Glossary
Offset
Offset is the percentage of your annual electricity consumption (in kWh) that a solar system is designed to produce. A 100% offset means the system produces, in theory, the same amount you use in a year. E-Minded designs at roughly 110% to cover Florida's hottest months.
What offset is
It is the ratio between what the system produces and what your home consumes, measured in kWh per year. If you use 15,000 kWh and the system is designed to produce 15,000, the offset is 100%. If it produces 16,500, it is 110%. The number comes from your 12 real bills, not from a neighborhood average or the size of the house.
Offset is the single most important number in a solar proposal and the one fewest people check. It determines how many kW to install and, with net metering, what will be left on your bill.
Why it matters in Florida
Consumption here is not flat: July and August can double January because of air conditioning. A 100% system produces just enough on average, but falls short in summer and has surplus in winter. Because leftover credit is settled at year end at the generation rate (lower than the full retail rate), the average does not fully save you.
That is why we design at roughly 110%: a cushion for hot months and for the natural degradation of panels over the years. It is what makes the Minimum Bill Guarantee possible.
Common mistake
Accepting a “100% offset” calculated from a single month or an estimate. Ask the proposal to show your kWh month by month and the expected production month by month. If they do not line up in summer, the system is undersized no matter how good the annual number looks. In how many solar panels do I need in Florida we show you how to run the math yourself.
Full guide: How many solar panels do I need in Florida? Sizing from your real kWh →
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