The TRUTH about Solar in Florida

Everything “bad” about solar in Florida has to do with the fact that the utility companies are a monopoly in that state. They effectively have a stranglehold on energy in Florida. If you could disconnect from the grid then solar makes a ton of sense (even in the short term). Over the long run, 7+ years, again solar makes a ton of sense. Also, as an engineer (with over a decade of experience building solar farms & commercial installations domestically and internationally) I would say that looking strictly at price per watt (PPW) is a foolish way to evaluate solar’s value. It’s what people do when they don’t know enough about something to make an educated decision, so they boil it down to cost (PPW). The fatal assumption there is that all solar is equal which is not the case at all. The warranties matter tremendously on something that’s going to be on your roof for twenty plus years & the reputation of the installer matters just as much as the warranties. Personally I am a fan of Tesla (for their cars and battery innovation) but their residential solar offering is subpar in many ways. The most glaring one being the lack of customer support. The equipment is fine but you better pray that nothing ever goes wrong or you’ll be waiting weeks (if not months) for them to fix it. That’s why they can sell it at the cheapest price in the market because there’s no margin included for long term customer support. Also, this notion that people don’t want to buy a house with solar is complete nonsense. Zillow actually did a study that showed solar homes sell faster and for more money than non-solar homes. Because people want to walk into a house with little to no electric bill. All that being said, don’t go solar if money is all you care about. Go solar if you want to save money over the long run (5+ years), do your part environmentally for your kids, have certainty about what you’re electric payment will look like, and have an end date on the vast majority of your electric bill (minus connection charge). Most importantly, do your research and pick a reputable solar company. P.S. Avoid the forced sales tactic companies as they usually don’t stick around for the long run. In my personal experience the companies to avoid in Florida are Vision Solar, Momentum Solar, Powur, and I’m sure a bunch more could be added to that list.

Great video! Had no idea about the insurance issue with the install. Thanks for breaking down the numbers

Really good discussion and lot of good scenarios covered. very informative..

Really great video! This helped me make a decision to get solar panels on my Florida home. Thank you for the information

Shoutout to the ones giving good info on solar in Florida

Fantastic info guys, thank you!

Great job explaining everything about going solar in Florida.

Thank you for this great video and explanation

Wicked good discussion. Thx!

I think this is a pretty good discussion for folks who basically don't have the skills to DIY a system for themselves. Notes: 1. I would avoid getting into a loan. You want to own the system when you go to sell the house 2. Battery backup can be very important. Your system is probably not going to work if the grid goes down. 3. If you do have some basic skills a DIY system with: a. 10,000 Watts of panels b. 13,000W of inverter power c. 30kWh of battery backup (LiFePO4) d. and a 9,500 W backup generator can be done for around $16,000 in hardware (after rebate) Thanks!

Great video and really good to see some actual numbers.

Good information. Thanks!

Great post....learned alot....

Thanks guys, good information. In fact I am living close to your area, just right by Vista Lake area, so many people come to my house trying to sell me solar, I hope I get good deal in next year or so.

I live West of Boca Raton. I have been through several hurricanes, some of which have trashed people”s roofs. Afterwards, you can see the the contractors putting blue tarps on roofs that have been damaged. So, when I evaluate any changes to my home, I do so from the perspective of whether it will survive a Cat. 2 or 3 hurricane. If a roof with panels is leaking, I doubt that anyone is going to put a tarp on a electrified roof. So, your roof will continue to leak until the panels can be removed. I also have to wonder what type of winds those panels will stand up to. It is probably just me, but I am constantly preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.

Very informative . Listening from California

Great video!! You two ROCK! I'll help you go a bit deeper. The commissions earned by the young man/women who sat you and or knocked on your door are outrageous. Which is why price per watt varies by each different customer. The sales commissions are have a high level of variance, which explains the all these customers paying such different prices per watt. Installers are the designers, submitters of permits, stand inspection; those costs will likely be fixed for sometime. We may have reaached the point where people no longer move every 7 to 10 years going forward. Far too many people are locked into 20 year or 30 year ultra low rate mortage. All these folks are basically paid to stay in the home they are in now. The homeowners know this, which is why they will likey go PV. The home now really becomes a long term commitment. Thanks guys.

Great video! Huge fan. Just bought a model y after buying a home in east park after moving from NYC. I was heavily considering solar but wanted to double check the numbers. This was a gold mine. Is it true lake Nona and the airport shares the same elec grid?

Great video!! What do you guys think about renting the panels? I don't need to worry about upfront cost and repairs (sure no tax benefits, I'm more about saving mostly energy cost)

Very nice presentation, with one caveat; many of the US energy producers have now adopted Time of Use electric rates, with many more to follow. During high power demand periods ( typically noon until 7 pm) the Kwh rates jump to triple/quadruple normal rates. Most utilities track if your PV system produces excess energy, and credit you an equal amount to offset your monthly consumption. Net metering has gone away, but this can save you a lot of money if you can store excess energy in your batteries during the day, and use it to charge your EV , or to offset your consumption, during high-priced periods of the day. So, energy storage should really be part of the equation for folks to consider, even if they don't have an EV. Negawatts are great, but shifting consumption to off-peak periods wii become the next big thing. Good job guys. Steve