Nancy Baranet of DeLand, Florida is celebrating her first electric bill since installing solar panels. It was a whopping $9.06. That was the total cost of electricity for her 1,300-square-foot house in Trails West, during the frigid month of February that sent most people's electric bills soaring. The photovoltaic solar panels were expensive, and Baranet doesn't expect an immediate return of her investment. "Will I recoup my money out of it? I won't be alive, but I'll have the satisfaction of knowing I did it," she said. She expects her daughter, who will one day own the house, will see substantial benefits. Baranet's average energy use is 800 to 1,500 kilowatt hours a month. Her average monthly bill used to be between $100 and $150. Around the first of the year, Baranet installed 16 solar power (photovoltaic) panels and an inverter, to capture and use the power of the sun to run her home. She installed a General Electric 5,000-watt system. With the inverter, she can send extra electricity back to her power company, Progress Energy Florida, and get paid for it. Progress Energy spokesman Tim Leljedal explained, "If a residential customer uses a customer-owned renewable system, such as solar to power his or her home, the electricity he or she generates will reduce the customer’s energy consumption from Progress Energy Florida. If the customer’s system produces a surplus of electricity, we will credit the customer’s account for the surplus." He added, very few residential customers have installed these systems, because of their upfront cost. Baranet said the system cost $50,000, plus $700 for permitting and $800 for electrical work. Energy-saving experts usually recommend installing good insulation before or at the same time as going solar, so the home requires less electricity. That could also add to the cost. Baranet's home was already well-insulated.
Baranet's installation also did not include a solar hot-water heater. She had installed solar-water heating at her home about four years ago. That would have added another $4,000 or $5,000 in cost to the recent project, bringing the total for her whole-house solar system up to around $55,000. Baranet expects a $20,000 rebate from the State of Florida for the solar-power system. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection, which administers the rebate program, warns there is a waiting list for rebate money.
The Florida solar rebate program was created in 2006. Any resident of Florida who purchases and installs a new solar-energy system between July 1, 2006, and June 30, 2010, is eligible for a $4-per-watt rebate, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Find out more online at the state's Web site.
Along with the Florida rebate, Baranet will be eligible for a rebate of 30 percent of the remainder of the cost through a federal income-tax rebate program, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, which certifies solar systems through its Energy Star program.
Leljedal said many Progress Energy customers start with a solar hot-water system, a more affordable option than a total solar-home package. Progress Energy offers a $450 credit for a home solar hot-water heating system, and up to $60 in credits every year. State and federal tax credits and rebates of up to $2,500 are available. Plus, a solar hot-water heater offers savings of up to 85 percent on hot-water costs. For more information, call Progress Energy at 1-888-282-9757, or send an e-mail to EnergyWise@pgnmail.com.
It's not just about money. According to Florida Solar Energy Research and Education Foundation, escalating utility costs are not the only reason to think solar. The foundation calls going solar not only green, but "dark green." "Choosing the sun, rather than fossil fuels, is good for the environment, the state’s economy and national security," the Web site states.
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