What are Florida Solar Incentives? A solar incentive is a financial incentive made to encourage homeowners to convert to solar energy and reduce the costs of doing so. These incentives come in the form of discounts, solar tax credits & exemptions, solar rebates, zero-down solar, and more! Here are a few of the top solar incentives available in Cape Coral, FL:

• [Federal Solar Tax Credit]: The Federal Tax Credit or Solar Tax Credit allows solar owners to write-off 30% of the cost of their solar investment on their yearly taxes! 
• [Florida Net Metering Program]: Net Metering or Net Energy Metering (NEM) is a program that allows solar owners to sell their excess energy back to the Florida solar grid for compensation. This can be used to further reduce any monthly energy costs!
• [Property Tax Exemption]: In Florida, solar panels are exempt from property taxes. So even though your solar panel system may increase the value of your home, you won’t have to pay any additional taxes on your solar investment!
• [Sales Tax Exemption]: In Florida, solar panels are also exempt from Sales tax. This is an automatic 6% discount on solar panel installation, compared to neighboring states!
• [Zero-Down Solar]: Meraki Solar offers the unique opportunity to go solar for zero-down up front costs in Cape Coral, FL. So you can enjoy all of the benefits of solar, without paying anything out of pocket to get started!

There are many more solar incentives that you can take advantage of as a Florida homeowner. Meraki’s solar professionals can help you explore all of these incentives and maximize your solar savings! As with any important financial and tax-related decision, we recommend you always consult with a tax professional to ensure all incentives are applied properly for your situation. 

In most situations, a Florida solar panel system can generate as your home needs. If you need more power, you can simply install more solar panels. In fact, most solar arrays generate more power during the day than your home uses. So when asked about how much power solar panels can generate in Florida, it’s better to ask “how much electricity do you need to power your home efficiently?”

Like traditional electricity, solar electricity is measured in Kilowatts (kW). Most residential solar systems come in sizes of 3kW to 10kW systems and larger in some cases, with the average size around 5kW. A single solar panel can produce up to 400 watts per hour. The right size system for your home depends on your home’s energy usage. To get an idea of how much energy your home uses, you can look at your electricity bills from your utility company. It is recommended to look at the last 12 months to get a full understanding of how your energy needs fluctuate through the year.

At Meraki, we tailor every solar panel system to the unique requirements of your home. While individual systems may vary, their core functionality remains the same. To explain the process of how a solar panel captures sunlight and converts it to energy, here is a 5-step guide to how solar works.

1. Harnessing the Power of the Florida Sun: By installing your solar panels at the right angle, and avoiding any shading, your solar panels can receive the maximum amount of sunlight throughout the day.
2. Your Solar Panels Go To Work: Each solar panel contains thousands of photovoltaic (PV) cells. These PV cells capture sunlight and transform it into direct current (DC) electricity through a process known as the photovoltaic effect. While DC electricity isn’t directly usable for your home, it’s a vital starting point in the solar production process.
3. The Solar Inverter | AC->DC: The solar inverter transforms the DC electricity energy from your solar panels into alternating current (AC) electricity. This AC electricity is a safe form of energy that can be properly used by your home. 
4. Your Fuse Box | The Gatekeeper: Your Fuse Box distributes this AC energy throughout your house to your outlets & appliances, in the right quantities. Too much power will “blow a fuse” and shut down the outlet. Too little power won’t power your appliances. The Fuse Box finds this balance and keeps your home running smoothly and safely with solar electricity. 
5. Net Energy Metering: Net Energy Metering (NEM) or Net Metering, is a process that keeps record of how much electricity your solar panels produce and how much electricity your home uses. If you produce more electricity than your home uses, you can sell this extra solar energy back to the Florida solar grid for compensation!

For most homeowners in Cape Coral, and the state of Florida, solar panels are worth it and can be a great long term investment. With solar, you can power your home for less, contribute to a cleaner form of energy production, and return 100% of your investment! That’s right, an investment in solar can pay for itself! With the amount of solar savings you’ll receive each month, your Florida solar panels could pay for themselves in 6-8 years! After you pay off your investment, your solar savings are pure profit, making an investment in solar very worth it for most Florida homeowners!

But it’s not all about the money! As a renewable source of electricity, solar energy can reduce greenhouse gasses and help to mitigate climate change. This can help to improve air quality, water quality, and our ecosystem as a whole. Solar electricity is an efficient form of green energy for your home and our planet’s future, making solar panels worth it for you and your family members.

The average cost of solar panels in Florida depends on a few key factors: The size of your solar system (or how many solar panels you have), the type of solar panels your system consists of, and which solar incentives you take advantage of.

With Meraki, every solar installation is custom designed for your specific wants & needs, so calculating the cost of solar panels for you is not as easy as reading “the sticker price” on each panel. Working with a solar partner to understand your home’s energy needs, how much sunlight your home receives, and which solar incentives you qualify for are necessary to determine how much solar panels cost for you & your home!

Fortunately, the cost of solar panels in Florida has decreased 54% over the last 10 years and continues to become more affordable with the many financial incentives available. Florida solar incentives can save you thousands on your solar investment! Meraki Solar can help reduce the amount you pay upfront for your solar installation with zero-down solar options. Get a free estimate from your one stop shop solar installers in Cape Coral, FL, Meraki Solar!