Residents in Winter Haven, FL who request quotes on the EnergySage Marketplace spend an average of $240 monthly on electricity. That adds up to $2,880 per year. A different way to look at it is that a typical Winter Haven, FL resident uses 1,786 kWh of electricity per month and 21,432 kWh over the year.
(For what it’s worth: Winter Haven, FL residents shopping for solar on EnergySage may use more electricity than a typical household.)
The easiest way to compare electricity costs across regions is to look at the electricity rate. In the U.S., residential rates generally range from 11 ¢/kWh all the way up to 34 ¢/kWh.
As of February 2026, the cost of electricity in Winter Haven, FL is 13 ¢/kilowatt-hour (kWh)—roughly 32% lower than the national average cost. That number is based on real-world electric bills shared with EnergySage over the past 12 months. You can compare that number to the most recent average state electric price reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Florida’s electricity market is regulated, which means you can’t choose which company supplies your electricity. Instead, the state determines your electric utility company based on where you live. There are three main utility companies in Florida, all of which are Investor Owned Utilities (IOUs), meaning they're private for-profit companies:
Florida Power & Light Company (FPL)
Duke Energy Florida
Tampa Electric
While the IOUs cover much of the state, some towns and cities are served by municipally-owned, not-for-profit electric companies that aren't subject to the same requirements as IOUs. These municipal utilities may offer lower rates, but may not offer net metering programs.
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When you pay your electric bill, you’re not only covering the costs to produce that electricity, but also the costs of running and maintaining the electrical grid, as well as public benefit funds that promote things like renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Electric bill costs are rolled into fixed (monthly customer charges) and variable charges (¢/kWh that you use).
Fixed charges, like the flat fee for having a meter, generally remain the same monthly unless your utility makes a policy update.
Your variable charges will change every month and depend on your electricity rate and how much electricity you use.
Your electric bill's variable charges will include a supply (or generation) charge and a transmission and distribution (or delivery) charge. The supply charge covers the cost of electricity generation, while the transmission and distribution charges cover the cost of delivering it to your home.
In Florida, most utility companies allow you to sign up for time-of-use (TOU) rates, a variable-rate plan that charges different rates for electricity depending on the time of day and season.
How clean is the electricity in Florida?
Due to the complexity of utility grids, it's not easy to get precise data regarding exactly where the energy that goes to your specific home comes from, but according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, about 80% of the electricity on Florida’s utility grid comes from fossil fuels—primarily natural gas—as of August 2025.
Only about 9% comes from renewable sources. Given that well over three-fourths of the grid’s energy comes from fossil fuels, installing a home solar panel system in Florida will almost always shrink your carbon footprint.
Some electricity suppliers give you the option to pay a bit more so that most (or even all) of your electricity comes from renewable sources. If you’re unwilling or unable to go solar in Florida but still want to reduce your carbon footprint, this is a great alternative. It just won’t save you any money in most cases. (Though occasionally it could if it’s through a municipal group-buy program.)
As long as you have a suitable roof, one of the surest ways to save on energy is to go solar—ideally with a vetted contractor offering a competitive price.
Solar panels will reduce or even eliminate your electric bills in the short term and protect you against rising electricity costs in the long run, too. The amount you save depends on how much you spend on electricity now and how much of your electric bill you can offset with solar energy.
Solar panels are a big investment, but Winter Haven, FL homeowners who install them—and pay upfront—break even after an average of just 9.43 years. Then, the solar panels will continue to produce free electricity for years to come.
Does Florida offer net metering?
When the sun is out, your solar panels will usually produce more electricity than your home needs at any given moment.
That power doesn’t go to waste. The biggest utility companies in Florida (Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), Duke Energy Florida, and Tampa Electric) offer net metering, a solar buyback program that provides energy credits for all the solar power you send to the grid. Later, when you need to pull electricity from the grid (like at night or on cloudy days), the utility company deducts it from your banked credits.
Under net metering, what matters is the total amount of solar power you produce throughout the year, not when you produce it, because your credits roll over month to month. In Florida, these credits reset at the end of a 12-month period, and the excess is paid back to you in cash.
Net metering in Florida is credited in kWh instead of dollars. This means you still need to pay cash for any fixed costs on your monthly bill, like meter connection fees, but there’s a good chance that might be all you’ll owe at the end of the month.
How much can you save with solar?
The Sunshine State’s abundant sunshine and rising electricity rates mean you can save big when you go solar in Winter Haven, FL.
Just take a look at how much you'll spend on electricity over time based on your current bill. It’s easy to see how going solar can pay off quickly.
Electricity cost over time in Florida
Current monthly electric bill | 10-year electricity cost | 20-year electricity cost | 30-year electricity cost |
|---|---|---|---|
$50 | $6,600 | $15,000 | $24,000 |
$100 | $13,000 | $29,000 | $49,000 |
$150 | $20,000 | $44,000 | $73,000 |
$200 | $26,000 | $58,000 | $97,000 |
$250 | $33,000 | $73,000 | $120,000 |
Assuming a 2% annual increase based on inflation and average annual electric rate increases in Florida.
Let's assume you pay $240 for electricity monthly (the Winter Haven, FL average) and that electricity prices increase by 2% annually. Let's also assume you buy your solar panel system upfront and that it costs you $30,000 before any available incentives.
In the first year with solar, you'll avoid spending $2,900 on electric bills. Over five years, you'll avoid $15,000; by 10 years, you'll have avoided $31,500. Solar panels are usually covered under warranty for 25 years—by then, you'll have avoided spending $92,300 on electric bills in Winter Haven, FL.
The average payback period in Winter Haven, FL is 9.43 years, so by this point, you've already broken even on your investment. When you subtract your upfront installation cost, you'll pocket $62,300 over 25 years with solar.
Your solar savings depend on you
How much your utility company charges for electricity is a big indicator of how much you'll save with solar. But your exact solar savings depend on your unique situation—including your energy usage, roof layout, system size, and how you pay for your system.
Here are some reasons your savings could be below average:
You don’t use much electricity, or your roof is small or has a less-than-ideal layout. You might have a relatively long payback period, so you'll save a little less over time.
You don't install enough solar panels to 100% offset your energy use. You’ll pay less up front but save less in the long run.
You finance your solar panel system with a loan or sign a lease or power purchase agreement (PPA) instead of paying up front. These types of arrangements can make a lot of sense for keeping your capital flexible and will allow you to start saving sooner. But they will cut into your long-term savings.
Choosing a high-quality solar installer is the key to getting a top-notch solar panel system that will help you save on electric bills.
We pre-screen all solar companies on EnergySage to ensure they get the job done right. Here are the highest-rated EnergySage installers in Winter Haven, FL:
Elite+ InstallerScreened & Verified4.8 /5.0850 Reviews
Elite InstallerScreened & Verified5.0 /5.09 Reviews
Elite InstallerScreened & Verified5.0 /5.013 Reviews
Elite InstallerScreened & Verified4.7 /5.034 Reviews
Advanced InstallerScreened & Verified5.0 /5.054 Reviews
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