How Lake Worth Beach solar credits work
Check the provider on your electric bill first. Lake Worth Beach Electric Utilities serves the city and parts of Palm Springs and Palm Beach County. Use the city's program for an account billed by Lake Worth Beach Electric. If the bill says FPL, use the FPL net metering guide. Utility service area and contact information (opens in a new tab).
Solar electricity used as it is generated reduces what the home draws from the grid. Excess sent to the city earns a credit on a subsequent monthly bill. Those credits can cover later electricity use and can accumulate for up to 12 months. After the last billing cycle of the calendar year, the city pays for unused credits at its wholesale avoided energy cost, adjusted for delivery voltage. The same payout formula applies to unused credits when an account closes. City billing resolution 45-2019, sections B through D (opens in a new tab).
The electric bill still follows the applicable rate schedule. The city bills the greater of the schedule's minimum bill or the applicable charges, including the customer charge. Keep water, sewer and other non-electric charges separate when comparing savings.
For a dated example, the city's March 2026 residential schedule showed a $43.20 minimum bill and energy charges of 12.547¢ per kWh for the first 1,000 kWh and 15.996¢ per kWh above that, including the power cost adjustment. The commission later approved Resolution 41-2026 for fiscal year 2027. Use your latest statement and the applicable rate schedule for a quote. March 2026 rate sheet (opens in a new tab) · Fiscal year 2027 rate vote (opens in a new tab).
Illustration of a year's energy flows for one home. The figures are illustrative and assume the export credits shown as used are applied before the calendar-year settlement.
| What happens to the solar energy | Example | How to value it |
|---|---|---|
| Used at home when generated | 4,200 kWh | Grid purchases the home avoids at its applicable energy rate |
| Exported, then used as credits | 2,700 kWh | Credits that cover later electricity use, subject to the bill's applicable charges and minimum |
| Exported, still unused at year end | 600 kWh | 600 kWh × the city's avoided energy cost per kWh × the delivery-voltage factor |
- Total generation is 7,500 kWh, of which 3,300 kWh reaches the grid. Only the 600 kWh left over goes into the year-end payout calculation.
- The billing resolution lists a factor of 1.0325 for secondary-voltage service. Ask the utility for your service classification and the applicable avoided-cost rate.
Check the system size before signing
The city's published rules cap gross power rating (GPR) at 10 kW and require it to stay within 90% of the property's electric distribution service rating. For inverter-based systems, the city calculates GPR as the array's DC nameplate size multiplied by 0.85. An 11.5 kW DC array calculates to 9.775 kW GPR. It still has to satisfy the service and annual production limits. Published program rules, pages 2 and 3 (opens in a new tab).
The rules also limit estimated annual production to the customer's most recent actual annual use. They allow up to 3,000 extra kWh per qualifying purchased electric vehicle registered at the installation address, with the required purchase documentation and within the same size ceiling. For example, 9,000 kWh of annual use and one qualifying EV could support up to 12,000 kWh of modeled annual production if the city approves. Ask what usage records the city accepts for a new account with a shorter history.
A 2023 commission agenda included a proposed second tier up to 100 kW. The commission voted to table it at that meeting. Ask the utility for the applicable written rule before relying on any proposal above 10 kW GPR or on a different annual production limit. May 30, 2023 commission minutes (opens in a new tab).
The utility's current program page lists a $120 net metering application processing fee and no charge for the metering equipment itself. The customer pays for any distribution or service upgrades the utility determines are necessary. The city strongly encourages, but does not require, at least $100,000 in general liability coverage. The program page is newer than the 2022 rules document, which still states that no application fee is charged, so confirm the fee when you apply. Get any required electrical upgrades and permit costs priced before signing.
Apply, permit and get written approval to operate
The property owner must hold the city's electric account in the same name used on the application. Submit the application, signed interconnection agreement, W-9, signed installation contract and a signed and sealed statement from a Florida professional engineer. The statement covers the system's size and production. The posted rules specify 20 years of production estimates, while the city's separate checklist asks for the first 12 months. Confirm the required format before filing. Application (opens in a new tab) · City checklist (opens in a new tab).
Obtain written utility approval of the application and the required building permits before installation. The building authority depends on the parcel and can be Lake Worth Beach, the Village of Palm Springs or Palm Beach County. Where Palm Springs or the county issues the permit, provide the city utility with the electronic plans and confirm which permit records it wants. Lake Worth Beach Building Division (opens in a new tab) · Palm Springs permits (opens in a new tab) · Palm Beach County SolarAPP+ (opens in a new tab).
Check with city planning if the property is in a designated historic district. The project may need a Certificate of Appropriateness. Ask the installer to identify the utility-required exterior disconnect near the meter on the plans and show who handles any service upgrades. Lake Worth Beach Planning and Zoning (opens in a new tab) · Published program rules (opens in a new tab).
After installation, submit proof of final building approval. The rules call for at least 30 days' advance written notice of the proposed in-service date. Coordinate meter access and any utility inspection, then wait for written interconnection approval and the fully executed agreement before running the system in parallel with the grid. Interconnection agreement (opens in a new tab) · Published program rules, pages 1, 2 and 4 (opens in a new tab).
Plan batteries, repairs and changes to an existing system
For outage backup, ask the installer to show how the battery and controls isolate the home from the city grid and which circuits they can power. The utility requires protection against feeding a de-energized grid. Ask for usable battery capacity in kWh, continuous output in kW and expected runtime for the loads you want to keep running. Battery backup and runtime guide.
When adding panels or replacing an inverter, compare the proposed rating and production with the approved design. If a panel or inverter change increases either figure above what was approved, the published rules require written notice at least 30 days before the work and utility approval. A new application or agreement may be required. For a reroof, have the contractor confirm the permit and utility steps before panels come off. Published program rules, page 5 (opens in a new tab) · Solar repairs · Panel removal and reinstallation.
Buying a home with solar? Get the permits, approval, agreement and any grandfathering records from the seller. The published rules require written notice to the city before a change in system ownership or the utility account, and the incoming owner must apply to participate and sign a new interconnection agreement. The separate 30-day advance notice and city approval requirement applies when system changes, such as replacing panels or inverters, would raise the approved rating or production. Ask the utility how it will treat the existing system before planning an expansion. Published program rules, page 5 (opens in a new tab) · Interconnection agreement (opens in a new tab).
What to ask for in a Lake Worth Beach solar quote
Compare the monthly bill estimates for solar alone and solar with storage using the same bill history. A battery can shift energy use to a different hour. Its value depends on what those exported kWh would otherwise have been worth to you, as well as the value of backup during an outage.
Get the array's DC size, calculated GPR and expected annual output in writing. Ask who files permits, who submits the utility paperwork and what happens to your deposit if the utility approves a smaller array or requires a service upgrade. If you're considering a lease, have the utility review the terms. Its agreement allows an equipment lease and bars payments under the lease for electricity the panels produce.