Why your electric utility matters
Most homeowners start with equipment: which panels, how many, what it costs. The more useful first question is quieter — who sends your electric bill, and who writes that company’s rules.
Everything downstream follows from that answer. The application that gets filed, the equipment an inspector expects to see, the meter that gets installed, the fixed charges that stay on your bill regardless of production, and the way surplus energy is treated are utility-level decisions.5 A proposal built around one utility’s rules can be quietly wrong for a home served by another.
First, know what kind of utility you have
Florida law does not treat every electric provider the same way. The definition of a “public utility” in Florida Statutes § 366.02 expressly does not include a cooperative organized under the Rural Electric Cooperative Law, or a municipality or any agency of one.1
| Type of utility | Who sets its solar rules | What that means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Investor-owned electric companies | The Florida Public Service Commission, through its rules and approved tariffs | Interconnection and net-metering requirements follow a statewide Commission rule, with company-specific detail in each utility's filed tariff. |
| Municipal (city-owned) utilities | The utility's own governing authority | Terms are set locally. They may resemble the state rule, or differ in application steps, fees, equipment, and crediting. |
| Rural electric cooperatives | The cooperative's own governing authority | Also set locally, and they vary from one cooperative to the next. The cooperative's own published policy is the authority. |
Florida Statutes § 366.91 makes the split explicit: it assigns interconnection and net-metering requirements for public utilities to the Commission, and places the same obligation on municipal electric utilities and rural electric cooperatives through their own governing authorities.2 Where the Commission’s rule applies, the framework is Rule 25-6.065 on interconnection and metering of customer-owned renewable generation.4
The Commission publishes the electric tariffs of the investor-owned electric companies under its jurisdiction. As of our most recent check, that listing names Florida Power & Light Company, Duke Energy Florida, Tampa Electric Company, and Florida Public Utilities Company.3 Many other Florida households are served by city utilities and cooperatives instead.
For the full explanation of Florida’s utility structure and what it means for a solar project, read Florida utilities and solar: who sets the rules. For how exported energy is credited, read net metering in Florida.
Which utility do you have?
Pick the company named at the top of your electric bill.
- I have FPLFlorida Power & Light — rooftop solar rules, application, and billing.
- I have TECOTampa Electric — interconnection tiers, equipment, and inspections.
- I have OUCOrlando Utilities Commission — a municipal utility that sets its own terms.
- I have JEAJacksonville's community-owned utility and its distributed generation policy.
- I have another municipal utility or electric cooperativeCity-owned utilities and rural cooperatives set their own solar rules locally.
- I'm not sureOpen your most recent electric bill and read the company name at the top — that is the utility whose rules apply. Then start here.
Find your utility guide
These are the utility-specific resources HomeSolarGrid has published against primary documents so far. They are not a list of every electric utility in Florida, and a utility without a guide here is not a utility without solar rules — its own published program is always the authority.
- FPL Solar GuideWhat FPL requires before a rooftop system can operate alongside the grid.
- FPL Net MeteringHow FPL measures, credits, and settles the energy your system exports.
- FPL SolarTogetherA subscription to FPL-owned solar centers — not rooftop solar.
- TECO Solar GuideTampa Electric's tiers, agreements, equipment, and remaining bill charges.
- TECO Net MeteringHow Tampa Electric treats exported energy under its filed tariff.
- OUC Solar GuideOrlando Utilities Commission's rooftop program and published timeline.
- JEA Solar GuideJEA's distributed generation policy and how credits are handled.
- Florida Municipal & Cooperative Solar GuideHow locally governed utilities set their own interconnection and credit terms.
What to verify directly with your utility
Before you rely on any proposal, confirm these with the utility itself rather than with a summary:
- Which interconnection agreement applies to the system size being proposed, and who files the application.
- What must be approved before the system is allowed to operate in parallel with the grid.
- What equipment and inspection documentation the utility expects.
- Which fixed charges remain on your bill regardless of how much your system produces.
- How surplus production is credited, and what happens to any remaining balance.
SolarFit™ is a free preliminary education and suitability assessment. It helps you organize the details that actually drive your outcome, including who your utility is and what your current bill looks like. It does not quote systems, promise savings, or speak for your utility.
In Florida, “how does solar work here?” is really a question about your address. Start with the company that bills you.
Sources
The authoritative sources used for the factual claims on this page. Rules, rates, and programs change — always confirm details with the official source before you make a decision.
- 1.Florida LegislatureFlorida Statutes § 366.02 — DefinitionsDefinition of “public utility,” which excludes municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives.
- 2.Florida LegislatureFlorida Statutes § 366.91 — Renewable energyDefines net metering and customer-owned renewable generation, and assigns net-metering rulemaking to the Commission for public utilities and to their own governing authorities for municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives.
- 3.Florida Public Service CommissionRates and TariffsThe Commission's own listing of the electric tariffs it publishes, naming Florida Power & Light Company, Duke Energy Florida, Tampa Electric Company, and Florida Public Utilities Company.
- 4.Florida Administrative CodeRule 25-6.065 — Interconnection and Metering of Customer-Owned Renewable GenerationThe rule governing net metering for Florida investor-owned utilities.
- 5.Florida Public Service CommissionCustomer-Owned Renewable Generation