Do I need a new electrical panel for solar in Florida?

When solar connects through a breaker in your main panel, the National Electrical Code limits how much power can feed the panel's busbar. Under the 120% rule, the busbar rating times 1.2 has to cover the main breaker plus the solar breaker.

On a common 200-amp panel with a 200-amp main breaker, that leaves room for a 40-amp solar breaker, which supports 32 amps of continuous inverter output, about 7.7 kW at 240 volts. Bigger systems, or panels where the busbar and main breaker are rated the same and smaller, can run out of room.

Florida's building code uses the 2020 National Electrical Code now, and the 9th edition of the Florida Building Code, scheduled to take effect December 31, 2026, brings in the 2023 code.

• A smaller main breaker. If your home's load calculation allows, swapping to a smaller main breaker frees up room for the solar breaker.
• A supply-side connection. The solar connects between the meter and the main breaker instead of through the panel's busbar, so the 120% rule doesn't apply.
• A power control system. Since the 2020 code, certified equipment can limit how much current flows to the busbar. Tesla says Powerwall 3's power control certification can avoid a main panel upgrade where the local building department accepts it.
• A load calculation from real data. The code lets an electrician use a year of measured peak demand, plus 25%, instead of a worst-case calculation, which can show the existing service is big enough.

Ask your installer which option they're using and why, and whether the upgrade on your quote is required or optional.

• Partial-home backup moves essential circuits to a separate critical-loads panel. EnergySage notes large loads such as central AC and water heaters are often left off.
• Whole-home backup uses a switch or gateway that separates the house from the grid in an outage. Tesla's Backup Gateway and Backup Switch handle up to 200-amp service; the Backup Switch can sit behind the meter where the utility allows it.
• Enphase's IQ Meter Collar fits between the meter and a 200-amp meter base to provide whole-home backup without a dedicated backup subpanel, where the utility approves it.

See solar battery backup for hurricanes and the best home batteries for Florida.

Smart panels such as SPAN and Lumin let you control circuits from an app, and their makers say they can keep the home's loads within the service limit, which may avoid a service upgrade when adding a battery or EV charger. Whether your building department accepts that approach is worth confirming before you pay for one.

On FPL, the service drop and the meter belong to FPL, while the meter socket, service entrance wires and service equipment belong to you. FPL's service standards say you pay for any work on your side that forces FPL to replace or modify its equipment, though FPL replaces its own buried service wire at no cost if you install FPL-issued conduit to the existing service point. The new meter enclosure must be on FPL's approved list.

FPL encourages a service of at least 150 amps for average homes and more for larger ones, and asks to be contacted before equipment is bought. Tampa Electric asks customers to call (813) 635-1500 in advance when a service change is planned.

Until the work passes inspection. FPL says a new service entrance must be inspected and approved by the local building department before service is restored, and Tampa Electric reconnects after the required inspection. On Tampa Electric, a licensed electrician may disconnect an overhead single-phase service of 300 amps or less with the utility's approval, but must schedule the reconnect appointment first.

Ask your electrician to book the inspection and the utility reconnect before the work starts, so the outage is as short as possible.

National estimates run roughly $1,800 to $4,500 for a 200-amp panel upgrade, according to Fixr, and more if the utility service or meter base also needs work. A panel replacement needs an electrical permit, and in FPL territory only FPL disconnects the service wires to the home; power isn't restored until the work passes inspection.

Older homes sometimes have panel brands that insurers flag on a 4-point inspection, which can make an upgrade worthwhile anyway. See solar and home insurance in Florida, and check the upgrade's share of your quote with the solar quote checker.