Solar panels in Inverness, FL

Inverness is the Citrus County seat, a mostly owner-occupied lakes city on Duke Energy Florida.

Most homes in Inverness get their electricity from Duke Energy Florida. Duke Energy net meters under the Florida PSC's rule: power your panels send to the grid comes back as a kWh credit at the full retail rate, credits roll forward for up to 12 months, and anything left at year-end is paid out at only a few cents per kWh. So the best Inverness systems are sized to cover a year of use, not more. See the full Duke Energy solar guide.

Solar can't take your bill below Duke Energy's monthly minimum of about $30.

These estimates apply to homes with mailing addresses in Inverness, including ZIP codes 34450, 34452, 34453.

• You own the home. Rooftop solar requires owning the roof.
• Your roof gets sun for most of the day on its south, west or east side, without heavy tree shade.
• Your roof has years of life left. Replacing an aging shingle or tile roof before installing saves a removal and reinstall fee later.
• Your Duke Energy bill is regularly over about $150 a month, or you're adding an EV or a pool pump.

Not sure? A specialist can check satellite imagery of your Inverness roof as part of your free quote.

Check these before you sign with any solar company serving Inverness:

• A Florida contractor license. Look up the company's license on the Florida DBPR license search and make sure it's active.
• Permits and utility paperwork included. The price should cover the permit with the City of Inverness or Citrus County, inspections and the Duke Energy net metering application.
• Two or three quotes compared on price per watt, equipment and warranties. Our solar quote checker flags high prices and other red flags, and our guide to choosing a solar company covers the rest.

Or request a free quote for your Inverness home from one of our trusted Florida partners.

Yes. A battery stores your solar power and keeps chosen circuits running when the Duke Energy grid goes down, which standard solar alone can't do: grid-tied panels shut off in an outage. After a storm, the panels recharge the battery each sunny day until the grid comes back. One 13.5 kWh battery runs about $13,000 installed at recent South Florida prices, with no utility or state rebate.

One battery usually covers essentials; running central air usually takes two or more. Because Duke Energy already credits exported solar at the full rate, a battery's value is backup, not a lower bill. See solar battery backup for hurricanes.

• The City of Inverness issues its own building permits through its Community Development Department at City Hall; homes outside city limits go to Citrus County.
• After Hurricane Milton in October 2024, the water management district reported the Inverness Pool of the Tsala Apopka chain of lakes above its high level, with all three pools up 7 to 9 inches from Milton's rain.
• Downtown Inverness centers on the 1912 Old Citrus County Courthouse, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

1. 1

   Building permit

   Your installer applies to the City of Inverness or Citrus County for the permit, with plans designed to Florida Building Code wind loads, and an inspector checks the finished work. Since July 2025, state law lets a private provider review residential solar and battery plans, with a decision due within 5 business days.

2. 2

   Duke Energy net metering application

   Your installer applies to Duke Energy to connect the system. Most home systems are Tier 1 (up to 10 kW), with no application fee.

3. 3

   Meter swap and permission to operate

   After the final inspection, Duke Energy installs a net meter and gives permission to turn the system on.

4. 4

   Property tax

   Florida law keeps the value solar adds out of your home's assessment. If you're unsure whether anything needs to be filed, ask the Citrus County Property Appraiser.