FPL net metering: what Florida Power & Light pays for your exports
Florida Power & Light customers are on full retail net metering: Florida credits residential solar exports at the same retail rate you pay to import, so a kWh your panels send to the grid cancels a kWh you take back later, one for one, with the balance settled across the year rather than the moment.
Export rules are set by state commissions and change through regulatory proceedings. Confirm the tariff your account will sit on, and how long its terms are locked, directly with the utility before you sign anything.
What full retail net metering is worth in Florida
Florida is one of the states where the old arrangement survives, and it matters more than most people buying solar realise. In a net billing state, a kWh exported at midday might come back to you as a fraction of what you pay to import it in the evening. In Florida that exchange is one for one.
Practically, that means the grid works like a battery you did not have to buy. You do not have to shift laundry into the afternoon. You do not need storage to capture value that would otherwise leak away on export. Sizing is simple: cover your annual usage.
| Question | Under full retail net metering (Florida) | Under net billing |
|---|---|---|
| Value of an exported kWh | The retail rate | A lower separate export rate |
| Does timing matter? | Barely | A great deal |
| Is a battery needed for economics? | No | Often the deciding factor |
| Right system size | Your annual usage | Closer to what you consume in daylight |
What still costs you money
Two things, and both should be in your arithmetic before you sign anything.
The fixed monthly charge for being connected does not go away, so the bill does not reach zero even in a month you exported more than you imported. And the annual settlement decides what happens to any surplus credit you finish the year with — surplus at settlement is not treated the same as credit you consumed, which is the practical argument against oversizing.
Florida’s rate is 15.3¢ per kWh on the statewide average, which is close to the national middle. Good sun does not make a cheap-power state a fast payback — the Florida cost page carries the modelled numbers.
Common questions
Does FPL have net metering?
Yes. Florida requires investor-owned utilities including Florida Power & Light to offer net metering to residential customers, and exports are credited at the full retail rate. That is now unusual — most large states have moved to a lower, separate export rate.
What does FPL pay for solar power sent back to the grid?
Under full retail net metering the credit equals the retail rate you would have paid for that kWh, so exports and imports offset one for one in kilowatt-hours. The value is therefore whatever your own retail rate is, not a separate buyback price.
Will my FPL bill be zero with solar?
No. Retail net metering can take the energy portion of the bill close to zero across a year if the system covers your annual usage, but the fixed monthly charges for being connected remain, and they are not affected by how much you generate.
How big a solar system should an FPL customer install?
About enough to cover your annual kWh. Full retail crediting means there is no penalty for exporting what you produce during the day and taking it back at night, but there is also no reward for producing more than you use over the year — so building past your own consumption is spending money for credits you cannot spend.
Could Florida's net metering rules change?
They could, for new systems. Florida's utilities have repeatedly pressed the legislature to change the rule. The practical question for anyone installing now is how long the terms are locked for a system energised today, and that is a question to put to the utility in writing before you sign a contract.