Almost everything in Robert Burr's house is powered by solar energy.
Solar pumps pump water through fountains and bird feeders into its courtyard, which is lit up by the glow of 125 solar lights at night. On his roof, an array of 39 solar panels power his home and recharge the electric car parked in his garage.
"It's a solar house," Burr said. "It's like having our own power plant."
Burr converted his home into a solar home with help from Solar United Neighbors, a non-profit that organizes homeowners interested in rooftop solar into groups called "solar co-ops." Here's how it works: Neighbors band together to make a deal with solar panel installers so they can get a wholesale discount and lower the cost of solar energy.
SUN organizes co-ops in the U.S. Since arriving in Florida in 2015, the nonprofit has organized 82 co-ops in the state, including 12 co-ops in Miami-Dade County and a dozen more in Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe. This year's Miami-Dade cooperative is open to new members through July 22, and the SUN says a new Broward cooperative is expected to begin in August.
People who join a SUN cooperative do not need to purchase solar panels. Typically, between 100 and 150 people will join a co-op, and only 20 percent of them will end up purchasing panels through the group, according to Laura Tellez, South Florida's SUN program coordinator. Others may decide not to purchase individual panels at a later date.
“If you just want to get a price or talk to the installer and see different options, you can do that and come back if it doesn't work for you,” Erik Mariani, deputy director of cooperatives, said on Zoom. . the assembly of the future members of the cooperative.
Co-op members can receive significant discounts. Burr said the price he got through his partnership was about 30% lower than the prices he was quoted when he researched the solar panels himself. Tellez said the savings vary from co-op to co-op.
But the real benefit, Burr said, was having a group help her through the complicated process of financing, buying and installing the panels on her roof.
“If a solar company comes to your house and sells you a system, where do you get your information? From the seller? churches. “Or is it better to get it from a non-profit organization that has been around for a long time and has helped a lot of people?
the sun 101
Those interested in joining a solar cooperative start by attending one of SUN's regular "Solar 101" seminars, which are usually offered via Zoom.
At a recent Solar 101 meeting, Mariani and her SUN colleague Amanda Ortiz explained that not all homes are suited to solar panels. Solar works well on south, east, or west facing roofs, gets plenty of sun, and has at least 2,000 square feet of panel space. North-facing roofs or roofs covered in heavy trees usually don't get enough sun to make solar panels useful.
They also explained the complicated economics of allowing solar panels to pay for themselves over time. There are three key programs that make rooftop solar more affordable.
First, the National Inflation Reduction Act includes federal tax credits that allow homeowners to cover 30% of the cost of purchasing and installing solar panels. Tellez says a typical Florida home will get an 8 kilowatt solar panel and pay an average of $20,000 for it; with the federal tax credit, the cost comes down to $14,000.
Then there are a number of financing options that help low-income homeowners get loans to pay for solar panels if they can't get a traditional bank loan or refinance their home. These include non-profit lending organizations like the Solar Energy Loan Fund (SELF) and unique financing structures like the Property Assessment Clean Energy (PACE) program.
However, PACE isn't subject to the same level of regulatory oversight as other loan options, and dozens of homeowners have filed lawsuits and lawsuits against Ygrene, Florida's largest PACE lender, after it was abruptly pulled from the state last year. year.
Finally, homeowners can defray the cost of rooftop solar panels through a practice called net metering, in which utility companies like FPL pay customers for the extra energy they produce. During the day, when the solar panels produce more electricity than a home needs, the panels send electricity to the grid and FPL gives homeowners a credit on their electric bill. Homeowners can use this credit to offset the cost of electricity they use at night when their solar panels stop producing electricity.
In Florida, during the winter, when skies are usually clear and people use their air conditioners less, solar panel owners can experience negative energy bills. They can use the credits they earn to lower or eliminate their electric bills during the summer, when air-conditioning costs rise and afternoon storms block out the sun and reduce solar panel productivity.
regulatory barriers
FPL fought to end net metering. Last year, the power company lobbied Florida lawmakers to pass a bill that would have killed net metering, which would have destroyed financial incentives for Floridians to install solar panels on their roofs. But Florida Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed the bill in a stunning victory for the solar industry.
However, there are other regulatory hurdles. Florida requires owners of rooftop solar panels larger than 12 kilowatts to carry a million-dollar insurance policy, encouraging most homeowners to opt for smaller panels.
Additionally, FPL and Duke Energy charge solar panel owners minimum payments of $25 and $30, respectively, even if they generate more energy than they use.
“There are a lot of little rules and procedures that make it more difficult, and Solar United Neighbors helps us get through them,” Burr said.
Alternatives to solar cooperatives
Solar cooperatives aren't the only way homeowners can install panels on their roofs. Some homeowners may not like the deal their co-op negotiated or the solar installer the group chooses to work with.
For example, Burr joined two cooperatives: The first, which he joined in 2018, struck a deal with a solar installer he didn't like. So he backed out and joined another Miami-Dade solar cooperative in 2019, which struck a deal that worked better for him and ultimately helped him install solar panels in his home.
Do-it-yourself homeowners can always contact a solar installer directly and apply for funding from programs like SELF or PACE. Some solar installers also offer to rent panels from homeowners, for those who don't want to pay or borrow money to cover the initial cost of the installation (although they will have to make monthly rent payments and won't own the panels). . . ).
This climate report is funded by Florida International University, the Knight Foundation, and the David and Christina Martin Family Foundation in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains editorial control of all content.
