Yes. In Florida you can go solar with nothing down through a lease, a PPA, or a $0-down loan. No up-front cost is not free: you make monthly payments, lease and PPA deals often add a yearly price escalator, and total payments can top a cash purchase. Florida keeps 1:1 net metering and two solar tax exemptions on any path.
Florida homeowners pay about 15.38 cents per kWh for electricity (EIA retail sales, residential FL, April 2026), and with heavy year-round air conditioning the bill that solar offsets is a big one. That is why $0-down solar gets pitched hard across the state. This page explains the three honest ways to go solar with nothing down in Florida, the tradeoffs each one carries, and how Florida’s own rules, its 1:1 net metering and its two solar tax exemptions, actually shape the math. It is written to be straight with you, because a $0-down deal is not the same as free, and no honest quote will pretend otherwise. For the wider state picture see our Florida solar incentives guide, and for the numbers see what solar costs in Florida; this page is about the financing, the $0-down question itself.
The three no-up-front-cost paths in Florida
Florida offers three no-up-front-cost paths: a solar lease, a PPA, or a $0-down loan. All three put panels on your roof with nothing paid at signing, but they are not the same deal. Two of them (a lease and a PPA) mean a third-party company owns the panels on your roof; one of them (a $0-down loan) means you own the system from day one but finance the cost. Which one fits depends on whether you want ownership and the federal commercial tax benefit that comes with it, or you just want a lower, predictable power bill with none of the paperwork.
| Path | Who owns the panels | What you pay | Who keeps the federal tax benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar lease | A third-party company | A fixed monthly lease payment, usually with a yearly escalator | The company that owns the system, not you |
| PPA | A third-party company | A price per kWh for the solar power you use, usually with a yearly escalator | The company that owns the system, not you |
| $0-down loan | You own it from day one | A monthly loan payment; nothing at installation | You, the homeowner (any federal commercial credit stays with the owner) |
The short version: a lease or PPA hands the ownership perks to the provider in exchange for simplicity and no repair worries, while a $0-down loan keeps the perks with you but you carry the debt. Net-metering bill credits and Florida’s two tax exemptions follow the home and the meter, so you keep those regardless of who owns the panels. For the ownership case, see the financial case for whether solar panels are worth it.
$0 down is not free: the honest tradeoffs
No up-front cost means no cash at installation, not no cost. A lease or PPA replaces your utility bill with a solar payment, and there are three tradeoffs an honest quote will not hide:
- The escalator. Most lease and PPA contracts raise your payment every year, commonly by about 1.9 to 2.9 percent. A payment that starts below your power bill can climb over the 20 to 25 year term, so ask for the escalator in writing and do the math on year 15, not just year one.
- Payments can exceed savings. If your utility rate rises slower than the escalator, or your roof produces less than the sales estimate, your total payments over the contract can end up higher than what you would have paid the utility, and higher than a cash purchase.
- The owner keeps the federal tax benefit. On a lease or PPA the company that owns the panels claims the federal commercial credit and the depreciation, not you. Your benefit is a lower or fixed power price. The good news in Florida: net metering and both state tax exemptions still land with the home, since they follow the meter and the property, not the equipment owner.
None of that makes $0-down a bad deal. For many Florida homes it is the only way solar pencils out with no savings to tap. It just means you should compare the lifetime cost, not only the “nothing down” headline. To see how the bill offset works, read how solar lowers your electricity bill.
How Florida’s net metering and tax exemptions change the math
Florida pairs 1:1 net metering with two tax exemptions that follow the home on any financing path. Our Florida net metering guide breaks down how those export credits work in 2026. Under Florida Public Service Commission Rule 25-6.065, the state’s large investor-owned utilities credit every kilowatt-hour you export at the full retail rate, kilowatt-hour for kilowatt-hour, with surplus rolling over and a once-a-year true-up (Florida PSC; DSIRE, Florida net metering). A 2022 bill to roll that back was vetoed, so the full-retail framework held into 2026 for FPL, Duke Energy Florida, and Tampa Electric. On top of that, Florida charges no sales tax on solar equipment (Florida Statutes 212.08(7)(hh)) and excludes the value solar adds to a home from your property assessment (Florida Statutes 193.624). For the mechanics generally, see how net metering credits your solar exports.
Why this matters for $0-down: a lease or PPA provider builds its price around the bill you are offsetting, the net-metering credit that offset earns, and the federal commercial credit and depreciation it claims as the owner. Because Florida has no state grant or state tax credit to trade away, the ownership gap here is smaller than in states that hand owners a cash rebate; the main thing a lease or PPA moves to the provider is that federal commercial benefit. Ask any $0-down provider to show the payment against your real bill in year one and year fifteen.
According to MySolarFY’s analysis (August 2026), a typical 8 kW Florida system produces about 12,355 kWh a year (NREL PVWatts, modeled at Orlando), which at the state’s 15.38 cents per kWh retail rate offsets about $1,900 of grid power annually. With 1:1 net metering and Florida’s sales and property tax exemptions applied, a cash or $0-down-loan owner reaches payback in roughly 10 to 13 years, while a $0-down lease or PPA trades the federal commercial credit and depreciation to the provider for a lower monthly payment. The table below is our own estimate for a typical 8 kW system; treat every figure as a starting point and get real quotes for your roof.
| Florida solar money fact | Value (as of 2026) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Residential electricity rate | About 15.38 cents per kWh (April 2026) | EIA |
| Net metering | Full retail 1:1 credit statewide (IOUs), true-up per utility | DSIRE |
| State sales tax exemption | 100% exemption on solar equipment | FS 212.08(7)(hh) |
| Property tax exemption | Home value from solar excluded from assessment | FS 193.624 |
| Typical 8 kW production | About 12,355 kWh per year (Orlando) | PVWatts (MySolarFY estimate) |
| Cash payback at Florida’s rate | Roughly 10 to 13 years (the federal 25D credit ended in 2025) | MySolarFY estimate |
MySolarFY payback assumption: an 8 kW system installed at roughly $2.50 to $3.00 per watt, about $20,000 to $24,000, with no state sales tax on the equipment and no 25D credit since it ended after December 31, 2025. At about $1,900 a year in bill offset (1:1 net metering at Florida’s 15.38 cents per kWh), that is about 10 to 13 years before financing costs. Municipal and co-op customers set their own net-metering terms, so their math shifts. Your quote, roof, and usage will move the number.
Illustrative: a lease or PPA payment against your bill over time
This is where the escalator earns a second look. The table below is a MySolarFY illustrative estimate, not a quote, and it shows why “starts below your bill” is not the same as “saves money for 25 years.” It assumes a $0-down payment that starts about 10 percent under a typical $160 Florida monthly bill, a 2.9 percent yearly escalator on that payment, and a slower 1.5 percent yearly rise in the utility bill. Under those assumptions the payment overtakes the bill around year 10.
| Year | Est. solar payment (2.9% escalator) | Est. utility bill (1.5% rise) | Monthly difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | about $144 | about $160 | you save about $16 |
| Year 5 | about $161 | about $170 | you save about $9 |
| Year 10 | about $186 | about $183 | you pay about $3 more |
| Year 15 | about $215 | about $197 | you pay about $18 more |
MySolarFY illustrative estimate, August 2026. It cuts both ways: if your utility rate rises faster than 1.5 percent a year, the solar payment can stay below the bill for the whole term. The point is not that leases lose, it is that the outcome rides the escalator and the rate, so run these two numbers with your own quote before you sign.
See which $0-down solar options are available at your Florida address
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Your Florida utility: FPL, Duke, Tampa Electric, and the munis
Verify which utility serves your address before you compare offers, because net metering runs through it. Florida’s investor-owned utilities all follow the same 1:1 full-retail net-metering rule, but the munis and co-ops set their own. Florida Power & Light (FPL) is the largest, covering much of the peninsula and the southeast coast. Duke Energy Florida serves large parts of central and north Florida, and Tampa Electric (TECO) covers the Tampa Bay area; both offer the same full-retail credit under the PSC rule. Municipal utilities, including JEA in Jacksonville, Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC), Lakeland Electric, and Gainesville Regional Utilities, plus the rural electric cooperatives, are not bound by Rule 25-6.065 and run their own net-metering policies, so if one of them serves you, verify its credit rate and true-up before you sign anything.
What ended federally, and what it means for a $0-down Florida homeowner
The federal homeowner credit is gone, and that changes who benefits on a $0-down deal. The 30 percent federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D) ended for expenditures made after December 31, 2025, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, so a Florida homeowner who buys solar with cash or a $0-down loan in 2026 cannot claim it (IRS OBBB FAQ; SEIA). Do not let any $0-down pitch imply you still get a homeowner tax credit on a lease; you do not.
One federal credit still exists, and it is not yours to claim. A separate commercial credit, Section 48E, is claimed by the business that owns a leased or PPA system, not by the homeowner, and it runs for projects placed in service through 2027 with a begin-construction safe harbor by July 4, 2026 (IRS Clean Electricity Investment Credit; SEIA tax policy). On a Florida lease or PPA the provider claims 48E, which is part of why it can offer $0 down; you never file for a federal credit yourself. The 25D homeowner credit, by contrast, ended after December 31, 2025. For the full timeline, see what the federal solar tax credit change means in 2026.
The rest of Florida’s $0-down picture
A few Florida specifics round out the decision:
- No state income tax, so no state solar credit. Florida has no personal income tax and no state solar income-tax credit; its help comes through net metering and the two tax exemptions, not a state cash credit.
- No sales tax on the equipment. Florida exempts solar energy systems from the 6 percent state sales tax, so that break applies on any financing path (FS 212.08(7)(hh)).
- Solar will not raise your property tax. The added home value from a residential solar device is excluded from your assessment, so going solar does not increase your property tax bill (FS 193.624).
- Net metering is a rule for the big utilities, not the munis. The 1:1 full-retail credit is set by PSC Rule 25-6.065 for investor-owned utilities; municipal utilities and co-ops set their own, so verify yours (DSIRE).
- The hurricane and battery angle is real. Florida storms and outages make batteries popular, but a battery adds cost and a lease or PPA may or may not include storage, so confirm whether backup is in the deal and at what price (our Florida solar battery guide covers when storage is worth the added cost).
Comparing states? See how others handle the same question in no upfront cost solar in New York, no upfront cost solar in New Jersey, or no upfront cost solar in Pennsylvania, and for the statewide overview start with Florida solar costs, incentives, and net metering.
How to choose a $0-down offer without overpaying
The $0-down market has good providers and aggressive ones. Rather than chasing a “best” list, screen any installer or provider against objective criteria:
- Get the escalator in writing and calculate the payment in year 10 and year 20, not just year one.
- Ask how the offer treats net metering and confirm the net-metering credits land on your utility account, especially if a muni or co-op serves you.
- Compare the 20 to 25 year total of a lease or PPA against a $0-down loan and a cash purchase, so you can see the real lifetime cost.
- Check NABCEP certification, Florida licensing, and a written warranty, and confirm the system is rated for Florida wind loads.
- Confirm what happens if you sell the home, since a lease or PPA has to transfer to the buyer.
For a fuller checklist, see the right questions to ask a solar installer. MySolarFY matches you with licensed installers that serve your Florida area so you can compare real local quotes side by side, and you can learn how MySolarFY works and how we choose installers.
Frequently asked questions
Can I really get solar in Florida with no money down?
Yes. A solar lease, a power purchase agreement (PPA), or a $0-down solar loan can put panels on your roof with nothing paid at installation, and offers vary by address and utility, so verify what is available for your home. The catch is that no up-front cost is not free. You make monthly payments, lease and PPA deals usually add a yearly escalator of about 1.9 to 2.9 percent, and total payments can end up higher than a cash purchase. At Florida’s roughly 15.38 cents per kWh rate, with 1:1 net metering and two tax exemptions, the bill you are offsetting is what makes $0-down worth considering here.
Is $0-down solar the same as free?
No. Solar is never free. No up-front cost means you pay nothing at installation, but you still pay every month, either a lease or PPA payment for the power, or a loan payment if you own the system. The panels are not free, and a pitch that says otherwise is not being straight with you. The honest comparison is the lifetime cost of each path, not the down payment.
Do I keep Florida’s net metering and tax exemptions on a $0-down lease?
Mostly yes. Net-metering bill credits follow your utility account and Florida’s property-tax exemption follows the home, so you keep those whether you lease, sign a PPA, or own. The sales-tax exemption applies to the equipment on any path. What a lease or PPA hands to the provider is the federal commercial tax credit and the depreciation, because that provider owns the panels. If a municipal utility or co-op serves you, confirm its net-metering policy, since only the big investor-owned utilities follow the state 1:1 rule.
Do I get the federal tax credit on a $0-down lease in Florida?
No. The 30 percent federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D) ended for expenditures made after December 31, 2025, so no homeowner claims it in 2026, whether they lease, sign a PPA, or buy. On a lease or PPA a separate commercial credit (Section 48E) is claimed by the company that owns the system, not by you. So if a salesperson promises a homeowner tax credit on a 2026 lease, that is incorrect.
Which is better in Florida, a $0-down lease, a PPA, or a $0-down loan?
It depends on what you want. A lease or PPA is the simplest path and hands the maintenance and the federal commercial credit to the provider in exchange for a lower or fixed power price. A $0-down loan keeps ownership and any federal commercial benefit with you, but you carry the debt and the upkeep. Because Florida has no state grant or credit to trade away, the ownership gap is smaller than in some states, so compare the full 20 to 25 year cost of each, and remember the federal 25D homeowner credit ended after December 31, 2025.
Reviewed by the MySolarFY editorial team and current as of August 2026. Figures were verified against the linked Florida (PSC, Florida Statutes), DSIRE, EIA, IRS, SEIA, and NREL PVWatts sources; see how we source and check our numbers. Florida net metering, the sales and property tax exemptions, and lease and PPA terms all change over time, so confirm current terms with your utility and provider before you decide. MySolarFY does not provide tax or financial advice; consult a licensed professional about your own situation. Learn more about the MySolarFY team and how we work.
MySolarFY is a free service that matches homeowners with licensed solar installers. We are not an installer, financing company, or government program. “No up-front cost” refers to qualifying lease or PPA financing, where eligible homeowners may have no out-of-pocket cost at installation. Lease and PPA terms typically run 20 to 25 years, may include an annual price escalator of about 1.9 to 2.9 percent, and total payments may exceed the cost of a cash purchase; on a lease or PPA any federal commercial credit and the depreciation go to the company that owns the system, not the homeowner, while net-metering bill credits follow your utility account and Florida’s tax exemptions follow the home. Homeowners do not get the federal residential credit that ended after December 31, 2025. Solar panels are not free and monthly payments apply. Eligibility, savings, incentives, and rates vary and are not guaranteed. See our full disclaimer.
