Ah, the Sunshine State. Lots of warm sunshine, gorgeous beaches, and… high energy costs? Florida residents who are tired of paying high energy costs in the Sunshine State often wonder if solar panels are worth the investment. Today, we’re going over the top 9 reasons why solar panels are worth it in Florida.
Are Solar Panels Worth It in Florida?
For Florida homeowners who struggle with high energy bills, we think the answer is a resounding yes. Residential solar panel installations have never been more affordable for homeowners thanks to the federal tax credit, energy cost savings, and a few tax exemptions. Here are a few other benefits that make solar panels worth it.
Top 9 Reasons Solar Panels Are Worth It in Florida:
- Abundance of Sunlight
- Lots of growth
- No sales tax
- No property tax
- Sell back your energy
- Tax incentives
- High electricity bills
- Energy independence
- Helping the environment
1. Abundance of Sunlight
It is the Sunshine State, after all. The state of Florida gets between 220 and 266 days of sunlight, depending on which side of the coast you’re on. The warmer winters in the state of Florida are perfect conditions for harnessing the power of sunshine for home energy use year-round. If your home’s roof faces south or west and gets a lot of sunlight exposure, then you can rest assured your solar panel system will be effective. Don’t worry if your roof faces another direction, our solar specialists will evaluate your home’s angle to determine how effective a solar panel system would be over your home’s roof.
Read more: How Gulf Power added solar trees in the city of Destin
2. Massive growth potential
The state of Florida is in fact, one of the fastest-growing states for solar power in the entire country.
The Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA) ranked Florida 3rd for solar energy in the country. This is due to a combination of different factors including:
- Growth projection
- Total capacity installed
- Percentage of the state’s electricity that comes from solar
- Number of installations
And according to recent news, Florida is forecast to surpass North Carolina as the southeast’s leader in solar before the end of 2021.
Why does this matter for you as a homeowner in Florida? Let’s put it this way: do you want to get left behind while all your neighbors have already gone solar? How about missing out on all the incentives that won’t be available in the future? And don’t forget, as the U.S. begins to adopt more clean energy policies to help our environment, renewable energy will become the standard in the future. More and more, utility companies will be switching over to renewable energy. Wouldn’t you rather be in control of your home’s solar energy – which is free energy- instead of paying the utility company for it in the future? Thought so.
If you live in Florida, see what having solar panels on your home would be like.
3. Absolutely ZERO sales tax
That’s right, the purchase of a solar panel system, as well as installation, as well as a solar battery backup, are all completely sales tax exempt in Florida. That means you don’t have to worry about that extra 6% sales tax. So go ahead, add all the solar panels you need for your home’s energy in Florida!
Here’s an example.
Imagine you’ve purchased a solar system for $10,000. The sales tax on that would be $600. But you don’t have to pay it, so that’s $600 you can keep!
Just look at what this company did with their sales-tax free purchase: the second-largest solar roof in Florida is in Miami, includes more than 3,900 solar panels, and is capable of providing 100 percent of the energy needed for the entire building!
Did we tell you, we also serve Miami and its surrounding areas?
4. Free of property tax increase
And while we’re at it, let’s also talk about another tax exemption.
Like most home improvement projects, solar panels also add value to your home. And if you live in Florida, you can also avoid the extra charge from a solar panel installation. That’s because renewable energy home improvements are completely free of additional property taxes in the state of Florida.
Solar panels also significantly raise your home’s value, according to a report done by CNBC, and Florida is reported to be in the top 10 states in the country for the highest-selling value with solar installed. Here are their rankings for how much solar adds value to the median-valued home:
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- New Jersey: 9.9% or $32,281
- Pennsylvania: 4.9% or $8,589
- North Carolina: 4.8% or $8,996
- Louisiana: 4.9% or $7,037
- Washington: 4.1% or $15,916
- Florida: 4% $9,454
- Hawaii: 4% or $24,526
- Maryland: 3.8% or $10,976
- New York: 3.6% or $10,981
- South Carolina: 3.5% or $5,866
Here are the facts about solar panels and home value.
- Solar panels help your home sell 20% faster (NREL)
- Solar panels help your home earn 17% more at closing (Dept. of Energy and Berkeley Laboratory)
- Solar panels add $20 of value for every $1 you save on your electric bill (on average)
Find out exactly how much value solar panels can add to your home… all you have to do is click!
SCHEDULE YOUR FREE SOLAR CONSULTATION
5. Sell back your solar energy
A great way to get even more savings from your solar panels in Florida is to take advantage of net metering. What is net metering? It’s just a fancy way of saying that you can sell the solar energy you produce to your energy company in the form of credits to your monthly bills.
When you use net metering, your solar panels are hooked up to your utility grid. When your solar energy system produces excess electricity, it’s sent to the grid. Your account is then credited per kilowatt-hour your panels produce. So long monthly electricity bills!
6. Huge tax incentives
If you’re concerned about the cost of going solar in Florida, there’s really good news. The federal government offers a huge tax incentive for going solar!
With the Federal Solar Tax Credit, you can get 30% of the total cost back in tax credits to help you go solar affordably, and any credits you don’t use will roll over to the next year.*
7. Rising electricity bills
Did you know? Florida is one of the highest monthly electricity consumers in the nation. Florida ranks about 19.71% higher than the national average monthly consumption of 903 kWh/month.(1)
This equates to an average monthly residential electricity bill of $123. This ranks Florida 9th in the entire nation for highest monthly electric bill and 14.95% greater than the nation average.(1) Which then equates to more savings each month when you switch to clean solar energy.
Even if you’re comfortable with your electric bills now, don’t think that’s always going to be the case. Energy prices have steadily increased in the nation over the last decade, and will continue to do so as fossil fuels resources start to be drained.
In fact, in a recent example, Tampa Electric is filing for a proposed 19% rate hike in the near future. Don’t let those energy companies control your home’s energy!
And you guessed it, we also serve Tampa and surrounding areas.
8. Energy independence
Speaking of breaking free of your energy company, including a solar battery storage with your solar panel installation can offer you energy independence from yours.
Adding a solar battery to your solar panel installation allows you to store all the excess solar energy produced by your solar panel system. This means that solar batteries, like the Tesla Powerwall or Enphase Encharge, can protect your home during any power outages.
So not only does owning solar energy protect your home from future electricity prices increases, but it also gives you complete independence and freedom to control your home’s power.
In fact, a small town in Florida called Babcock Ranch, just north of Fort Myers is claiming its own complete energy independence. It is the first solar powered town and is a shining example of a future run on solar energy.
By the way, we service Fort Myers and surrounding areas.
9. Keep Florida beautiful
Florida is in the top ten for most coal used nationwide, importing billions of dollars of coal per year. Having to import coal from across the country drives up prices, and consequently, Florida has some of the highest prices in the nation. Using coal for electricity (and shipping it across the country to use) causes a lot of pollution as well. Coal and natural gas use in Florida produces about 200,000,000 metric tons of sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide every year. Carbon dioxide is one of five major greenhouse gasses that the EPA monitors. Sulfur dioxide causes acid rain among other issues.
Some Florida cities are adopting their own progressive renewable energy policies like that in Tallahassee, which has pledged to generate 100% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2050. This initiative will drive more homeowners to install solar panels in Tallahassee than ever before.
Read more about Tallahassee’s clean energy goal which is highly dependent on the sun. We also serve Tallahassee and surrounding areas!
Florida Solar Installers
We offer professional solar installations all across the state of Florida including Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, and more. Check out the full list of cities and areas we service in Florida and let us know how we can help you go solar.
And in case you’ve heard any nasty rumors about solar power in Florida, we’re here to let you know that solar panels are not illegal in Florida. With that being said, go get some solar panels for all that sun shining on your home in Florida!
If you have taxable income and own the system, you may qualify for the federal investment tax credit (ITC). It is your responsibility to determine your eligibility and to apply. Consult a qualified tax professional for assistance and details.
