Solar Impact is here to answer all your questions about residential and commercial solar panel installation in Florida. Check out our solar FAQs and reach out to us if you have any additional questions—we are here to help!
Your electric bill savings with solar panels depend entirely on the size of your solar energy system and your site efficiency.
Site efficiency is a percentage that represents the amount of total annual sunlight your solar PV (photovoltaic) system can capture. It is determined by looking at how much shade affects your system, what angle the solar panels are mounted at, and what direction they are facing.
It is impossible to know your site efficiency without visiting your site in person. To provide some kind of baseline, however, we can say a typical 5kW system (5,000 watts) will produce approximately 550 kilowatt-hours per month. The average home in Gainesville, Florida uses about 1,000 kilowatt-hours each month, so a 5kW system would reduce your monthly electricity bill by 55%. Our Florida homeowner customers typically want their solar system sized to cover 90-100% of their electricity bill.
It certainly costs energy to produce (and mount) a solar panel. Research has shown that after approximately 2 to 5 years the electricity produced by a solar panel equals the energy that was necessary to produce it. This is called the energy pay-back time. Normally, solar panels have a life of 25 years or more.
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Who wouldn’t want to buy a house that comes with a solar cash machine?
Take control of your power bill: After years of stable electricity prices, nobody knows what’s going to happen next. When you own a solar power system, you no longer need to worry about rising prices!
Protect the environment and our county: Your solar electric system will reduce greenhouse gases and our dependence on foreign fuels. You’ll feel good knowing that you’re making a difference.
Florida State Statute 163.04 clearly states that Flordia homeowner associations are expressly prohibited from disallowing a solar electric system to be installed. An HOA may restrict where you place your solar panels, but not if the system’s performance suffers as a result. Please ask us for a copy of the statute if you need one to share with your HOA.
Solar Impact is Gainesville’s #1 solar company with over twice the solar electric designed installed as all other local solar companies combined! Solar Impact’s $20 million of commercial, residential, and non-profit solar is enough to power 500 homes and has created over $1 million in local jobs. We service a wide range of areas including Gainesville, High Springs, Jonesville, Newberry, and Ocala Florida.
Solar Impact clients include McGurn Management Company, Mike Warren/AMJ, Inc. The Florida Museum of Natural History, UF East Campus, UF Hillel, UF Institute of Aging, UF SunSense Project, Alachua County Libraries, Alachua County School District, Oaks Veterinary Clinic, Gainesville Regional Airport, Millhopper Montessori School, Avera & Smith Law Firm, Dell Graham Law Firm, Pinnacle Point Apartments, NanoSonic, Gainesville Job Corps, and over 500 residential clients. Find out more about the Solar Impact difference.
Solar shading issues are hard for us to determine without seeing your property in person. Typically, unless there are tall trees in the SE to SW window of your site’s location, tree shading should not be significant enough to prevent you from exploring solar options. A rule of thumb is to have no shading at least from 10AM to 3PM. Since the sun is higher in the horizon during the summer, tree shading usually provides more obstacles during the winter than in the summer. Solar Impact can provide a complete site analysis to determine the exact shading and impact that any trees will have on your solar electric system.
It’s easy to get started with solar energy! Just contact Solar Impact to schedule a solar assessment. With a recent utility bill, we can deliver a detailed report that shows how much you can reduce your monthly energy bill and what solar rebates and tax incentives you are eligible for by going solar. Call us today!
South is the best orientation for solar. Southeast to Southwest orientations will result in only a slight annual energy reduction of 2% to 4%. We can even install systems due West or East, but you can expect anywhere from 12% to 18% less solar electricity production than a Southern orientation. If you have no shading issues, then adding a couple more solar modules to your system will compensate for these losses.
Manufacturing, shipping, and installing solar panels certainly require energy, but the clean electricity over the lifetime of solar panels generate makes up for the energy it takes to make them. Research has shown that after approximately 2 to 5 years, the electricity produced by a solar panel equals the amount of energy that was necessary to manufacture it. This is called the energy pay-back time.
Solar panels can be installed on all roof types, but there is a sliding scale of difficulty (and cost). Metal and shingle roofs are the easiest to install solar, while flat and clay tile roofs are more challenging. It is worth noting that we do not have to penetrate a Standing Seam Metal Roof because our solar racking attaches directly to the metal seams of the roof.
Different roofing materials require different methodologies which can impact the installation costs of solar. We recommend never allowing amateurs or inexperienced solar contractors to penetrate a membrane or flat roof. Only experienced solar professionals should ever work with these difficult roofs.
In many cases, solar does increase home value in Florida! According to a national study conducted by Zillow in 2019, homes with residential solar panels sell for 4.1% more than comparable homes without solar panels. This translates to about $9,274 in added value for the median-valued home. Realtors also agree that any feature that gives your home a competitive advantage over other homes, like a solar array, can help it sell faster.
The recommended size of your system depends on your power consumption. If you want to completely offset your current electrical usage from the utility with a solar electric system, the first step is to review your annual energy consumption (which can be obtained from your utility bill). Solar Impact specifically looks for how many kilowatt-hours (kWh) you consume in a 12-month period.
There are many solar benefits that come with a Florida solar panel installation, including:
- Electric bill savings
- Stabilized electricity costs
- Reliable energy production for 25+ years
- Protection against power outages (with battery storage)
- Tax credits and other solar incentives
- Increased home value
- Less fossil fuel consumption
The financial and environmental benefits of solar make solar panels worth it for Florida homeowners and businesses. Don’t miss out on solar savings—schedule a free consultation today.
Solar installation costs in Florida can vary significantly depending on how much electricity you use and where you live. The more power you consume, the more solar panels you will need, which can increase the cost of your home solar installation. If you live in an area that receives a lot of sunlight throughout the year (like most Florida communities) you will need fewer panels than someone living in a darker part of the country. This decreases the cost of your system. A 10kW grid-tied system costs approximately $21,000 to install after the 30% Federal Investment Solar Tax Credit. To get a solar estimate for your home or business, contact Solar Impact today!
The amount of time it takes to break even on a solar installation depends on a number of factors: (1) your current cost of electricity (2) the rate structure of your electrical service (3) the solar incentives available to you (4) and the cost of money on your solar investment. When paying cash, a typical residential solar energy system may see a simple solar payback in 8-12 years. If you are financing the purchase of your solar system, you may see immediate positive cash flow, or you may initially see a slight negative impact on monthly cash flow when factoring the cost of the loan against the initial savings. As electrical rates increase, and with your loan payment staying fixed, you will eventually see positive cash flow, a break-even point, and then a positive rate of return.
The main component of a solar system, the solar panels, are typically warrantied for 25 years but have a design life of over 40 years. Solar inverters typically have a shorter lifespan; string inverters last about 10-15 years while microinverters can last 20-25 years. Solar batteries have a lifespan of 10-15 years depending on the type of solar battery storage system you install.
Yes, solar panels come with warranty protection. Solar Impact provides a 5-year workmanship warranty, most inverter manufacturers have a 10-year or more warranty, and the modules carry a 25 to 30 year solar warranty.
If your roof will need to be replaced in the next ten years then we recommend that you replace it before having your solar PV system installed. Solar Impact is happy to provide recommendations for roofing contractors we have worked with and trust.
Solar Impact, as a full-service solar installation company, will handle every aspect of the project for you, from the solar energy system design, filing of the permit paperwork, working with the utility company, the solar installation, and the final inspections. Solar Impact is proud to offer a comprehensive turn-key package to every customer to ensure that installing a solar power system is an easy, pleasant experience for you.
The recommended size of your system depends on your power consumption. If you want to completely offset your current electrical usage from the utility with a solar electric system, the first step is to review your annual energy consumption (which can be obtained from your utility bill). Solar Impact specifically looks for how many kilowatt-hours (kWh) you consume in a 12-month period to determine how many solar panels you need. We also consider factors like roof size and shading to determine the optimal number of solar panels for your home.
Each Tesla Powerwall 3 can supply up to a 50-Amp continuous electrical load. How many batteries needed depends on the electrical demand and the energy back-up goals of the site. Our sales team can help you determine the ideal installation to satisfy your project’s needs.
The only solar panel maintenance you will need to do is keep your solar panels clean. We recommend cleaning them at least once or twice a year, after the pollen season has ended. All they require is water and a brush—no power washing, soap, or abrasive sponges. Solar Impact does not recommend cleaning solar panels when they’re hot, since uneven thermal shock could theoretically break the glass. Wash them in the morning or evening. If you do not have the ability or desire to safely get on your roof and clean your panels, we can recommend a local solar panel cleaning business to help you.
Any excess electricity generated will spin your meter backwards, which has the effect of selling your excess power to the utility at the their specified rate through a “dual metering” system. On a monthly basis, you pay only the difference of what power you used and the excess sent back. If you generate more power than you used in a month, your utility company will forward your excess solar energy credits to be used during the next month. This allows any excess energy generated in the summer to be used during the winter when there is less solar energy and usually higher energy usage.
The solar tax credit, also known as the Investment Tax Credit (ITC), is a solar incentive that can reduce what you own in federal taxes by 30% of your solar installation costs. Residential and commercial solar installations are eligible for the solar tax credit and it covers almost all costs associated with a solar installation, including materials, installation costs and site preparation including tree work.
Most grid-tied solar electric systems do not provide power during electrical power outages. As a requirement of a grid-tied inverter’s safety listing, it must shut down in the event of grid power loss. Backup power systems can be designed into a grid-tied solar system with the addition of a solar battery bank and a battery-powered inverter. This option adds complexity and expense that should be weighed against the benefit of having backup power with solar.