Florida electric utility companies produce about 20% of their electricity from coal
How do solar panels work?
Solar panels are made of highly conductive materials that use the sun’s rays to create direct current electricity. As most homes and businesses use alternating current, solar panels use inverters to turn the direct current into alternating current that then flows through your home’s property wiring, just like power from the grid.
Will my solar panels generate electricity during cloudy days?
Solar panels use the sun’s UV rays to generate power. Similar to how your skin can tan even if it’s cloudy, your solar panels will still generate electricity during cloudy and rainy days, just not as much as as a clear, sunny day.
What is net metering?
Net metering is a billing mechanism that credits solar energy system owners for the electricity they add to the grid. A solar pv system generates more electricity than the home uses during daylight hours. If the home is net-metered, the electricity meter will run backwards to provide a credit against what electricity is consumed at night or other periods when the home’s electricity use exceeds the system’s output.
How much will I save on my electric bills?
How much you save will depend on how much energy you use, where you live and what your utility company charges for electricity. But in most cases, Solarmates’ solar plus battery systems will off set 90% of your electricity use.
How soon will I notice a difference in my electric bills?
Immediately! Your solar PV system will start generating energy for your property the day it’s installed.
Are solar panels hard to maintain?
Solar panels require very little maintenance. In fact, your air conditioner needs more maintenance than your solar panels will. That’s because solar panels don’t have any moving parts and so there is very little chance of anything breaking.
How does the federal tax credit work?
The investment tax credit (ITC), also known as the federal solar tax credit, allows you to deduct 26% percent of the cost of installing a solar energy system from your federal taxes. Learn more about how the ITC can help decrease your cost for a solar panel system.
Will installing solar panels void my roof's warranty?
No. The products Skybeam uses will keep your roof under warranty. Skybeam also has its own workmanship warranty as well as warranties on all our system components.
Why is solar so expensive? How can I afford it?
Homeowners often believe that they will be paying the full amount of the cost for the solar panels upfront, or over a short period of time, when many homeowners qualify for 25 – 30 year loans, with monthly payments that are lower than their present monthly payment for electricity. Over the course of their loan many homeowners save as much as $75,000.
I want to sell my home in a few years. What happens when I want to sell?
Solar equipped homes tend to sell at prices from 5% – 10% higher than homes of similar location and size without solar. If you want to sell your home down the road, it still makes sense to go solar. Make sure to inform your solar expert about your desire to sell the home in the future and talk about how that can work with your qualifying bank.
How many solar panels do I need? My house is 2200 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and I pay $150 a month.
Solarmates does not calculate your solar needs based simply on the square footage of your home nor by how many rooms you have. Estimating solar in this way has left a lot of customers in a bad spot, because their solar systems were underpriced and turned out to be not enough solar for their consumption.
Can you imagine installing a $30,000 system and then finding out that you still owe $100 each month to your electric company? What a mess! We avoid this catastrophe by observing your energy usage (as shown on your electric bill) and designing a system that meets your needs. You will not be paying unexpectedly high bills.
