How to read your electric bill after going solar in Florida

Your bi-directional meter counts two numbers: the kWh the utility delivered to you and the kWh your panels sent back. Under Florida's net metering rule, you're billed each month on the difference. If you sent back more than you used, the extra becomes a kWh credit applied to next month's bill, and credits can roll forward for up to 12 months.

Tampa Electric's net meter bills, for example, show a Total Used column with kWh Delivered and kWh Received. See Florida net metering.

• FPL: a $10.52 monthly base charge in 2026 and a $30 minimum base bill. The minimum covers only base charges; fuel and other clauses on any net use, plus taxes and fees, are added on top.
• Duke Energy Florida: a $30 minimum bill that doesn't replace the customer charge; it applies only when your total bill, before taxes and some other charges, would be under $30.
• Tampa Electric: a basic service charge of $0.45 a day, about $13.50 a month.

Taxes and fees are added on top. If your bill is still high, compare your usage with your system's production in the monitoring app; your home may simply use more than the panels make. See how many solar panels you need.

Because your home uses solar first. The utility's meter sees only what crosses it: what it delivers to you and the extra your panels send out. FPL notes its meter doesn't measure your total production. Solar your home uses as it's made never shows on the bill, so the kWh Received number will always be lower than production in your app.

To check, line up the app's numbers with the bill's exact dates. Your home's real use is production plus kWh Delivered minus kWh Received; if that's well above your old bills, new loads such as a pool pump, EV or a second fridge may be the reason. See why your FPL bill is so high.

Credit left over at the end of the calendar year is paid out, but not at the retail rate. FPL, Duke and Tampa Electric pay it at an average annual as-available (avoided cost) rate, which is far below what you pay per kWh. FPL's year-end credit comes from the December meter read. If you close your account, any unused credit is paid at the same low rate.

That's why it rarely pays to oversize a system: extra kWh beyond your yearly use earn only a few cents each. See solar over 10 kW.

• That the utility has switched you to net metering and installed the bi-directional meter. Panels shouldn't run before permission to operate.
• That the kWh Received number roughly matches what your monitoring app shows sent to the grid.
• That your rate plan works with net metering. Tampa Electric moves net-metered homes to its standard residential rate, off Energy Planner.
• Whether a reading was estimated. FPL says an estimated bill is trued up automatically on the next actual reading; if your banked credit still looks wrong, contact the utility.

In the "Keep in mind" section. FPL's net metering bill guide says that's where it shows how much energy you sent to the grid, how much excess was applied to reduce this bill, how your kWh reserve changed and your total reserve. The kWh reserve is your banked solar credit; it rolls forward each month, and if any is left at the December meter reading, it's credited on that bill and reset to zero.

One wording trap: on FPL's bill, "kWh received" means power you received from FPL. The $30 minimum base bill is figured after your solar credits are applied.

Tampa Electric's sample bill shows kWh Delivered (from the grid), kWh Received (from your solar) and the total between them. Its Net Metering Balance section then starts with last month's banked kWh, subtracts what was applied this month and shows what's left as Year-to-Date. In TECO's example, -900 kWh banked minus 852 kWh applied leaves -48 kWh; the minus sign means credit.

TECO notes the meter only sees power exported to the grid, not solar your home used directly, so the bill never shows your panels' full production. On TECO's smart net meter, display 4 shows delivered kWh and display 7 shows received kWh.

Usually nothing. FPL says an estimated bill is issued when it can't get an accurate meter reading, for example from a technical problem, severe weather or a locked gate, and any difference is corrected on the next bill. For technical or billing questions about net metering, FPL lists netmeteringsupport@FPL.com.

Usually not by much. Because Florida credits exported solar at the full retail rate during the year, storing it instead saves little on a standard rate. A battery's main value is keeping the lights on in an outage. See whole-home battery backup and FPL time-of-use rates.