Pinellas County is Duke Energy Florida territory with 1:1 net metering and 5.3 peak sun hours. One critical consumer-protection fact: residential PACE financing is explicitly banned by county ordinance since 2017. Get your personalized estimate below.
Duke Energy Florida is the utility across most of Pinellas County, covering St. Petersburg, Clearwater and the beach communities, with residential rates near 15.8 cents per kilowatt-hour. That is above the FPL average, which helps solar economics because your production offsets more expensive power. Pinellas averages about 4.2 effective peak sun hours per day, adjusted for the losses any real installation has from heat, inverters, wiring and salt-air soiling on coastal roofs. One local quirk worth knowing: residential PACE financing is not available here, so plan on cash, a home equity product or a solar loan. Check your own Duke bill, divide the total by the kilowatt-hours billed, and use that rate in the calculator below.
Find out how much you can save based on your location and current energy usage.
In 2017, Pinellas County passed a consumer-protection ordinance prohibiting any PACE provider from offering residential Property Assessed Clean Energy financing to Pinellas County homeowners. This is not a matter of the program being pending or unconfirmed — it was actively banned.
Pinellas County has been in active litigation against the Florida PACE Funding Agency (FPFA) over alleged illegal residential PACE solicitation that has occurred in the county since 2023 despite the ban. If a door-to-door salesperson, phone caller, or solar company offers you PACE financing for your Pinellas County property, treat it as a major red flag and a potential scam. Do not sign.
Legitimate solar financing in Pinellas County includes solar loans, home equity loans/HELOCs, and manufacturer/installer financing programs — not PACE.
Pinellas County is Duke Energy Florida territory — 1:1 net metering, 5.3 peak sun hours, and a unique consumer-protection landscape that every solar buyer here should understand before signing anything.
Duke Energy Florida offers full retail-rate net metering per Florida PSC Rule 25-6.065. Every kilowatt-hour your system exports earns a credit at the same rate you pay for electricity. Monthly surplus rolls forward; any remaining annual balance at the true-up settles at the non-firm wholesale rate (~2 cents/kWh).
This is the same structure FPL offers across most of Florida — financially strong for right-sized systems. Pinellas also gets 5.3 peak sun hours per day, which is genuinely high for Florida and supports solid year-round production.
The validated Florida average payback range of 7–9 years for cash or loan purchases applies reasonably well for most Pinellas homeowners.
Pinellas County's 2017 ordinance explicitly bans residential PACE providers from operating here, citing inadequate consumer protections in PACE programs. The county has been pursuing legal action against FPFA for alleged illegal PACE solicitation in the county despite this ban.
Do not sign a PACE agreement for a Pinellas County property. If a contractor or phone solicitor offers you "no money down, property tax repayment" PACE financing in Pinellas County, it is worth verifying with the county before proceeding — unauthorized PACE solicitation here has been flagged as a consumer scam risk.
Legitimate financing alternatives: solar loans, HELOC, or manufacturer/installer financing programs.
Duke Energy Florida does not offer a direct cash rebate for residential solar installations in Pinellas County. The financial case here rests on three legs: Duke's 1:1 net metering value, Florida's 100% property tax exemption on solar-added home value, and the 6% Florida sales tax exemption on equipment purchases.
On a typical $20,000–$30,000 system, the sales tax exemption alone saves $1,200–$1,800 at the point of purchase. These statewide incentives apply regardless of which Florida utility serves your home.
The 30% federal residential solar tax credit (Section 25D) expired December 31, 2025 — not available for systems installed in 2026 or later.
Since PACE is banned, Pinellas homeowners have three main financing paths:
Avoid any "no money down, no credit check, property tax bill repayment" offer in Pinellas County — that is PACE, which is banned here.
Florida has no state income tax credit, but it offers powerful property and sales tax exemptions for solar installations that significantly improve your ROI.
100% exemption from increased property taxes. Adding solar increases your home's value, but Florida law prevents that added value from increasing your property tax bill.
FL Dept of Revenue6-7.5% savings on equipment. Solar energy systems are completely exempt from Florida's sales and use tax, saving you thousands upfront on the purchase price.
Florida Solar Energy CenterNote: These exemptions apply to purchased or financed systems. Leased systems (PPAs) do not qualify for these specific homeowner tax exemptions.
Pinellas County — including St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, and the rest of the county — is served by Duke Energy Florida. Duke Energy is a regulated investor-owned utility operating under Florida PSC oversight, not a municipal utility like JEA in Jacksonville. If a solar installer quotes you using FPL rates, make sure the estimate is recalculated using Duke Energy's rate schedule for your address.
Duke Energy Florida offers 1:1 retail-rate net metering for residential solar systems, per Florida PSC Rule 25-6.065. Every kilowatt-hour your panels export to the grid earns a credit at the same rate you pay when purchasing electricity. Unused monthly credits roll forward to the following month. Any remaining surplus at the end of the annual true-up period (typically January) is settled at the non-firm wholesale rate — roughly 2 cents/kWh — so it is generally wise to right-size your system to your annual consumption rather than significantly overshoot it. Duke Energy's residential monthly customer charge is approximately $12.
No — and this is critically important. Pinellas County adopted a consumer-protection ordinance in 2017 that explicitly PROHIBITS any PACE provider from offering residential Property Assessed Clean Energy financing to Pinellas County property owners. This is not a matter of the program being unconfirmed or pending approval — the county actively banned it. If a door-to-door salesperson, phone caller, or solar company tells you that PACE financing is available for your Pinellas County home, treat it as a serious red flag. The county has been in active litigation against the Florida PACE Funding Agency (FPFA) over alleged illegal residential PACE solicitation occurring in the county since 2023 despite the ban. What the county describes as unauthorized PACE solicitation in Pinellas County has been flagged as a potential consumer scam. Do not sign any PACE financing agreement for a Pinellas County property. If you are approached by a PACE solicitor, you can report it to Pinellas County Consumer Protection.
While residential PACE is banned, other financing paths remain available. Solar loans — either through a bank, credit union, or a solar-specific lender — let you own the system and build equity while typically offering competitive interest rates. A home equity loan or HELOC (home equity line of credit) can also be used to finance a solar installation, often at favorable interest rates if you have significant home equity. Many solar manufacturers and installers also offer their own in-house or partner financing programs. What is not available in Pinellas County is property-tax-bill-based PACE financing.
No cash rebate from Duke Energy Florida is confirmed for Pinellas County residential solar installations. The financial case for solar here rests on Duke's 1:1 net metering value, Florida's statewide 100% property tax exemption on solar-added home value, and the 6% Florida sales tax exemption on solar equipment purchases. On a typical $20,000–$30,000 system, the sales tax exemption alone saves $1,200–$1,800 at the point of purchase.
Because Duke Energy Florida offers 1:1 retail-rate net metering — the same favorable structure as FPL — the validated Florida average payback range of 7–9 years for cash or loan purchases applies reasonably well for most Pinellas County homeowners. Actual payback depends on your system size, usage profile, and financing type. Note that the 30% federal residential solar tax credit (Section 25D) expired December 31, 2025 and is NOT available for systems installed in 2026 or later. Any estimate you receive should not include a 30% federal credit for a 2026 installation.
Yes. The 30% federal residential solar tax credit under Section 25D of the tax code expired December 31, 2025. Systems installed in 2026 or later are not eligible for this credit. Be wary of any installer or quote that still advertises "claim 30% back from the federal government" for a 2026 install — that credit is no longer available.
DISCLAIMER: All estimates are approximations based on regional averages. Actual savings vary by location, roof orientation, utility provider, and installer. This calculator does not guarantee specific savings.