How Duke Energy Florida handles home solar (net metering)
Duke Energy Florida bills a home with solar for the electricity it takes from the grid minus what its panels send back, and extra energy becomes a kWh credit on later bills for up to 12 months. After each calendar year, Duke credits any unused kWh to your February bill at a wholesale-based rate, not the retail rate. On the standard residential rate you still pay at least the $30 minimum monthly bill, before taxes and some other charges (Duke tariff, Sheet No. 4.085; Sheet No. 6.121; Duke).
This page is general information, not legal or financial advice. Rules and charges change, so confirm the details with Duke Energy Florida before you decide.
Where the rules come from
Duke Energy Florida is an investor-owned utility (Florida PSC map), so the Florida Public Service Commission sets its net metering rules, in Rule 25-6.065, under Fla. Stat. 366.91. Duke's own terms are section 8.08 of its tariff, on Fourth Revised Sheet No. 4.085, effective January 1, 2025 (Duke tariff, Section IV).
How the monthly credit works
Under section 8.08:
- Metering at no extra cost. Duke installs metering that measures the power you take from the grid against the power you send to it.
- Monthly netting. The meter is read on your usual monthly cycle. If you use more than your panels supply, you pay for the difference under your normal rate.
- Credits roll forward. Extra energy sent to the grid in one billing cycle is credited against your usage in the next, and credits keep offsetting usage for up to 12 months.
- Time-of-use rates. On a time-of-use rate, energy you send out is counted by that rate's time periods.
- Same place only. Credits apply only to the service where your solar system is, not to other locations or other services you take from Duke there.
The annual true-up: your February bill
After each calendar year, Duke credits you on your February bill for any unused energy credits, at an average annual rate based on its COG-1 as-available energy tariff (Sheet No. 4.085). Duke calls this a wholesale rate, the same one it pays other renewable generators for non-firm energy. Its Florida net metering page lists past years' rates; for 2025 it was 3.388 cents per kWh. If you leave Duke's system, unused credits are paid the same way.
Customer charge and minimum bill
- Customer charge: $14.43 a month on the standard residential rate, RS-1 (Forty-Seventh Revised Sheet No. 6.120, effective October 1, 2026; Duke RS-1 tariff).
- Minimum bill: $30 a month (Ninth Revised Sheet No. 6.121, effective January 1, 2022). It applies when your customer, energy, fuel and asset securitization charges come to less than $30, not counting taxes and other additional charges (Duke RS-1 tariff).
- Solar homes too. Whatever you send to the grid, you pay at least your rate's minimum charge (Sheet No. 4.085). Duke says the $30 minimum applies to every Florida customer on a non-demand rate, renewable generators included (Duke).
Connecting to Duke's grid: three tiers
A solar system needs Duke's written permission before it runs connected to the grid. Rule 25-6.065 sets the tiers by size, measured as the AC rating; for an inverter-based system, that is the panels' total DC rating times 0.85 (Rule 25-6.065).
- Tier 1, 10 kW or less: no application fee, disconnect switch or insurance requirement, though Duke recommends at least $100,000 of liability coverage (Duke, Tier 1).
- Tier 2, over 10 kW up to 100 kW: a $240 application fee, $1 million of liability insurance, and a lockable manual disconnect switch near the meter (Duke, Tier 2).
- Tier 3, over 100 kW up to 2 MW: a $750 application fee, $2 million of insurance, the disconnect switch, and possibly an interconnection study (Duke, Tier 3).
The standard agreements for the tiers start on tariff Sheets No. 7.310, 7.320 and 7.330, all effective January 1, 2022 (Duke tariff, Section VII).
The steps with Duke
- Usage sets the limit. Duke says a Florida net metering system cannot be sized to consistently produce more energy than you use in a year, and checks this during the application (Duke).
- Apply online. Since February 9, 2026, Duke has taken Florida requests through its PowerClerk portal. A battery must be in the application, or Duke told about it (Duke). What a battery can do in an outage depends on system design.
- Service check. Duke checks that the system's rating is no more than 90% of the transformer or service-drop rating; if it is higher, you pay for the upgrade first (Duke, Tier 1).
- Inspection, meter, then permission. Local code officials must inspect and approve the system before it runs on the grid (Rule 25-6.065). For Tier 1, Duke says the two-way meter should be fitted within three weeks of a complete application, and written permission to operate usually follows within 10 business days of meeting every requirement. Don't run the system on the grid before that (Duke, Tier 1).
Timing. To finish by December 31, Duke recommends a complete request by October 1, though even that does not guarantee it (Duke, Tier 1).
Meter access. Duke says these meters are read by hand; if yours can't be reached, usage is estimated and export credits are applied in the month the meter is read (Duke).
Is Duke your utility?
Your electric bill names your utility. The Florida PSC publishes a map of approximate service areas and says to use it only as a general guideline. If a city utility or electric co-op serves you, it runs its own net metering program under Florida law, so check its rules (Fla. Stat. 366.91). For questions about connecting a system, Duke lists 866.233.2290 (Duke, Tier 1).
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