Florida Solar Life

St. Augustine, Florida · Tesla solar + Powerwall

Real solar numbers from a real Florida home.

I’m Rick, a homeowner in St. Augustine with a 24.65 kW Tesla solar system and two Powerwalls. This site shares what it actually produces, what it actually cost, and what my FPL bills actually look like — no sales pitch.

See the real numbersWhat’s coming
24.65 kW58 Tesla 425 W panels
27 kWhtwo Powerwall+ units
Nov 2023installed, owned outright
11,883 kWhsent back to FPL in 12 bills

Real numbers

What actually happened on my FPL bills

Every figure below is copied from my own paperwork. Nothing is an industry average.

16,612kWh delivered by FPL
11,883kWh received by FPL (my extra solar)
4,729kWh net purchased

Totals for the 12 bills ending Nov 2025 through Oct 2026, main house meter.

Delivered vs. received, bill by bill

Delivered by FPLReceived by FPL (solar sent to grid)Bills with a net credit (Apr, May, Jun)
FPL main-meter kWh by bill: delivered vs. receivedGrouped bars for 13 FPL bills from 2025-10-14 to 2026-10-13. Data table follows the chart.05001,0001,5002,000Bill ending 2025-10-14: delivered 865 kWhBill ending 2025-10-14: received 373 kWhOct’25Bill ending 2025-11-12: delivered 718 kWhBill ending 2025-11-12: received 624 kWhNov’25Bill ending 2025-12-11: delivered 748 kWhBill ending 2025-12-11: received 284 kWhDec’25Bill ending 2026-01-12: delivered 1,576 kWhBill ending 2026-01-12: received 668 kWhJan’26Bill ending 2026-02-12: delivered 1,749 kWhBill ending 2026-02-12: received 913 kWhFeb’26Bill ending 2026-03-13: delivered 1,296 kWhBill ending 2026-03-13: received 1,236 kWhMar’26Bill ending 2026-04-13: delivered 701 kWhBill ending 2026-04-13: received 1,070 kWhApr’26Bill ending 2026-05-13: delivered 1,052 kWhBill ending 2026-05-13: received 1,504 kWhMay’26Bill ending 2026-06-12: delivered 1,488 kWhBill ending 2026-06-12: received 1,676 kWhJun’26Bill ending 2026-07-14: delivered 2,051 kWhBill ending 2026-07-14: received 1,134 kWhJul’26Bill ending 2026-08-13: delivered 1,960 kWhBill ending 2026-08-13: received 955 kWhAug’26Bill ending 2026-09-14: delivered 1,771 kWhBill ending 2026-09-14: received 1,020 kWhSep’26Bill ending 2026-10-13: delivered 1,502 kWhBill ending 2026-10-13: received 799 kWhOct’26kWh

Source: Rick’s FPL bills, main house meter, billing periods ending on the month shown. The EV charger is billed on a separate meter (below).

Show the numbers
Bill period endingDelivered by FPL (kWh)Received by FPL (kWh)Net (kWh)
2025-10-14865373492
2025-11-1271862494
2025-12-11748284464
2026-01-121,576668908
2026-02-121,749913836
2026-03-131,2961,23660
2026-04-137011,070-369
2026-05-131,0521,504-452
2026-06-121,4881,676-188
2026-07-142,0511,134917
2026-08-131,9609551,005
2026-09-141,7711,020751
2026-10-131,502799703

What Tesla said it would make

26,992 kWh a year, by quarter

Tesla’s pre-install production estimate by quarter: Nov–Jan 2,268 kWh, Feb–Apr 6,582 kWh, May–Jul 11,339 kWh, Aug–Oct 6,803 kWh2,268Nov–Jan6,582Feb–Apr11,339May–Jul6,803Aug–Oct

Source: Tesla’s production estimate for this system, provided before installation. Estimate only — my measured production article is coming.

Where October’s power went

The car has its own FPL meter

October 2026 FPL bill: Model X charger 903 kWh, home 703 kWh, of 1,606 kWh totalModel X · 903 kWhHome · 70301,606 kWh total

On the October 2026 bill, the Model X charger used 903 of 1,606 kWh — more than the whole house (703).

Source: Rick’s October 2026 FPL bill (FPL EVolution, separate EV meter).

The system

How the system is set up

Simplified roof layout: 58 solar panels on six roof facesPlan view with north up. Panels face east (85°), north (355°) and west (265°), all at a 27° pitch. Drawing is simplified and not to scale.North face · 355°East · 85°West · 265°West · 265°East · 85°East · 85°N58 panels · 24.65 kWall faces 27° pitchSimplified · not to scaleFront of house (south)
My own simplified drawing of the installer’s roof plan: six roof faces at a 27° pitch, facing east (85°), north (355°) and west (265°).
Whole-home backup setupSolar panels feed two Powerwall+ units, which connect through a Backup Gateway 2 to the home and to the FPL main meter and grid. The EV charger is on its own separate FPL meter.Solar58 panels · 24.65 kW2 × Powerwall+27 kWh storageBackup Gateway 2switches to backupHomewhole-home backupFPL main meternet meteringFPL gridbuys & credits kWhSeparate FPL service for the carEV meterFPL EVolutionEV chargerModel XSolid = power flow · dashed = two-way
Simplified wiring overview. When the grid goes down, the Backup Gateway disconnects from FPL and the house runs on solar and the Powerwalls.

Why trust this site

Real data

Numbers come from my own system monitoring, my Tesla paperwork, and my own FPL bills — not industry averages.

No Tesla sponsorship

Tesla doesn’t pay me or review anything here. I paid for my system like anyone else.

The good and the bad

If something underperforms or costs more than expected, I’ll say so. See the disclosure for how the site may earn money.

On the way

Upcoming articles

  • Coming soon
    Production

    What a 24.65 kW Tesla solar system really produces in St. Augustine vs. Tesla’s estimate

    Month-by-month output from my own system, side by side with the production estimate Tesla gave me before install.

  • Coming soon
    Cost & payback

    What my solar + 2 Powerwalls really cost: $69.7k, the 30% tax credit, and payback

    The full contract price, what the federal tax credit took off, and when the system actually pays for itself.

  • Coming soon
    Batteries

    Are two Powerwalls worth it in Florida?

    Storms, outages, and everyday self-powered mode — what the batteries actually do for my home.

  • Coming soon
    FPL bills

    FPL net metering explained with my real bills

    What I buy from FPL, what I send back, and how the credits show up on an actual bill.

  • Coming soon
    EV charging

    Charging a Model X on FPL EVolution plus solar

    How FPL’s EVolution home charging program fits alongside solar and batteries — on its own meter.

  • Coming soon
    Maintenance

    Does cleaning solar panels in Florida pay off?

    I had my panels cleaned in February 2026. Here’s what production looked like before and after.

From the house

Photo coming soon
The roof, from the street side
Photo coming soon
The two Powerwall+ units
Photo coming soon
A typical sunny day in the app

Get a solar quote

Quote comparisons are coming. I’m still looking for a way to compare installer quotes that I’d actually trust and use myself. Until then, there’s nothing to sign up for here.