[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by BillyGreenYokel

Great line and pretty much sums it up! I've been curious about how long it would actually take to recoup the investment. And down the road, there would likely be costs associated with maintenance on the system or when shingles need to be replaced. And personally, I find solar panels to be unsightly.

Agree about solar panels appearing unsightly. I think the panels deface the home.

[UpNorth]

In spite of all the sunshine, solar is not a good investment in Florida. The power companies will take a good cut of your output, and the insurance companies will be forcing you to replace your roof after 10 years. And you certainly don't want to do one of those "no money down" lease deals. Contrast this to my home in CT, where I installed 28 solar panels on my roof in 2011. Have not bought a single watt of electricity since. The utility company gives me a kw for every kw I put into the grid. No pressure to replace my roof shingles (which are covered by the panels anyway) and I get a credit for excess kw produced at the end of the year. I only pay for metering, which is about $12/month. Pretty good for CT, where residents are now paying huge electrical bills ($400+/month and more)

[retiredguy123]

To me, spending $20K to install solar panels on an asphalt roof that may need to be repaired or replaced in a few years is crazy. My electric bill is only $1,500 per year. So, $20K, invested at a 5 percent return, will pay my entire electricity cost for 22 years.

[Two Bills]

In UK many new homes are having solar panels installed.
They are an integrated part of the roof, not an attached system.
They are not obtrusive, and blend into tiles or slates seamlessly.
If I were building a new house, I would definitely have such a system installed.
I would not on an older house, as it is not economical in short term.

[Southwest737]

Consider a Tesla roof. Cost more but you get more electric production with a durable 25 year guaranteed roof that looks great.
I had a 5kw panel system installed 8 years ago. After tax credit cost was 11k and the system produces around $1000 in electricity per year. 10-12 year payback is a long term investment.
The original roof is 20 years old and I have insurance with Tower Hill. No leaks and no maintenance issues. Roof inspector a year ago from a Tower Hill guy said our roof is good for another 5 years.
I think solar will be more beneficial in the near future when SECO switches to Time of Day billing.

[Chamo]

Plain & simple DO NOT get solar panels in Florida. YOU never recover your investment you are only making money for the electric company plus you must now pay for electricity 7pm - 7am NOT covered by the panels.

[DonnaNi4os]

My neighbor has them. She never received the promised tax break. She did end up with a leaking roof on her home when it was only 2 years old. She will never live long enough to justify the cost (most of us won’t) and I get to look at her ugly panels when I sit in my dining room. Beware. They aren’t what you think. And don’t assume that your electricity will remain on when the electricity goes out. It won’t.

[JRcorvette]

Originally Posted by maciaj01

Hi everyone- I have been thinking about going solar. I’ve received 4 different estimates. The recent one is from Freedom Solar Power. The headquarters is in San Antonio TX, but local branch is in Tampa.

I am having a hard time finding any credible information about the Tampa branch. Since there are many bad stories about companies installing solar panels, I would like to ask your thoughts and experiences.

Thank you,
Jan (Citrus Grove)

Be very careful about putting on solar panels and who you deal with should you decide to spend a the money.

Some things to consider:
Payback time vs your age? If you are older it is not worth it.
Do you have a new roof? The cost of replacing your shingles once solar panels are up there is extensive maybe even double.
Are you going to have batteries that will power your house if needed? If not find out what the power company is giving back to you for the extra power. It is not 100% and has gone down over the years.

In my opinion it is a bad idea financially. Just do the math.

[Gunney3042]

Go Solar. Mark Hader. Did mine

[JRcorvette]

Originally Posted by DonnaNi4os

My neighbor has them. She never received the promised tax break. She did end up with a leaking roof on her home when it was only 2 years old. She will never live long enough to justify the cost (most of us won’t) and I get to look at her ugly panels when I sit in my dining room. Beware. They aren’t what you think. And don’t assume that your electricity will remain on when the electricity goes out. It won’t.

This post is 100% correct! My neighbor has them also and they are quite old. No batteries so if the power goes out it goes out for them too!

[sowilts]

Originally Posted by coffeebean

Agree!!!!!!!!

Second that, utilities are very reasonable here compared to our home at Annapolis Md. And as others have stated be careful with the contract fine print.

[Burnie]

Originally Posted by UpNorth

In spite of all the sunshine, solar is not a good investment in Florida. The power companies will take a good cut of your output, and the insurance companies will be forcing you to replace your roof after 10 years. And you certainly don't want to do one of those "no money down" lease deals. Contrast this to my home in CT, where I installed 28 solar panels on my roof in 2011. Have not bought a single watt of electricity since. The utility company gives me a kw for every kw I put into the grid. No pressure to replace my roof shingles (which are covered by the panels anyway) and I get a credit for excess kw produced at the end of the year. I only pay for metering, which is about $12/month. Pretty good for CT, where residents are now paying huge electrical bills ($400+/month and more)

But 28 solar panels must have been pretty expensive. How long to get an actual return on your investment?

[nordic tug]

Originally Posted by maciaj01

Hi everyone- I have been thinking about going solar. I’ve received 4 different estimates. The recent one is from Freedom Solar Power. The headquarters is in San Antonio TX, but local branch is in Tampa.

I am having a hard time finding any credible information about the Tampa branch. Since there are many bad stories about companies installing solar panels, I would like to ask your thoughts and experiences.

Thank you,
Jan (Citrus Grove)

I have solar panels on my second home in NJ and it’s been some what of a nightmare with many roof leaks on two roofs where they are installed. Presently dealing with the third round of leaks and repairs where I’m into a four month process and hopefully can be resolved before heading back to The Villages . I doubt if most folks make the effort to actually venture up into their attic or are physically able to do so and only become aware of any leaks until the water reaches their living area ceilings. The roofing company making the repairs for the solar company says they are kept busy repairing solar panel related leaks, lack of skilled professional installers is the issue. Almost eight years with the solar panals and all warranties expire after ten years, yes I’ve almost reached the point of pay back for the cost of the panels but unsure if after say five more years those gains will actually cover the cost of a roof replacement. Leasing or no cost to you installation with reduced monthly utility bills some times involves a long term agreement. Would I ever do it again ABSOLUTELY NO !

[rsmurano]

Originally Posted by villagetinker

Be very careful, and DO NOT sign any contract with any company for solar, there are some that low ball the cost, and then stick you with a nasty contract AND put a lien on your house, and the real kicker, if you go to sell the house the NEW owner must take over the lease.

If I was going to go solar, I would self-finance only.

As noted above there are several threads on this subject, general opinion was do not do it.

The new owner doesn’t have to assume the lease and most transactions will require you to pay off those leases before they can sell the house. There are/were a couple of houses in the villages for sale that can’t sell because their solar panel contracts/leases have to be paid off 1st and 1 of the families have a $75k cost and they don’t have the money to pay it off.
Just like a lien, they have to be paid off before the residence can be sold

[Wondering]

Originally Posted by maciaj01

Hi everyone- I have been thinking about going solar. I’ve received 4 different estimates. The recent one is from Freedom Solar Power. The headquarters is in San Antonio TX, but local branch is in Tampa.

I am having a hard time finding any credible information about the Tampa branch. Since there are many bad stories about companies installing solar panels, I would like to ask your thoughts and experiences.

Thank you,
Jan (Citrus Grove)

Solar Bear out of Tampa. They did mine in 2019. I wish I had done it earlier. Great investment!