Florida has plenty of sun and a few incentives to make buying solar panels a bit easier. While it’s not on CNET’s list of the seven best states for solar incentives, Florida encourages solar panel installations in a couple of ways.
Florida legislates both sales tax and property tax exemptions for solar panels, continues to mandate net metering policies for excess solar generation and is one of only three states that offer property-assessed clean energy (PACE) loans for solar. Florida’s state-based solar programs are also reinforced by a host of local and municipal-based incentives.
Read more: Best Solar Companies in Florida
Some critics have challenged solar policies in Florida. The state legislature passed a law to end net metering but was rebuffed by the governor’s veto. PACE loans have come under fire for their lack of transparency. It’s more important than ever for Floridians to know what’s going on with solar panel incentives in their state.
Depending on where you live in Florida, you can still get good money back for installing solar panels or a solar water heater. Learn everything you need to know about solar incentives in Florida.
Note: All of the solar incentives listed below are for residential electric customers in Florida. There are different solar incentives for businesses, schools and other organizations. The incentives are current as of March 22, 2024.
Comparing Florida incentives for solar panels
* Estimated value calculated by using a national average of $24,000 for installing solar panels and 0.98% for average Florida property tax
Florida state solar tax credits, exemptions and loan programs
There aren’t currently any state tax credits for solar panels in Florida right now, but there are other tax incentives and sources of financing for solar installations that are available to everyone in Florida.
Florida state property tax exemption for solar panels
Solar panels and other renewable energy investments like wind turbines and geothermal heat pumps are exempt from property tax assessments in Florida. That means that even if the value of your home increases from the installation of solar panels, you won’t have to pay more in property taxes because of it.
The average property tax in Florida is 0.98%, according to AARP. There are lots of different ways to calculate the value of adding solar panels to a house but using a $24,000 average cost of installation, that property tax exemption will save Floridians who install solar panels about $235 per year.
Florida sales tax exemption for solar panels
Florida is only one of 13 states that offer sales and property tax exemptions for solar panels. A 2022 Florida law stipulates that solar panels and solar energy equipment are exempt from state sales tax.
Since Florida state sales tax is 6%, the exemption on solar panels and equipment will save homeowners $1,440 on an average $24,000 solar panel installation.
Florida residential PACE loans
Florida is one of three states (along with California and Missouri) that allow property-assessed clean energy loans for solar panels. PACE loans allow homeowners to install solar panels with no upfront cost. Instead, a lien is placed on the property for the value of the solar panel installation, and homeowners pay off the money as a line item in their property tax bills. Terms for PACE loans are usually five to 20 years.
PACE loans don’t require a credit check and are an easy way to make renewable energy improvements, but PACE programs in Florida have come under fire due to a lack of state oversight. Since PACE loans require a lien on the property, there’s an additional risk of foreclosure for nonpayment. Some lenders — particularly Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — won’t issue mortgages for properties with PACE liens, meaning you’d need to pay off the loan completely to sell your house.
Florida SELF loans
The Solar and Energy Loan Fund (SELF) encourages underserved communities to install solar panels by providing advantageous financing for solar installations. Borrowers get a fixed rate of 7.99% to 8.25% for loan amounts of $3,000 to $25,000 over terms of three to 10 years.
There is no minimum credit score or minimum income required to be eligible for a SELF loan, but you must be current on your property taxes and have paid your mortgage on time for at least the past 90 days. The program occasionally offers other rates, like a 10-year loan at 6.99% offered in early 2024.
Local solar panel rebates in Florida
There are only a few local rebates for solar panels in Florida right now. Most local rebates are for solar water heaters or attic fans. We’ll continue to update this space as new solar incentives in Florida arise.
Boynton Beach Energy Edge rebate program
Boynton Beach is an Atlantic Coast city in Florida offering money back for solar investment. The city currently gives $1,500 back for installation of qualifying solar panel systems. The solar installation must have at least 5kW capacity and 17.5% efficiency to be eligible for the rebate.
Dunedin solar energy rebate grant program
Is it a grant or a rebate? Does it matter? Located to the west of Tampa on the Gulf Coast, the city of Dunedin gives residents and businesses money for installing solar systems. The rebate/grant is based on solar panel system capacity. Residents can get $0.25 per watt of solar power generated up to a maximum of $2,500. Yearly funds are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, and projects must be completed and permitted by Oct. 1 each year.
Local rebates for solar appliances in Florida
Florida might only have a few rebates for solar panels, but cities and local utilities offer rebates for solar water heaters, solar pool heaters and solar attic fans. Here are all the rebates for solar appliances that we were able to find in Florida.
Beaches Energy solar water heater rebate
Serving the beach cities east of Jacksonville, Florida, Beaches Energy gives its customers up to $1,250 back for energy-efficient upgrades, including $500 for the installation of a solar water heater.
Clay Electric solar water heater rebate
Clay Electric Cooperative provides its customers with rebates for energy efficiency upgrades like foam insulation and heat pumps. Its rebate for solar water heaters is based on the capacity, paying $0.01 per output BTU for a maximum rebate of $600.
Fort Pierce Utilities solar water heater rebate
Located an hour north of West Palm Beach, publicly owned Fort Pierce Utilities provides customers with rebates for Energy Star appliances, insulation and other efficiency upgrades. Qualifying solar water heaters can get a $450 rebate.
JEA $400 solar water heater rebate
Jacksonville-based JEA gives its residential customers a wide range of energy efficiency rebates, including $400 for those who convert from an electric water heater to solar.
Keys Energy solar water heater rebate
Along with rebates for efficient refrigerators, ceiling fans and dishwashers, Keys Energy gives its residential customers $450 for solar water heaters.
New Smyrna Beach solar attic fan rebate
South of Daytona Beach, the coastal utility of New Smyrna Beach only offers customers a few efficiency rebates, but one of them is for solar attic fans. Qualifying purchases can get 25% back of the installation cost, up to a maximum of $150.
Ocala Electric Utility $450 solar water heater rebate
Ocala Electric customers who make the switch from an electric water heater to solar are eligible for one of the utility’s many efficiency rebates. Qualifying solar heaters can get $450 back.
Orlando Utilities Commission solar water heater rebate
OUC offers up to $900 back as an energy efficiency rebate for installing solar water heating. Customers must use one of OUC’s “preferred solar contractors” to be eligible for the rebate, which doesn’t include solar pool heating.
Tallahassee $450 solar water heater rebate
Along with special financing for solar water heaters (see below), Tallahassee also provides a rebate of $450 for switching from electric to solar. The rebate shows up as a credit on customers’ electric bills.
Special loans for solar panels in Florida
For financing solar panels, Florida residents have several local loan options, along with the statewide PACE and SELF loans mentioned above. The following cities and local electrical providers offer special loans for solar panel installations or solar water heaters.
Clay Electric energy conservation loan
Clay Electric offers fixed-rate loans for 24 different energy-efficiency home improvements, including solar water heaters and solar pool heaters but not solar panel installations. Customers can borrow between $1,000 and $10,000 at rates of either 5% or 8%, depending on their credit rating. Loan terms depend on loan amounts, but the maximum repayment period is seven years.
Florida Keys Electric Cooperative solar loan program
Way down south in the Florida Keys, FKEC gives homeowners simple-interest loans of up to $35,000 for installing solar panels. The loan must be repaid within 10 years through monthly bill payments, and homeowners must have a 12-month clean billing history to qualify.
Lakeland Electric’s ReEnergize Lakeland Finance loan program
Lakeland Electric provides interest-free loans from $500 to $5,000 for renewable energy improvements including solar panels and solar water heaters to customers who have been in good standing for at least one year. The utility will place a lien on the property until the loan is repaid via monthly billing. The loan excludes the value of any tax credits or rebates on the solar panels, including the federal solar tax credit.
Lauderhill interest-free solar loans
West of Fort Lauderdale, the city of Lauderhill offers interest-free loans of $400 to $2,500 for Energy Star appliances, as well as solar panel installations and solar water heaters. The loans must be paid back within two years. For solar panels, loan checks will be made payable directly to contractors.
Tallahassee Utilities energy-efficiency loans
Tallahassee Utilities provides 5% loans for 25 different energy-efficiency projects, including the installation of solar panels. You can get a maximum of $10,000 loan at a term of up to 10 years for solar panel projects that satisfy an energy audit. The city also provides loans for installing solar water heaters.
Federal solar tax credits and incentives for Floridians
As with most other states, the biggest incentive for installing solar panels in Florida might be the federal solar tax credit, officially called the residential clean energy credit. It gives homeowners who install solar panels 30% of their cost back at tax time, a $7,200 value based on an average installation cost of $24,000.
There’s no maximum to the credit although it is nonrefundable — you can’t receive more money than you owe in taxes. To claim the federal solar tax credit when you file your tax return, use IRS Form 5695 (or let the best tax software handle it for you).
Florida net metering rules for solar energy
Florida has required net metering programs for solar energy customers since 2008. Net metering is the practice of paying customers back for excess solar energy that is put back into the electrical grid.
The net metering law for Florida applies to the state’s four major investor-owned utilities — Duke Energy, Florida Power & Light, Florida Public Utilities and Tampa Electric Company. These companies must give customers credits for excess solar energy that are equal to their retail rates for electricity. Those credits can roll over monthly to pay future electric bills. At the end of the year, the utilities must pay customers for their unused credits based on an “avoided cost” rate that is lower than the retail rate.
Most regional and municipal electric utilities in Florida have net metering policies of their own, although they are not required to by law. Here is a collection of several local electric providers in Florida that provide net metering with links to their policies and rates.
The future of net metering in Florida remains uncertain. In 2022, state legislation to eliminate net metering passed both houses of the legislature but was vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Community solar projects in Florida
As every house, homeowner and solar panel installation is different, whether installing solar panels in Florida will be worth it for you depends on your unique situation. The size of your solar panel installation, the amount of sun your home gets and the amount of energy your family uses will all impact the time it takes for your solar panels to pay for themselves.
The average payback time for solar panels in the US is about six to 12 years.
