In short: Brevard County homes are served by FPL, Duke Energy Florida or Peace River Electric, with 2024 prices from about 12¢ to 17¢ per kWh. Ordinary outages are short, but hurricanes are not: Milton in 2024 left more than 2 million FPL customers without power, for up to five days. Plan backup first, then solar.
This page covers what is specific to Brevard County. For statewide rules such as net metering law, tax breaks and contractor licensing, see our Florida energy guide.
Space Coast at a glance
- Utilities: EIA lists three electric utilities in Brevard County: Florida Power & Light (FPL), Duke Energy Florida and Peace River Electric Cooperative. It lists no city-owned utility in the county. Your bill tells you which one serves your home.
- Home electricity price (2024 average, EIA-861): FPL about 13.7¢ per kWh, Duke Energy Florida about 16.6¢, Peace River Electric about 12.4¢.
- Outage minutes per customer (2024, whole utility): FPL about 702 counting major storms and 46 without; Duke Energy Florida about 2,500 and 84; Peace River about 1,460 and 90 (EIA-861).
- Sunshine: about 4.9 kWh per square meter per day at Melbourne (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020). Our rough estimate: about 1,420 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Top hazards in Brevard County: hurricanes and lightning “very high”; tornadoes, strong wind, coastal flooding and inland flooding “relatively high” (FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025).
- Public charging: 144 public charging ports in Melbourne, 59 of them DC fast (AFDC Station Locator, October 3, 2026).
Your utility and what it means
Florida Power & Light (FPL)
FPL follows Florida’s net metering rule: power your panels send to the grid earns kWh credits one-for-one during the year, and any surplus at year end is paid at a lower as-available rate (FPL net metering). Its outage figures above are company-wide, from Miami to Pensacola, so they describe the Space Coast only roughly.
For EV drivers, FPL’s EVolution Home program rents a Level 2 charger with installation and maintenance over a 10-year agreement; the program page showed $36 a month with full installation or $27 equipment-only, plus the energy used. Homes on net metering or a time-of-use rate can’t join. Check the program page before deciding, since prices change.
Duke Energy Florida and Peace River Electric Cooperative
Both serve parts of Brevard County as well as large areas elsewhere in Florida. Duke Energy Florida follows the same state net metering rule as FPL; Peace River is a co-op and sets its own terms. Ask your utility about net metering, battery and EV programs before you sign a contract; we have not reviewed their programs for this page.
Backup power on the Space Coast
The 2024 hurricane season shows the pattern. FPL reported about 250,000 customers affected by Debby (back in about a day), about 680,000 by Helene (three days) and more than 2 million by Milton (five days). After Milton, FPL said some customers could not yet safely take power, including areas along the east coast hit by “historic tornadic activity”. EIA counted 3.4 million Florida customers without power from Milton. We could not find a Brevard-only count, so treat these as statewide signals.
For a barrier-island condo, a portable power station or a small battery may be all that is practical. For a house in Melbourne or Palm Bay, a standby generator on natural gas or propane, or solar with a battery, can carry you through a multi-day outage. Compare the options in our backup power guide, size a unit with the generator sizing tool and read about generator installation. Run a portable generator outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house with exhaust pointed away (CPSC).
Solar on the Space Coast
NASA’s long-term figure for Melbourne is about 4.9 kWh per square meter per day, from about 3.0 in December to 6.0 in June, which works out to roughly 1,420 kWh a year per kW of panels (our estimate). A 6 kW system would then make about 8,500 kWh a year, worth roughly $1,170 at FPL’s 2024 average price if every kWh replaces one you would have bought. Duke customers pay more per kWh, so the same panels save more there; Peace River members pay less.
Wind matters here. The City of Melbourne lists solar panels among work that must meet wind-load requirements, which means signed and sealed plans. Ask any installer how the racking is rated and attached. Estimate your roof with the solar potential tool, read how solar installation works and check what solar costs.
Batteries
With full net metering at FPL and Duke, a battery here is about resilience more than savings. With solar, it can keep the fridge, fans, lights and a medical device running and recharge each sunny day while the grid is down. We found no utility battery incentive for the Space Coast. See home batteries, the battery backup calculator and battery installation.
EV charging
Melbourne had 144 public charging ports (85 Level 2 and 59 DC fast) on October 3, 2026, and nearby Palm Bay had 42 (AFDC). At home, using about 30 kWh per 100 miles, charging at FPL’s 2024 average price costs roughly $4.10 per 100 miles (our estimate). Run your own numbers in the EV charging cost calculator and see EV charger installation.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Melbourne: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
- Melbourne: the city’s Building Section issues permits through its online portal (EnerGov). Its FAQ lists generators among work that needs a permit and says solar panels need signed and sealed plans because of wind loads.
- Unincorporated Brevard County: Planning & Development publishes permit pages for residential solar and whole-house generators (covering the electrical and plumbing work). Contractors apply online; a Notice of Commencement is required for solar jobs over $5,000; owner-builders must apply in person.
- Other cities in Brevard may handle permits themselves; check with your city first.
Wiring for solar, batteries, transfer switches and EV chargers is work for a licensed electrician or solar contractor; gas lines for a standby generator need a licensed gas contractor. HOAs: Florida Statute 163.04 bars associations from banning solar panels, though they may choose the roof location within 45 degrees of south if output isn’t impaired.
Cities we cover
- Melbourne
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Space Coast energy questions
Which electric company serves Melbourne, Florida?
EIA’s 2024 records list three utilities in Brevard County: FPL, Duke Energy Florida and Peace River Electric Cooperative, and no city-owned utility. Which one serves a given address isn’t in that data, so check your bill or ask the utility. Net metering, outage records and programs differ between them.
Do I need a permit for a generator in Brevard County?
For a permanently installed one, yes. Brevard County issues residential generator permits for whole-house generators, covering the electrical and plumbing work, and the City of Melbourne lists generators among work that needs a permit. A portable generator connected through a transfer switch also needs a licensed electrician.
Why do solar panels in Melbourne need sealed plans?
Because they must withstand hurricane-force wind. The City of Melbourne lists solar panel installation among work that must meet wind-load requirements, which calls for signed and sealed plans. A good installer includes the engineering in the quote; ask to see it.
How long can a hurricane outage last on the Space Coast?
In 2024, FPL restored most customers within a day after Debby, three days after Helene and five days after Milton, with some hard-hit pockets taking longer. Those are company-wide figures, not Brevard-only, but they suggest planning for several days.
Sources
EIA-861 2024 (service territory, sales, reliability files); EIA Today in Energy (December 1, 2025); FPL newsroom (October 15 and November 27, 2024); NASA POWER climatology (2001 to 2020); FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); AFDC Station Locator (October 3, 2026); FPL net metering and EVolution Home pages; City of Melbourne Building Section and FAQ; Brevard County residential solar and generator permit pages; Florida Statute 163.04; CPSC. All checked October 3, 2026.