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Questions you should ask your Solar Company – part 2

Solar Energy In Orlando Florida is taking off & Here are some Questions you should ask your solar company – part 2

9. Can I go off grid with solar panels?

In the state of Florida, you are not legally able to go off-grid.  However, you can reduce your demand for electricity from the grid and offset all of the cost for electricity by producing electricity with solar energy.  In Orlando Florida as a Solar Company, we help homeowners go solar with no money down and no money out of pocket and they are able to reduce their power bill and energy consumption while improving the value of their home’s.

10. Will I still receive an electric bill if I have solar panels?

Yes.  You will still receive a power bill, however, your combined expense between power bill and solar will be less than what your current power bill is today.

11. Do solar panels work in a blackout?

Depends, there are two different ways to have power during a blackout.  First is to have an inverter that allows you to cut off the power to the electrical grid and will still power your home during daylight hours.  The second way is to blank your home with a battery backup system that your home will work off of during a blackout. It will provide power into the evenings until the batteries are drained.

12. How much will solar panel maintenance cost?

Very minimal, All of the equipment has long-term extended warranties so there is no production cost involved in maintenance.  Please make sure you know your warranties T & C’s. Many solar companies will include maintenance on warranty covered issues.

13. What solar energy rebates and incentives are available?

If Florida the biggest incentive is the Federal 30% Tax Credit that you are able to get in a dollar for dollar rebate from your upcoming tax seasons.  This rebate can range upwards of $10,000. It truly makes this the golden age of solar energy.  For a full list of all available rebates, you can visit DSIRE, it is a database that aggregates all available solar rebates for the entire country including state and local incentives.

  1. What are my solar financing options?

Solar Financing options have come full circle.  There are many great offers available today. You can own a system for no money down, no money out of pocket and a low fixed rate apr of 2.99% for 12 or 20.  In Florida, purchasing is the only option available for homeowners. For certain businesses leasing may be an option as well. In many other states, PPA’s are available (power purchase agreement), with this agreement solar company owns the system and you are buying your power from them instead of the power company.  It gives you moderate savings over the power company but not as much savings as owning a system yourself.  In many areas of central Florida PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) is available, PACE is a program that allows you to use your property tax as a payment vehicle for Solar Energy.  You are able to finance the project through your property tax and extend payments out for 25 years which lowers your monthly power bill rates.  The biggest benefit of PACE is that it is transferable when you sell the property.  To find out if your property qualifies for PACE, you can run a search at Renew Finance.

15. Should I buy or lease my solar panel system?

See above.  Except for specific cases for homeowners buying the system is your better deal.  Before the financing options became more competitive it may have made sense to go with a leased system.  Owning vs leasing you receive all of the tax incentives plus it increases the value of your home. For businesses, there may be reasons to lease over buying depending on business structure but more often than not it is still better to buy.

For more Questions you should ask your solar company check out our ongoing series:

The 7 Most Important Questions to Ask Your Solar Company – part 1

Questions you should ask your Solar Company – part 3

For a comprehensive solar buyers guide visit “The Secret Guide to Buying Solar”

commercial solar - 08/06/2018

The 7 Most Important Questions to Ask Your Solar Company – part 1

Solar Energy In Orlando, Florida is on the rise and the 7 most Important Questions You Should Ask Your Orlando Solar Company

1. What are the financial benefits of solar energy?

The biggest financial benefit for solar energy in Orlando, Florida is it will continually lower your kWh rate over time. As your power company raises its rates, by 4% a year on average, you will be insulated from these rate increases. Over the life of the system, your savings can exceed $50,000 over the money you will already spend. The best part about the money you make on solar is that it is in savings of post-tax dollars which means the money you make is not taxable and makes your gross rate profit the same as your net rate profit. For example, if you were to earn this same money in the stock market then those earnings would be taxable under capital gains.

2. What are the environmental benefits of solar energy?

Solar Energy will reduce your carbon footprint. Solar Energy doesn’t need to be drilled, Doesn’t need to be processed at a facility, doesn’t need to be transported and most importantly doesn’t need to be burned. According to a recent article from CNN, they state that solar may be the one variable that can rescue us from global warming. See link in video description below

3. How do I find out how much I pay for electricity?

You can look at your power bill to determine your active kWh rate, but make sure you factor in many power company charge either increased rates over a designated monthly kWh usage or a premium rate for energy used during peak hours. The average kWh rate including taxes ranges from $.12 to $.16 per kWh in Orlando, Florida.

4. What is net metering?

Net Metering is the agreement in place with power companies that allow you to produce your own energy and sell your excess energy to the power company for energy credits to be used at a later time or date. During the day your solar power system will produce all of the energy you will need for the entire day and then at night, you will use your accumulated credits from the energy you produced during the day. The best part of net metering is that you are able to sell your power to the power company at the retail rate for the energy that you use.

5. How does solar impact my property values?

This is what makes solar energy the best investment in the market. According to Forbes Magazine, you recoup 97% of your investment the day you install the panels on your roof. This is what allows you to convert a variable expense into a profitable asset. Essentially you are converting your power bill into an asset that increases your property value as well as insulating yourself from future power rate hikes.

6. How do solar photovoltaic (PV) solar panels work?

Solar panels generate electricity through the photovoltaic process. This is where the silicon solar panels separate the electrons from the protons. The electrons are then funneled down into the inverter that will convert the dc electricity into ac electricity which is what your home and the grid work off of.

7. Do my solar panels produce power when the sun isn’t shining?

It will generate some electricity but it will be less than when it is clear weather and sunny.
Here in Orlando, there is a lot of Sun but there is also a lot of clouds, hence getting a solar power system with SolarEdge power optimizers maximizes your solar panel system energy production.

For More Questions you should ask your solar company visit our ongoing series:

Questions you should ask your Solar Company – part 2

Questions you should ask your Solar Company – part 3

For a comprehensive solar buyers guide visit “The Secret Guide to Buying Solar”

Solar Orlando - 08/01/2018

Commercial Solar Incentives makes Solar a great choice for businesses

The solar industry seems extremely focused on educating the residential homeowner on the benefits of switching to Solar Energy. Which by all means is a critically important segment of the solar industry and does need the education and attention. However, this should not be at the expense of the commercial market which in its own rights is an incredibly important segment of the solar industry.

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Comercial Solar Orlando
Solar Energy Orlando
Solar Power Orlando

The Commercial Solar Market in Orlando has an incredible opportunity to secure a return on investment even over a residential home. This is because they have additional incentives that they can implement over the residential market.

There is two main incentive for commercial solar customers.  The first one is the same for commercial customers as well as it is for residential customers and that’s the 30% federal tax credit.  However, with businesses they are almost always able to take advantage of the tax credit where the residential market sometimes needs to utilize it over a multiple year period.  Where businesses are able to utilize it within the first year.

The second main incentive really supercharges the investment portions of this opportunity. For businesses, they are able to depreciate the equipment over a 5 year period which gives them the equivalent of an additional 30% discount. That means the potential net system cost for a commercial solar panel system would be 40%.

With a payback period of fewer than 5 years and attractive financing options available, all commercial solar customers energy expense is less than what they pay the power company. In addition to that, an smart business is always looking for ways to decrease their expenses or increase their profitability. Solar does exactly this because it converts a variable/fixed expenses into a profitable asset.

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Solar Power Installation for Commercial businesses

A couple of things to consider for Commercial Solar Customers is that the 30% Federal Tax Credit is due to expire at the end of 2019.  That means for the next couple of years will be the golden age of buying solar panels.  The other thing to consider is understanding what you need to do to get the best solar panel system for your money.  Many solar companies use a laundry list of tricks to sell their products but knowing the difference is critical to getting the return on investment.  To get a better understanding you need to read The Secret Guide To Buying Solar.  This guide will give you all of the information to protect yourself from dishonest contractors.

Emerald Sun Energy is an Orlando Solar Energy Company servicing all of Central Florida.  They Specialize in Residential and Commercial Solar Installations.  They have been featured in Solar Industry Magazine as well as SolarPro Magazine as a best practice solar installer who protects the rights of their customers.

Commercial Solar Company - 10/13/2017

Solar Water Heaters Worth the Investment? What you need to know before you buy one

Are Solar Hot Water Heaters worth the Investment?

Discover what contractors arent telling you about Solar Water Heaters.

Follow this tips in this article to purchase the right solar panel solution.

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Solar hot water heaters are the most common solar panel purchased in the Orlando Florida market.  The question is should they be.  The answer is a resounding depends.  However how they are being sold to consumers leaves a lot to be desired.  Solar hot water heaters are also the most over exaggerated performance product, they are often claimed to reduce your power bill by excess of 30%.  In reality you are lucky if the solar hot water heater will reduce your power bill by 10%-15%.  We will get to why this miss representation is so important.

For some people the savings might even be less than that.  The reality is they can not accurately measure the amount of hot water you are consuming per month which makes it impossible to accurately predict how much you will save on your power bill.  A family of 5 who doesn’t like hot showers and washes their clothes in cold water may use less hot water than a family of two who likes long hot showers and hot water for their clothes.

The next issue with solar hot water heaters is there is built in maintenance that is needed to be done.  Like cleaning out the collectors so they don’t clog and back up.  This point is often never brought up to the consumer which then leads to the system not being maintained properly and reducing the lifespan of the system by 10 years.  If the system is adequately maintained it can last up to 20 years.  Other common issues that affect solar water heaters in Orlando are the heat that they encounter sometimes wears out the pvc piping and causes them to leak.  I am sure you have noticed those homes with the water stains on their roof right under where the solar water heater is.

The biggest issue against solar hot water heaters are the pricing and how dishonest contractors fool homeowners into believing the system is worth the over inflated price they are selling them at.  According to Home Advisor the average price for an installed solar water heater is $3289 nationally and hear in Orlando its $4371.  This price represents an average of people who are shopping and buying solar hot water heaters.  I have often seen them sold for as much as $12,000 but often for $10,000. This is the difference between when they are sold verse when when are shopped for.  

Contractors trick homeowners with creative math.  Let's take a look at an example.  Let's say you have a $250 electric bill.  Said contractor will say that your hot water portion of your bill represents $75 of your electric bill.  What he/she has done here is free up $75 to put towards the purchase of the hot water heater.   Now the contractor will show them that with a 20yr 5.99% loan they can have the solar hot water heater for $72 per month.  Saving $3  a month right away on their electric bill.

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In reality they are only saving 10-15% on their power bill.  Let’s say that they will save $25 per month because of the solar hot water heater.  With an expense of $72 per month the homeowner is really coming out to pocket $47 and have to pay that for 20 years.  For more information on how to spot dishonest contractors read our Solar Buyer's Guide  “The Secret Guide To Buying Solar”

 

However, If you are able to purchase a system at a reasonable rate like $3500 then a solar water heater system can be a cost effective investment.  Ultimately the price of PV Solar Panels in Orlando have come down so much that I recommend a pv solar panel system to power the entire home and save close to your entire power bill and use those funds to finance the full solar panel system.  When you power the whole home it will power your hot water heater plus all of your appliances, AC and electrical equipment.  The long term saving are tremendous and then you don’t have to worry about the maintenance issues with the solar hot water heaters.  I will also often recommend a hybrid or tankless water heater over the solar water heater because they rival them in efficiency and are even more economical financially.  You can get a Hybrid water heater installed for under $2000.  Same is true for a Tankless Water Heater.

If you are shopping conscientiously you can find a good deal for a solar hot water heater.  Although if you are shopping for a good deal I believe you will always find yourself going for the PV Solar panel system for your home.  Use other efficiency hot water heaters at a much cheaper price and save on your entire home power bill with an in home solar panel system.

Solar Installation Orlando - 07/03/2017

Florida’s Only Solar Production Guarantee

What is a Solar Production Guarantee

A Solar Production Guarantee will Guarantee your solar panel system is Profitable

Why You Should never buy a solar panel system without one

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Emerald Sun Energy offers Florida’s only solar production guarantee.  A solar production guarantee protects the solar panel system owner from poorly performing solar panel systems.   A solar panel system may perform poorly for a few different reasons but the main reason is that the solar contractor does not install a high performance system.  They will often cut corners to lower price which dramatically affects the performance of the system.  This often goes seemingly un-noticed,  the long term effect of this usually cost the homeowner $10,000’s of dollars, I have seen examples where this has cost them up to $40,000 in lost Return on Investment.

Purchasing a solar power system for your home is a valuable thing to do in terms of increasing the value of your home as well as the reduction of your energy expenses.  The shopping process however can be difficult as far as understanding all of the essential intricacies that are necessary to have the highest performing system you can buy.  As a conscientious shopper our knee jerk response is to shop for the best price.  I am not condemning this practice as it is my first response in the shopping process. However when it comes to solar energy in Orlando this will often put the homeowner in a vulnerable position for an opportunistic solar contractor.  You see there are so many different ways that a solar contractor can cut corners to reduce

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the price of the system. This usually works as the homeowner feels they are getting a great deal, however the term losses almost always out gain the short term saving.

It the example of the homeowner who lost over $40,000 in estimated Return On Investment, he only saved $2,100 on the cost of the system.  So a savings of $2,100 cost them over $40,000 in future savings.  If they would have demanded a performance guarantee for the solar power system they were purchasing that contractor would have backed out ot the deal knowing his system would not perform up to  expectations or he would have built them a higher performing system for $2,100 more.

Buyers-Guide

That is the tricky part about purchasing solar panel system, how do you decide between price and value.  To find out you should read “The Secret Guide To Buying Solar”, in this guide we break down everything you need to know in order to purchase a solar panel system, how to spot dishonest contractors and how to deal with them. Solar is unique in this way because often for a little bit more cost you receive a tremendous amount of future value.  A good example of this would be if you were purchasing a car and you are going to choose between a Mercedes or a Kia. Both vehicles can be said to do the same thing, however the Mercedes is going to perform

better and last longer.  When you are choosing between these two you will face a price discrepancy of $80,000 for the Mercedes and $30,000 for the KIA.  For many people choosing the KIA is the smarter choice because of the price difference,  meaning what they are getting is good enough for the price they are paying.  Unfortunately this does not hold true in Solar because the Mercedes system in solar might be $35,000 and the KIA would be $32,000.  If this was the price difference between the Mercedes and the KIA I suspect you would choose the Mercedes every time.  So the price difference between the top performing system vs an underperforming economic system is marginal and needs to be understood to choose the right system.

Emerald Sun Energy takes the guessing game out of purchasing a solar panel system.  We build a custom system based on your energy consumption history and then we guarantee the production of the system based on your energy needs.  For example is you used 1200 kWh a month or 14,400 kWh per year.  The guarantee is based on annual production.  If the system performs under 13,000 kWh.  Emerald Sun Energy will then pay you the difference.  We take the needed kWh and multiply it be your current electricity rate which equals your refund.  So if your system underperformed by 1000 kWh time your current electricity rate of $.13 would give you a refund of $130.

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The purpose of this guarantee is not to refund money to you but to give you the peace of mind of knowing the system you purchased will accomplish your energy production goals.  The beautiful thing about solar energy is that it is mathematically based and when you calculate your system correctly you will know what to expect.  To understand the math better you can read my blog post When Buying a Solar Power System – Understanding The Math Is Crucial To Getting The Right System.  

A Solar Production Guarantee will protect you from dishonest contractors and ensure that you are purchasing a solar panel system that fits your needs.  Don’t buy a solar panel system without one.  

Solar company Orlando - 04/30/2017

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Orlando, FL 32837

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Office: (407) 504-0922

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