As I see it to recover the cost takes time.
So the first thing you should factor in is your age.
The second is what's your current monthly expenditure for electricity.
I find just with both these you should be able to figure it out.
I'm no youngster and my bill never exceeds $200.
For me it's not worth it in dollars or the head aches that will come with the installation and the cleaning of the panels.

What do you sell

Our son, in Wisconsin, just did this. Our first thought was...but it isn't all that sunny in Winter there. I never thought of it til friends of ours in the 80's built a "energy efficient" house....windows facing south and none to the north. That friend told me they'd not thought of it neither til after the fact but stated they found it wasn't worth it in the long run. THEN I've read comments here like V.T. and it seems just like another O.P. said..."like a time-share pitch". So t'will be "interesting" to see what our son finds out in the long run.

I have a 2000 Sq. Ft. home with a very efficient zoned HVAC system. Our August Electric bill for running our AC etc. was only $106.00. No thanks to solar.

I love solar but....

The state of FL offers no state incentives on installs, there's a 22% Federal tax credit.

No sales tax

None of this was explained by this contractor.

The better systems include battery backup to you can run off the grid at night

No up front cost only wants you to call, so he's doing this 10 years and can't give a range of cost?

Should state the savings and years to break even.

The issue here is our cost currently is low where it mostly doesn't pay off in a 55+ community.

What brand solar panels do you sell?

"american solar one" isn't listed on sunbiz.org as Florida Corp

Are you a franchise?

What's your location, one page website has no street address.

Who are you folks?

Sales presentation not very good for trying to sell a $40,000 job.

And that’s not even considering what you would make on your $36,000 up front cost if you invested that for the next 12 years. Solar is NOT worth the return on investment, not even close

Wonder if the OP knows cousin brucie of reverse mortgage fame?:)

I posted earlier that my electric bill did not exceed $200 per month.
I looked up my billing history and it average out to $150 per month totaling $1800 annually.

I went onto Google and annual cost of maintenance for the panel is $300, that covers cleaning and inspection.
Now deduct the $300 from my $1,800 annual bill, leaves us with $1,500 in savings. That of course if the panels supply my total need of energy.
I also looked up on Google cost of installing solar panels in Fl. The average cost range for installing solar panels for a 2,000 sq. ft. home is between $15,000 and $40,000.

If I went with the lowball figure it would take me 10 years before I realized any saving and over 26 years with the higher figure.

Let’s take the $40,000 figure, if I invest this in a safe stock that only pays 4% dividend my return would be $1,800, that matching my annual electric bill.

I love the solar idea, but for me this doesn’t make sense.

I was wrong 4% of $40,000 is $1,600.
It still doesn't make sense for me

Also remember the Solar Panel installers are numb nuts and will mess up your roof if you get the wrong people.

Look into the guarantee for installation and coverage, also check with your insurance company.

State Farm has some unique rules here as it pertains to Hurricane and Tornado areas.

Don't forget that, if you invest the $40,000 at get a 4 percent dividend, you will always have the $40,000 in principal. But, if you spend it on a solar system, the system will decline in value every year until it is worthless. And, when your roof is 15 years old, you will need to replace the roof and pay the solar contractor several thousands of dollars to remove and re-install the solar panels to install a new roof.

Hi VillageTinker

Appreciate your background and comments. Here's some great information from the US Dept of Energy on solar Solar | Department of Energy

1) I am not sure why you have never seen a solar design in Florida that does not make sense economically. Electricity is not free after all, so either you continue to pay the utility, become Amish, or you find a way to take advantage of the sun. If you are not considering the cost of electricity from traditional sources in your calculations, why not? Ask yourself this - Is the National Energy policy going to cause higher or lower prices for traditional sources in the future (coal, gas, oil, nuclear)? If a utility like Duke spends $400 Million on solar fields to meet their ESG requirements, who ultimately ends up paying the bill?

2) There is not such thing as a "no cost" plan, unless you are getting a lease which I do not sell. We use a $0 down loan or you can pay cash for the system. Again, you are currently paying for electricity and will be doing so for as long as you live. Solar gives you the option to basically have free energy after the "break even" point.

3) Not all Florida utilities have Net Metering. While the payback on excess production isn't great in Florida, you wouldn't want to design a system that would overproduce anyhow. It wouldn't make sense.

4) Finally, if solar was such a bad idea, why do 3 Million homes in the United States now have rooftop solar? I understand you personally do not like solar, and it probably doesn't make sense for your situation, surely 3 Million homeowners across the country can't all be wrong, can they?

:)

Have a great day!

Sounds like you're living in a very energy efficient home. Congrats!

Hi retiredguy123

Appreciate the conversation.

One question - how much will you be spending on your electric bill for the rest of your life? Is there ever a "break even point" where the utility will no longer charge you for their investment in digging up the fossil fuels, generating the electricity, or transmitting to your home?

If you look at solar as an investment vehicle, it's better to put the money into something that will give you 4%.

One thing I need to correct. The American made panels have a linear production guarantee lasting 25 years. They will be 86% as efficient at year 25 as they are on day 1. You would not remove and replace them after 15 years.

That's why we don't use the "wrong people" :-)

I generally only sell Tier 1 systems (up to 11.7 kW DC) which does not require any additional insurance.

Have a great day!