The short version
Your panels make the most power at midday, when you are often not home. Net metering lets that extra power flow to the grid and earns you a credit. At night, or on cloudy days, you pull from the grid and use those credits instead of paying in full.
Your utility tracks both directions on a single meter. What you are billed for is the net: what you used minus what you sent.
What a zero bill really means
Solar can offset your energy use, the kilowatt-hours. It does not remove the fixed parts of your bill. Most utilities charge a minimum monthly customer fee, and taxes and some fees apply regardless of how much you produce.
A well-sized system can bring the energy portion near zero. Expect the fixed charge to remain. Anyone who promises exactly $0 every month is skipping the fine print.
Production also varies with the seasons. Many households build up credits in spring and use them down in summer, when air conditioning pushes usage up.
How it works in Florida
Florida’s investor-owned utilities offer net metering under rules set by the state Public Service Commission. In general, power you send to the grid is credited against your usage, and unused credits roll forward month to month.
- Credits roll forward. Extra production in one month generally offsets usage in the next.
- Year-end true-up. Credits that are still unused at the end of the annual cycle are typically settled at a much lower rate than the retail price you pay per kWh.
- Utilities differ. Investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities, and co-ops each have their own tariffs, and some municipal or co-op programs are less generous.
Rules and rates change. We confirm the current tariff for your exact utility when we build your proposal. This page is general education, not legal, tax, or utility advice.
How it changes system size
Because year-end leftover credits are worth much less than retail, the goal is to match your annual usage, not to build the biggest system that fits on the roof. Oversizing has diminishing returns.
It also explains why we ask for a year of bills. Two houses with the same roof can need very different systems if one has a pool pump and an electric vehicle and the other does not. Plans for future loads, like a new EV or a heat pump, are worth telling us about before we size the system.
If you are weighing a battery, net metering also changes how much a battery adds. We cover that in battery backup, explained.
Permission to operate
After install and inspection, the utility has to approve the interconnection before you switch the system on. That approval is often called permission to operate. Do not flip the switch early.
Timelines vary by utility and season. We submit the paperwork, track it, and tell you the moment you are cleared.
Questions for any installer
- Which utility tariff did you assume in the savings estimate?
- What monthly fixed charge remains after solar, and is it in your bill projection?
- What happens to leftover credits at the end of the annual cycle?
- How did you choose this size instead of a larger one?
- Who files interconnection, and who tracks it?
Bring these to every quote. If the answers are vague, that tells you something.