Florida electric bills, explained

EIA's 2024 figures explain why Florida bills run high even though the price per kWh is lower. Florida homes used 28% more electricity than the US average that year, while the average 2024 price was 14.14¢ per kWh in Florida against 16.48¢ nationally, about 14% lower. More kWh at a lower price left the average Florida bill 10% higher: $156.09 a month against $142.26. Those averages cover 10,443,373 Florida residential customers and 143,144,185 nationally.

To set your own bill against them:

1. Use kWh per day. Florida's average of 1,104 kWh a month is about 36.8 kWh a day over a 30-day month; the US average is about 28.8. Divide your bill's kWh by its service days to compare.
2. Compare the same season. These are yearly averages, so a single month's bill can sit well above or below them depending on the season. Your utility's usage history is a better yardstick for your own home.
3. Work out your own price. Divide the electric charges by the kWh. Then compare with the monthly statewide figure in the table above, remembering it averages every utility and customer for one month.

The two utilities we cover in full, at 1,000 and 1,500 kWh, before taxes and local fees. JEA's fixed charge is about twice FPL's, and its per-kWh charges are higher in both tiers, so the gap widens as usage grows. FPL figures use its October 2026 rate sheet; JEA's use rates effective October 1, 2026 and the November 2026 fuel rate.

The Florida Public Service Commission regulates the rates of investor-owned utilities such as FPL, Duke Energy Florida and Tampa Electric. According to the PSC, base rates recover infrastructure investment and operating costs, while fuel and purchased-power charges are reviewed at an annual public hearing and "do not include a return or profit." City-owned utilities such as JEA set rates through their own boards; JEA files its tariffs with the PSC.

Which utility serves me? Check the name on your bill. Service areas don't follow ZIP codes neatly, so a ZIP code can include more than one utility.

In the PSC's comparison, FPL's $136.64 for 1,000 kWh breaks down into $89.17 of base charges and $28.93 of fuel, about 65% and 21% of the total. The remaining $18.54 covers the other charges in the comparison, including gross receipts tax. Those parts don't all change on the same schedule:

• Monthly rate sheets. FPL publishes residential rates each month. Its September 2026 sheet included a storm restoration recovery refund of −0.797¢ per kWh that is gone from October's, so that credit no longer reduces the bill.
• Monthly fuel at JEA. JEA resets its fuel rate every month, which can move a bill when usage hasn't changed.
• Quarterly comparisons. The PSC's comparison covers October to December 2026 and lists storm restoration recovery at $0.00 for every utility in that period.
• Scheduled phase-outs. FPL's transition credit, which aligns former Gulf Power and FPL rates, declines to zero by January 1, 2027, according to FPL.
• Your own usage. Summer air conditioning, longer billing periods and new equipment change the kWh, and every per-kWh charge moves with it.

Before you decide your usage went up, check the billing days and which month's rates the bill used. The bill comparison separates a change in kWh from a change in price.

• Federal-funded home energy rebates (HOMES and HEEHR) haven't launched in Florida. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says they're expected to open in the future, with about $346 million in federal funding, and hasn't announced a date.
• Solar equipment is exempt from Florida sales tax, and the value a residential solar system adds isn't counted in the home's assessed value for property tax.
• Federal credits for home improvements and solar ended for work installed after December 31, 2025.

The details matter for each one:

• HOMES and HEEHR eligibility, when they open. HEEHR is limited to households below 150% of area median income. HOMES targets upgrades predicted to save at least 20%. The U.S. Department of Energy's program page doesn't list state launch dates, so the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' page is the one to watch.
• Sales tax on solar. The exemption is in section 212.08(7)(hh) of the Florida Statutes. The Florida Solar Energy Center certifies eligible equipment, the buyer certifies eligibility to the seller, and the Florida Department of Revenue says the exemption doesn't apply where the cost of the solar equipment can't be separated from other charges.
• Property tax on solar. Section 193.624 covers residential renewable energy devices installed on or after January 1, 2013. County property appraisers apply it.

Details, eligibility and sources: verified rebates and credits.

• Your utility's rate sheet. The charges on your bill. FPL publishes residential rates monthly as a PDF; JEA's rates page lists its charges and the fuel rate by month.
• The PSC's 1,000 kWh comparison. A PDF covering the investor-owned utilities for a quarter; the current file, dated September 11, 2026, covers October to December 2026.
• EIA's Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A. Average residential price by state, released monthly and preliminary at first. The next release is scheduled for November 24, 2026.
• EIA's annual Table 5.a. Customers, usage, price and average bill by state for 2024. EIA has discontinued this table; the same data now comes in its EIA-861 files.
• Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Status of the HOMES and HEEHR rebate programs.
• The Florida Statutes. The tax treatment of solar equipment, in sections 212.08 and 193.624.