Florida Solar Program | Install Solar Panels in Florida

[@DeepValueOptions]

Thanks!

[@sunfueled2796]

☀️This is #home 🌴 😎❕❗❕❗

[@100_percent_bs8]

Floridian here. I went with a solar + battery system in late 2019 / early 2020. In my area we are forced to use Florida Power & Light (FPL). Important note about net metering with FPL: they purposely screw their customers by cleverly restricting how you can redeem the credits you build up when you send power back through the grid. If you build up credits by sending power back during peak times, which is what most people do here because that’s when the sun is shining and the peak hour time periods are dictated by FPL to facilitate this scam, then you may only redeem your credits by later using power during peak times. They don’t simply cut you a check or take the value of that peak time power you sent back and slice that amount off your next bill. So when you set your batteries (I have Tesla Powerwalls) to always send power back during peak times and draw power during non-peak times, you will never see the full benefit of those credits you are building up. To make matters worse, FPL doesn’t explain this and keeps forwarding your inquiries about why your power bill isn’t smaller to people who are in their net metering department but claim to know nothing about net metering and cannot explain the confusing bills you receive. FPL holds a lot of sway over Florida lawmakers and thus they think they can get away with this stuff. After months of frustration with them, I just stopped net metering and now just set my Powerwalls on backup mode all the time. You’ve been warned.

[@davevisuals]

Thank you for sharing your experience here. I’m also a Florida resident and while I don’t know if my area requires I use FPL, I’m still very much interested in knowing how I can best take advantage of I do go solar route. With you setting your powerwall on backup mode 24/7 what does that mean exactly for how you system functions? Also have you seen a positive change in your out of pocket expenses since being on backup?

[@100_percent_bs8]

@@Carbon_Fiber yeah the problem is I don’t have time for that

[@kevens]

Thank you brother, I needed this info.

[@SolarSurge]

Glad it was helpful.

[@Moist_yet_Crispy]

Don't you need a permit for solar? What is the cost of that permit?

[@sethbruno4094]

You are “permitted” after your site survey is completed and the state approves everything. In most or all cases the permitting will be handled by the company and not the homeowner.

[@barelyafloatwithsteve3975]

I'm looking at boats for a full-time liveaboard in Florida. Are there Solar programs for boats, if it's your primary residence ?

[@SolarSurge]

Thanks a great question. My understand is the tax credit applies for all residential systems. However, obtaining financing for a boat-based solar system might be challenging. I would recommend arranging for your own financing with a local lender.

[@sethbruno4094]

I second what the creator replied. In my experience, I haven’t been able to even install on mobile homes if they don’t have a foundation. So going through a residential solar company might not be your best bet, but like the response you already received, you can always get a system through a different lender.

[@davidcarlos4350]

We are dealing with freedom, any thoughts? We are going to pay our electricity bill regardless, might as well do Solar, we are going to deal with Freedom by any thoughts anyone???

[@AngelTorres-rp8kw]

Question you mean if I put back into the grid 10kw or my house can produce 16 but I only put back for I am so confused

[@louv3347]

I don't understand why batteries would be included in the tier calculation. If I have 5kW solar panels with 10kW battery I would still have to get additional $1M insurance? The batteries don't feed the grid and only provide backup power in case the grid is out.

[@brettferdinand9100]

Love the great information! Will definitely consider you first when I’m ready.

[@pagodadr]

In Florida do have u any idea what the buy back rate is? With Withlacoochie Electric and that info is def not a hot topic on their website thks for any reply

[@SolarSurge]

I believe they offer 1-for-1 net-metering as do most of the Touchstone electric cooperatives. You can read about the program here: wrec.net/solar-energy/

[@Bigsargewaymo7]

How much do these insurance policies cost on average? If the goal is to zero out electric bill but you have to pay an insurance premium, then might just stay at 10Kw

[@SolarSurge]

Hey Craig and thanks for writing in. I have seen quotes in the $75/year range to up the liability coverage to $1M. It would be best to ask your insurance agent. The rates will vary by carrier.

[@Bigsargewaymo7]

@@SolarSurge yeah I'll call insurance on Monday but $75/year is nothing and if I overproduce then that might even pay that off. So this changes the game. Now I'm back to wanting a 15 Kw system. Thanks for the info. Love your videos, keep kicking ass!

[@fastthief]

Florida Kw cost is so cheap, just dont take loan out for solar your ROI is almost 20 years same as loan.

[@mmil012]

Great information. We live in Florida and just went Solar and Battery back up. Wish we seen your video first!!

[@SolarSurge]

Great. Please let us know how the project turns out!

[@jjjjj33333able]

I live in Texas and I saw that video. Good to know you cover them too!!

[@ericdolby1622]

The 26 percent federal rebate is bs for most working class people. Also what is the actual cost versus payback period for a complete system factoring in obsolete / broken equipment.

[@newjohndeer]

Solar power should be free we have so much sunlight in southern states.

[@anothercasualobserver8764]

Late last year I had a 16 panel-5.1 kw grid connected Enphase system installed and entered a net metering agreement with my utility provider. Now I want to add another 16 panels to my system and am wondering if I have to have my net metering agreement rewritten or can I just add the panels and operate under the original agreement?

[@SolarSurge]

You could probably get away with using the existing setup. However, to cover yourself legally, you should probably fill out a new net-metering request.

[@anothercasualobserver8764]

@@SolarSurge Thank you. Is that something that is easy enough for the home owner to do or do I need a licensed contractor to take care of? If I called my utility should I expect them to be of any help? When I had the 1st 16 panels installed the contractor carried an extra line to the roof for a 2nd 20 amp circuit so installing the next group of panels will be straight forward and simple.

[@SolarSurge]

@@anothercasualobserver8764 I would ask your utility for the net-metering inter-connection form. Some utilities require a licensed master electrician sign-off. Others will just take the homeowner's signature along with a passed inspection report from the city/county.

[@anothercasualobserver8764]

@@SolarSurge That's very good advice, thank you! I happen to be a retired master and let my license go several years back, but one of my sons holds a master's license here. This conversation has just made my expansion a lot easier and will save me enough $ that I can make it to 100% instead of my original goal of 80% of my power being produced via solar! My son will make some easy money with the stroke of his pen. Thanks again and keep up the great informational videos!

[@SolarSurge]

@@anothercasualobserver8764 Thank you sir!

[@martinshelton1247]

Hello Good Information I not from Florida but I do have solar. I am from the state of Michigan, what I am doing with my energy saving bill, I just open up another saving account I just putting all my saving from my energy cost into a saving account each month. I finance my solar panels I believe it will pay for itself with the increase in value of my home, if I sale my home in the future I will increase the amount based on the cost of the system that the way I look at it. Thanks for the information.

[@absolutejason]

Joe, you need to go on tour!

[@SolarSurge]

We will be at the solar power international conference in New Orleans this September. Please come visit with us if you are there.

[@DavidSmith-rs4fl]

Great info Joe. Love the videos and the information you share. Here is something else for Floridians that are going solar - there are solar access laws for Floridans which prevent HOA from preventing homeowners to go solar. Other states do not have this law and May prevent a HO from going solar So for the reasons you mention, and having your HOA not get in the way of your wanting to go solar makes Florida a very solar friendly state indeed!

[@SolarSurge]

Great thanks for the additional info. Some other states have this protection as well, including my home state of Virginia.

[@bobwolski7565]

JEA utility company in Jacksonville just lowered the battery rebate from $4000 to $2000 (starting Oct. 1, 2021).

[@SolarSurge]

Thanks for the that update!

[@JasonTaylor-po5xc]

The biggest gotcha seems to be the junior leans most solar loans end up being. If you are able to pay cash, that's great but few of us can. A junior lean needs to be paid off when you sell the house if there remains a balance. This isn't an issue if you have significant equity in your home, but makes solar a poor fit if you don't plan to stay in your house for many, many years to come. Adding solar panels to home can increase your home's value, but only by so much. If your home is already on the high end for your neighborhood, you won't get the full benefit most likely. Personally, I'm torn. I'd love to go solar, but not sure how much longer I'll be in my current home. I think I would do it if I could break even in 5 years, but 10 is too far out.

[@sethbruno4094]

Hey Jason, I would like to start off by saying I am a current solar consultant but coming from California. I’m on this video because my team is moving to Florida. I say this to say that I could be wrong here, but I imagine the state change doesn’t change the loan. The company I represent is not near the only company that does this, but the loans are 100% transferable to the next homeowner all with a signature. Not even a credit check. In the past, moving was a HUGE issue because when putting a lien on the home it caused many problems come moving time. We call it a “100% transfer of service guarantee” which essentially means the next homeowner picks up the loan where the last one left off. This adds the benefit that the rate you “locked in” at when first going solar, would still be the rate the new homeowner gets. To add to that, the “equity” rise in the home when adding a solar system isn’t always as big of a benefit as people imagine for reasons like neighborhood home value and others, but being able to offer a home with an electrical/solar rate that was locked in at prices years ago is a giant benefit.

[@JasonTaylor-po5xc]

@@sethbruno4094 I was told my “loan” is transferrable too but I wouldn’t count on that and not everyone wants to take on yet another loan - even if it is a net positive. It is another possible derailment in any deal. This might be less of an issue in a seller’s market, but we don’t always have the luxury to wait until the market turns to our favor. It is just one of many considerations people should be aware.

[@polarbearigloo]

has your company or partners thought about using 3d printed concrete homes? Seems a novelty in some ways for areas

[@SolarSurge]

I'm not sure about that. It seems like a good idea for places like Florida. I'm not sure how large these 3d printers work or how you would supply it with concrete.

[@polarbearigloo]

@@SolarSurge the process (not permitting) is straight foward. You have a mix of concrete that's rigid like toothpaste with a accelerant to dry. If a company prints in sections (layerheight) and not all at once they have to runny of a mixture. With the right mixture you can print a home and all fittings in 48 hours (excluding roof) here is a company in Florida in the link. Other companies in the USA are sq4d, ICON are both permitted for living. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pneocp6VfdBlrtk

[@polarbearigloo]

@@SolarSurge also wall structure could be hallow, reinforced with rebar, motor reinforcement as the print, or traditional like cinderblocks shape, filled in, meshed, for wall structure

[@baddinosaur1548]

Dude, if the grid goes down we will have bigger problems then keeping our light on. Also having lights on during this disaster will only make you a target.

[@SolarSurge]

True. If things get really bad, you need to be far away from major population centers. I talk about this topic is detail in Chapter 2 of my book.

[@offgridwanabe]

Snowbirds could have a small system and never pay electric bill with net metering.

[@SolarSurge]

Yes, that's a good point. Net-metering allows you to carry over excess solar credits month-to-month so you will benefit even if you don't live in the home full time.

[@errcoche]

There is a retirement community near me that would be perfect for a mass conversion. I have thought about the fact that it would make sense to go into a community where the houses are all the same and come up with a design that you can roll out on a large scale with progressive discount based on the number of buyers. Only problem is that geezers aren't looking twenty years down the road and don't generally give two hoots about the environment. I think if you can find a "tract housing" community with younger owners and come up with a standard design that allows a monthly electric bill to be converted into a monthly solar loan payment of equal or lesser value, you could be onto something.

[@SolarSurge]

@@errcoche That's a good idea. In my experience, it's nearly impossible to get a large group of neighbors to agree on a group buying plan. Some people get it and some people just don't get it when it comes to solar.

[@errcoche]

I think the Federal incentive is down to 22% now Joe ( I hope I am wrong though ). There is definitely an incentive to do solar NOW because the program is set to expire, even though I hope Biden is going to enact new incentives. I contracted with Tesla and they wrote to me specifying a limit of 11.76kW DC before insurance is required so I think that may be part of the rules regardless of the inverter size. I guess they realized you could over panel and be generating 10kW all day - so much for the justification of the rules. A gentleman by the name of Achim Ginsburg Klemt took the Florida Public Service Commission to court over the insurance rule but he lost. Just so we are clear, a 10kW inverter backed by 11.76kW of panels isn't going to meet the energy needs of most Florida homeowners, especially remembering that many of us will be converting to electric vehicles in the coming decade. For Americans, that vehicle is still likely to be a large "sun-guzzler" like an electric F-150 or Ford Explorer. The rule also changes the math as regards the kind of panels to install - a more efficient panel in a size limited array could now make sense as could opting for microinverters or optimizers. Without the rule I would be going big and "cheap". Covering more of the roof reduces heat being radiated into the house from the roof and that is appealing to me. For you Joe, I think the rule presents an opportunity to come up with a hybrid system design with a battery backed panel array that is not part of the net metering arrangement. I am looking at setting up a sub-panel to be driven by a pair of Bluetti EP500 Pro solar generators. I will have 10kWh of battery and 6000 watts of split-phase inverter capacity. I will have 4800 watts of theoretical MPPT inputs ( four 1200W MPPT chargers in effect ) but I think I will be limited to perhaps 3600 watts of actual power from 4,500 watts of high efficiency panels ( looking like the Rec Alpha Black 375w for now ). I will probably have a sub-panel that is driven from the generators under normal conditions. I can't decide on an ATS or a manual transfer switch. I think I can put another 3000 watts of AC into each unit from my grid-tied solar array ( and the grid of course ) so I am very unlikely to deplete the batteries under normal operation conditions. The trick will be to put as many loads as possible on them to use all of the solar energy from the 4.5kWh array. Under blackout conditions I would look to turn off non-critical loads to make the battery last longer. As I understand it, all items bought as part of a solar energy system qualify for the Federal incentive, including battery backups, ATS systems etc.

[@SolarSurge]

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 extended the 26% tax credit through 2022. It will drop to 22% in 2023 and expire at the end of 2023. So, I agree that now is the time to go solar, but you can still get the full 26% this year and next year.

[@SolarSurge]

The Generac PWRCell has a unique capability that is designed to overcome these AC size restrictions. The PWRCell inverter allows you to connect up to 15kW of PV to a single 7.6kW inverter. The inverter output never exceeds 7.6kW AC so no liability insurance to worry about. You can discharge the battery during evening hours to have "24 hours of sun" and avoid buying from the utility during evening house. Then, when the sun comes up, you can use the full 15kW (7.6kW to inverter + 7.4kW to recharge the battery). It's a brilliant design and have been used with great effect in California to overcome these AC size restrictions.

[@errcoche]

@@SolarSurge Thanks Joe - now that's news I can use!

[@billjohnson3344]

@@SolarSurge The Generac DC coupled approach is indeed great for this, but not the only solution. Can do similar things with limiting feedback into the grid to a specific amount with almost all systems. Hybrid systems like SolArk will do natively like Generac, or traditional grid-tie inverters with extra metering that turn down the inverter output based on home draw vs. grid backfeed. Batteries help so that no power is lost, but not required. Crazy Florida requirement - will drive a lot of battery sales I'm sure.

[@errcoche]

@@billjohnson3344 I was just watching a video on EVs Bill and one of the things that came out of it was Tesla being in the insurance business for their vehicle owners. I would like to see them give Florida the proverbial finger by offering the liability coverage to their solar customers at a rate that makes sense. I think we all know that there isn't a real risk here. If the solar industry collectively could come together to take care of this it would be great. Of course, they would immediately be sued by the utilities so I guess there's that.

[@hiyahDotNet]

Hey Joe, great video as always. I did have to raise my liability from the default of $500k to the specified $1m, but it only raised my homeowners insurance by $3/month so still worth getting the larger system in my particular case

[@SolarSurge]

OK great. That's good to know. That should be a negligible expense for most system owners.

[@followquay4371]

Thanks for the insight Daniel. I’m in Florida as well. Who do you use for your insurance? Thanks again!

[@mikejf4377]

Can I message you in messenger?

[@SolarSurge]

I don't think I'm setup for that yet. Please email [e-mail].

[@mikejf4377]

@@SolarSurge thanks