Is solar worth it in Florida in 2026?

Published July 2026 · Rules change; verify current utility and state policy.

Florida is a middle case with one big structural advantage: as of this writing, investor-owned utilities still credit residential solar exports at essentially the retail rate under net metering — the arrangement California abandoned. That single fact makes the Florida math simpler and more forgiving than in most large states. The catches are moderate electricity prices, hurricane exposure, and the end of the federal purchase credit.

The structural facts

• Retail-rate net metering (for now). Florida’s net metering rule survived a high-profile 2022 attempt to phase it out (the bill was vetoed). While it stands, the self-consumption-versus-export split that dominates the math elsewhere barely matters here: a kilowatt-hour exported is worth roughly a kilowatt-hour imported. Policy risk remains — a future change would likely grandfather existing customers, but confirm the current rule when you decide.
• Moderate rates. Florida’s residential rates sit near the middle of the national range — solar offsets less value per kilowatt-hour than in California or the Northeast.
• Good sun, real clouds. Production is strong, though summer afternoon convection means the “Sunshine State” yields somewhat less per kilowatt than the desert Southwest.
• Tax treatment. Florida exempts residential renewable equipment from sales tax and exempts the added home value from property tax assessment. With the federal 25D credit gone for post-2025 purchases (details), these state exemptions and the net metering rule are the incentives that remain.

The Florida-specific line items

1. Wind rating and permitting. Installations must meet Florida’s wind-load requirements; a competent installer handles this, but it is one reason quotes can run higher than national averages suggest.
2. Insurance. Florida homeowner’s insurance is already expensive and insurers differ on rooftop arrays. Get your insurer’s answer in writing — both coverage and premium impact — and put the premium change into the payback calculation. A payback that ignores insurance is not a Florida payback.
3. Hurricanes and outages. Standard grid-tied solar shuts off in an outage. Backup power requires a battery or special inverter — a real benefit in Florida, but one you should price as resilience (what is backup worth to you?) rather than let it be sold as “savings.”
4. Roof age. Florida roofs are replaced more often than most. Panels on a roof with 8 years of life left mean paying to remove and re-install the array mid-life; do the roof first or price the R&R in.

The math

With retail-rate netting, the formula collapses to the simple version:

Worked properly — degradation, an inverter replacement, discounting, and no federal credit (see the full method) — typical Florida projects in 2026 land in the borderline zone where install price per watt and your roof’s orientation decide the verdict. Competitive pricing on an unshaded south roof with a young roof deck: often worth it. Premium pricing, east/west shade, aging roof, or a nervous insurer: often not.

Verdict pattern

Florida rewards shopping hard on price and doing the insurance homework before signing anything. The economics are honest but not explosive: net metering keeps the math simple, moderate rates keep it modest.