THE SHORT ANSWER
A carried-forward solar balance is not necessarily cash worth the retail price forever. FPL describes a December settlement of remaining kWh; Tampa Electric says its year-end excess credit appears on the February statement. Check your utility and the applicable year. [1] [2]
Begin with the units on the statement
Look at whether the balance is expressed in kilowatt-hours or dollars. Energy carried between billing periods and a monetary credit after settlement are not interchangeable. Copy the label exactly into your notes. Do not multiply a number labeled dollars by an electricity rate, or assume a kWh bank is an amount available to withdraw.
Know where to look for the annual entry
FPL says unused banked kWh at the December meter reading receive a bill credit under its COG-1 treatment, based on generation costs rather than a promise of the retail purchase rate. Tampa Electric identifies February as the statement receiving its excess year-end dollar credit. [1] [2] Save the statements before and after that entry; comparing December alone across both utilities can miss the relevant event.
Reconstruct the balance without estimating production
Make four columns: opening bank, additions shown, credits used, and settlement or adjustment. Follow the utility statement rather than your inverter app for this reconciliation. The app describes a different measurement boundary and may use different dates. If the arithmetic does not reconcile, send the two statements and the specific disputed entry to utility billing support. A smaller bank after settlement is not, by itself, evidence of a broken inverter.
Do not buy additional panels just to build a bank
An expansion proposal should explain the treatment of its extra generation, including energy likely to remain at settlement. Ask for the incremental system cost and the incremental bill effect. A calculation that values every added unit at the price of purchased electricity may not represent the settlement rules. This matters for a seasonal Florida home whose consumption changes substantially while the owner is away.
Keep the first review factual
There is no settlement rate quoted in this guide because the rate and your applicable terms need current confirmation. Record the tariff year, statement dates, units settled and dollar result. Then use that record when discussing future system size with Origin. If the question is an unexplained utility adjustment, resolve it with the utility before authorizing equipment work intended to solve a billing problem.
Before your next conversation
- Identify whether the bank is kWh or dollars.
- Locate the utility-specific settlement statement.
- Ask for the applicable settlement calculation.
Primary sources
- FPL: Net Metering FAQs
Primary reference checked September 9, 2026. Applies only to the named program or equipment; confirm current terms for your property.
- Tampa Electric: Solar 101
Primary reference checked September 9, 2026. Applies only to the named program or equipment; confirm current terms for your property.
Planning examples and questions are Origin’s editorial guidance, not a property-specific diagnosis, engineering design, tax determination or promise of savings. Manufacturer and utility references do not imply an affiliation with Origin.
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Bring an annual credit history to Origin when considering an array expansion or a different solar design.
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