Solar Panels
 

Be aware there are people, currently in Pinellas going door to door asking to review your electric bill and show you that solar panels are financially a good idea. I have done my own analysis and in the state of Florida (net metering), these do not make financial sense.
Please be very cautious about the people.

They were in our neighborhood a month or so ago. Said they were with Duke Energy. Conveniently their id badge was turned around so it was unreadable. When I asked to see the front of the badge he walked away.

If they get to the point of impersonating a company like Duke call the police and report it especially if you get it said on your Ring doorbell. The misinformed might not be so lucky. Thanks

They are required by state law to have a solicitation permit. The permit should state the name of their company. I would just ask to see the permit. If they don't have one, you can call law enforcement.

Solicitation permit? Yeah right.

Have gotten warnings from SECO that people will tell you they're from SECO. NOT.
SECO says they don't solicit door-to-door. Nor endorse anything like this.

Is this the same outfit that tells you that you pay absolutely nothing out of pocket?

I never let them get to that point, when I pointed out I was a member of the IEEE that wrote the national standards for these, as well as being on UL standards boards, and pointing out that I would never get my money back, they left.

School Math:

Jimmy spends on average $150 a month on all his electrical needs in his home.

If James sells Jimmy a solar panel system for 30k, with a 10 year average of battery replacement at 8k, how long will it take Jimmy to recoup the money he has spent and break even?

Answer:
a: 65+ years because the panels have to be replaced every 25 years
b: never but it sure looks ritzy on the roof of my house
c: doesn't matter, I'm stopping climate change
d: Jimmy couldn't sell his house because buyers didn't want solar issues
e: salesman said I could sell the extra back to the power company
f: the real money is selling the panels and James is laughing all the way to the bank

True - Florida is a state where the utilities don't like you competing with them in making electricity. However. back in 2011 in CT it was a different story. I put a 28 panel solar system on my roof and got substantial federal tax credits and a state rebate. Soon after it went online my electrical bill went down to zero. Once a year the utility zeros out the excess Kwh I put into the grid and issues me a credit for a couple hundred dollars. The panels are guaranteed to produce at 85% output after 25 years, and new panels are now half the price of the ones that are installed. Electrical bills have gone through the roof in CT due to additional "social benefits" add on and other charges that have taken effect. Bills are in the $400-$600 per month range for a typical home. Electricity is cheap down here in Florida, and not worth putting in solar panels, unless you are somehow inclined to believe you are "saving" the environment.

Not to mention when the roof needs replacement, the cost of taking down the panel and reinstalling is rather expensive.

Which is why one should replace roof and install solar panels at the same time.

A friend who sells solar panels was telling me there are now subscription solar panels. We didn’t have time to talk long, so I don’t know much about it, but basically she said you pay less per month on it than you pay on your electrical, it’s completely warranted — you pay for no repairs — and if you are selling the house and the new owners do not want the solar panels, the company will come and take it away.

Which doesn’t take away from the fact that we need to beware of people going door to door selling things, but there may be good options out there for people who are interested in saving on electrical costs which, personally, I don’t find to be that cheap in Florida.

Whether it was P.T. Barnum, or some other con-man, the famous phrase describes most solar panel purchasers: "There's a sucker born every minute."

Hi
In a nutshell, you mind sharing a bit of detail about your conclusion? Nothing elaborate but enough to understand a bit.

Thanks

I considered PV panels for a brief moment. Here are my thoughts. If we assume everyone opted for rooftop solar under Florida’s net metering construct, then everyone is putting energy back into the grid for which the utility companies must pay. If all this money is going out to pay for PV provided energy from rooftop solar, then from where does the money come to pay the lineman that repairs the power infrastructure after the next hurricane?
The assumption is, of course, invalid but does, I think, highlight the flaw in net metering.

So what happened, did Jimmy buy??