Here's the honest version.
The federal 30% solar tax credit is gone. It expired December 31, 2025, when the One Big Beautiful Bill eliminated the residential credit (Section 25D) — the tax break that let homeowners deduct 30% of their solar installation cost from their federal tax bill.
A lot of solar companies are still pretending this hasn't happened. You'll see ads still referencing "the 30% credit" or blog posts that haven't been updated. Pay attention to who's being straight with you and who isn't — it tells you something about how they'll treat you after you sign.
The credit is gone. But solar still makes financial sense in Florida and California, just through different math. Here's what's actually available.
Florida doesn't have a state income tax, so there's no state tax credit. What it does have is arguably better for long-term savings.
Full retail net metering
This is the big one. Florida law requires the major utilities — Florida Power & Light, Duke Energy Florida, Tampa Electric, and Florida Public Utilities — to credit you for excess solar energy at the full retail electricity rate.
Here's what that means in practice: when your panels produce more electricity than your home uses, that surplus goes to the grid and your meter runs backward. You get credited at the same rate you pay for electricity — not some fraction of it, not a wholesale rate. Dollar for dollar.
Most states have weakened their net metering policies in recent years. Florida's held firm. For a homeowner with a properly sized system, this alone can eliminate most or all of your monthly bill.
Sales tax exemption
Solar equipment is exempt from Florida's 6% sales tax. On a $30,000 system, that's $1,800 you don't pay.
Property tax exemption
Solar panels typically add value to your home. In Florida, that added value is excluded from your property tax assessment. Your home is worth more, but your tax bill doesn't go up.
Local programs
A handful of Florida cities offer additional incentives. Boynton Beach, Dunedin, and Tallahassee have city-level rebate or grant programs. If you're in one of those areas, ask specifically — it's worth checking.
California is more complicated post-2025, and it's worth being honest about that.
Net metering changed in 2023 when California switched to NEM 3.0 (also called the Net Billing Tariff). The export rate — what you get credited for sending power to the grid — dropped significantly compared to NEM 2.0. The economics still work, but they work better with battery storage, because storing your own solar power and using it at night is more valuable than exporting it at low rates.
SGIP battery rebates
The Self-Generation Incentive Program offers rebates for home battery systems. For homeowners in low-income or disadvantaged communities, the Equity Resiliency tier pays up to $1.10 per watt-hour — meaningful money on a battery installation. General market funding is nearly exhausted, so if you qualify for any tier, move sooner rather than later.
Property tax exclusion
California excludes the added home value from solar systems from property tax calculations — same as Florida. This benefit expires January 1, 2027.
NEM 3.0 export adders
Under the current tariff structure, there are export adders available through 2027 that improve the economics slightly. These phase out, so early movers have an advantage.
Without the federal credit, the upfront cost of solar is higher than it was before 2026. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.
The payback period is longer without the 30% credit — in Florida, you're probably looking at 9 to 12 years instead of 6 to 9. The long-term savings are the same (25+ years of reduced or eliminated electric bills), but it takes longer to get there.
Whether that math works for you depends on your electric bill, your roof, how long you plan to stay in your home, and what financing looks like. It's a real calculation and it's different for every household.
At KIN Home, we'll show you the actual numbers for your home — not a national average, not a best-case scenario. If solar doesn't pencil out for you, we'll tell you that too.
Here's something the ITC conversation often obscures: lease and PPA options were never tied to the homeowner's federal tax credit in the first place.
With a solar lease, you rent the system for a fixed monthly payment — typically lower than your current electric bill. With a PPA (Power Purchase Agreement), you buy the electricity the panels produce at a set rate per kilowatt-hour, usually below what your utility charges. Both are $0 down. Neither required you to claim a tax credit, because you weren't buying the equipment.
The leasing company or financier claimed whatever commercial tax credits applied on their end. That arrangement still exists. What it means for you as a homeowner: the $0-down path to lower electricity costs is still fully intact in 2026.
KIN works with GoodLeap, LightReach, Skylight, and Enfin for lease, PPA, and loan financing. If the owned-system math feels harder post-ITC — which it is — the lease and PPA options are worth understanding before you write off solar entirely.
KIN also installs HVAC systems and handles roofing. This matters for a few reasons.
First, a leaky or aging roof affects your solar installation — we assess roof condition before any solar project and can handle both in the same process if needed, rather than having two different companies working on your home.
Second, HVAC efficiency and solar work together. If your home is burning through electricity because of an inefficient AC unit — common in Florida — the solar system you'd need to offset that bill is larger and more expensive. Addressing both at once often leads to a better outcome than treating them separately.
We're not pitching a package deal. We're saying: these things are connected, and we can look at the full picture of your home's energy use rather than just selling you panels.
The federal tax credit is gone. That's a real change and it affects the economics. The savings are still real — they just come from bill reduction over time rather than a first-year tax credit.
Florida homeowners have strong net metering working in their favor. California homeowners have SGIP and property tax benefits, but the case for solar is better with battery storage factored in.
If you want to know what this looks like for your specific home, get an estimate. We'll run the actual numbers.