watt. The tax column is 6% of that cost, Florida's general state sales tax rate, which solar energy systems are exempt from under s. 212.08(7)(hh), F.S. The electricity rate and the tax rate are official; the price per watt and the production figure are editable inputs with typical 2026 defaults, not published market rates. No federal credit is applied.
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Every figure sourced and dated.
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Frequently asked
How much do solar panels cost in Florida in 2026?
It depends on how much electricity you buy and what you are quoted per watt. As a worked example, a $160 monthly bill at Florida's May 2026 average of 15.17 cents per kWh points at roughly 9 kW, which is $25,200 installed at $2.80 a watt. Enter your own bill, rate and quoted price in the calculator: we publish no Florida market average because no official source we can cite publishes one.
Is the 30% federal solar tax credit available in Florida in 2026?
The IRS page for the residential clean energy credit states the 30% credit applies to property installed from 2022 through December 31, 2025, and that the credit is not available for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025. That is what we read on irs.gov on this page's updated date. Confirm your own case with a tax professional before pricing any federal credit in.
Does Florida charge sales tax on solar panels?
No. Section 212.08(7)(hh), Florida Statutes exempts solar energy systems or any component of one. At Florida's 6% general state rate that is about $1,512 on a $25,200 system, and any county discretionary surtax is exempt too, so the real saving is a little higher.
Will solar raise my Florida property taxes?
It should not. Section 193.624, Florida Statutes provides that for residential property the just value attributable to a renewable energy source device may not be considered in the assessment. Photovoltaic modules and inverters are named in the statutory definition. Your county property appraiser administers it.
What size solar system does a Florida home need?
Divide your annual kilowatt-hours by roughly 1,400 for an unshaded south-facing roof to get a size in kW, then reduce it for shading or an east or west roof. Because banked credits are settled at the utility's rate rather than retail at the annual read, there is little reward for sizing above your own annual usage.
Is a battery worth it in Florida?
Judge it as storm resilience rather than as a bill saving. A standard grid-tied array shuts down in an outage, so a battery is what keeps selected circuits running through a multi-day event. Price it separately from the panels and ask which circuits it backs up and for how long.
Size it from your bill, then price it
Your bill, your rate, your quoted price per watt, with the sales tax exemption shown.
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