Answers
Direct answers to the questions Florida homeowners actually ask. Each one states its conclusion in the first paragraph, shows its sources, and gives the date the facts were last verified.
Can I add a battery to an existing solar system?
Usually yes. Whether it is simple or expensive depends on your existing inverter and whether the battery is AC-coupled or DC-coupled.
Can my HOA stop me installing solar in Florida?
No. Florida law prevents a homeowners association or deed restriction from prohibiting solar. What an HOA can still decide, what it cannot, and the 45-degree rule that decides who wins an argument about roof placement.
Do I need a new roof before solar?
How to decide, using the number that actually matters: remaining roof life against the 25-year life of the array. Plus what removal and reinstallation costs you if you get the order wrong.
Do I need a permit for a home battery in Florida?
Yes. A home battery is permitted electrical and often structural work, not an appliance you plug in. What the permit covers, why the inspection matters, and what an unpermitted install costs you later.
Do I need a structural engineer’s letter for solar?
Usually yes, and in Miami-Dade or Broward almost certainly. What the letter actually certifies, who is allowed to sign it, and why a generic one gets rejected.
Do I pay sales tax on solar in Florida?
No. Florida Statutes §212.08(7)(hh) exempts solar energy systems and their components from Florida sales and use tax.
Does solar increase property tax in Florida?
No. Florida Statutes §193.624 excludes the added value of a residential renewable energy source device from your property tax assessment.
Does solar work during a power outage?
A grid-tied solar system shuts down in an outage unless it has battery storage and the right switching hardware. Why that is, and what changes it.
How big a solar system can I install in Florida?
For investor-owned utility customers, Florida PSC Rule 25-6.065 limits a net-metered system to one not expected to produce more than 115% of annual consumption.
How does net metering work in Florida?
Florida PSC Rule 25-6.065 governs net metering for investor-owned utilities: how exports are credited, the 115% sizing limit, and why municipal utilities differ.
How many home batteries do I need?
How to size home battery storage from the loads you actually want to keep running, rather than from a rule of thumb about house size.
Is solar worth it in Florida?
What actually determines whether solar pays in Florida, and the specific numbers you need before anyone can answer it honestly for your home.
Awaiting data
Is the federal solar tax credit still available?
No. The 30% federal Residential Clean Energy Credit ended for systems placed in service after 31 December 2025. What that means for a Florida homeowner buying today.
What happens to solar panels in a hurricane?
How Florida wind-load requirements govern rooftop solar, what typically fails in a storm, and why the roof underneath matters more than the panels.
HVHZ product approval: what Miami-Dade and Broward require
Rooftop solar in Miami-Dade and Broward needs approved products, not just a permit. What a Notice of Acceptance is, why a Florida Product Approval usually beats one, and the question that catches installers out.
What is the 115% rule?
Florida caps how large a solar system you may interconnect: it must not be expected to produce more than 115% of your annual consumption. What that means for sizing, and the three cases where it bites.
Who inspects solar in Florida, and what do they check?
Two separate inspections stand between a finished array and a working one: your building department, then your utility. What each looks at, in what order, and where projects actually stall.
Will a home battery run my air conditioner?
Whether a battery runs central air conditioning depends on continuous output in kilowatts, not stored capacity in kilowatt-hours. How to tell before you buy.