Florida has a goal of reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. One of the top ways the state is moving towards this goal is by encouraging residents to convert to clean, renewable solar energy. To further encourage homeowners to make the switch to solar, the state of Florida has approved many local incentives, tax rebates, and credits available for Duval County home owners. Here are a few of the top Jacksonville solar incentives. 

• [Federal Solar Tax Credit]: The Federal Investment Tax Credit or The Clean Energy Tax Credit offers solar owners a 30% tax write-off for the cost of their residential solar system and accessories. This can add up to huge savings for solar owners. 
• [Florida Net Metering Program]: Net Metering is a system that allows eligible homeowners to sell extra energy produced by their solar panels back to the grid for compensation. With all of the sunshine in Florida, this can be a great way to earn some extra money with your excess solar energy.  
• [Property Tax Exemption]: A new home solar array can increase the value of your home in Florida, but thanks to this tax exemption, you shouldn’t have to pay additional property taxes! So you should be able to enjoy the increased value of your home without extra taxes. 
• [Sales Tax Exemption]: When going solar in Florida, you should not have to pay any sales tax on the cost of your solar equipment and installation. This is an automatic 6% discount compared to neighboring states. 
• [Zero-Down Solar]: Meraki Solar offers the unique opportunity to go solar for zero-down up front costs in Jacksonville, FL. So you can enjoy all of the benefits of solar, without paying anything out of pocket to get started!

There are many more financial incentives, rebates, and discounts available to Florida homeowners, depending on your situation. It is highly recommended that you speak with a Florida solar professional to understand all of your solar options and a tax professional to ensure all incentives can be properly applied to your situation. 

With the unique advantage of having so much abundant sunshine in Florida, many of our customers want to know “How much solar energy can my solar installation really produce”?

Most solar arrays are between 5kW – 10kW but can certainly be larger or smaller. Instead of asking how much power you can produce when you install solar panels, it may be a better question to understand how much energy do you need. You can look at the average of your last few electricity bills from your utility company to understand your average energy usage. But it’s best to have a year’s worth of data to see how this number fluctuates in different seasons.

How much energy your solar panels can produce will depend on a number of factors. Some of the main factors to consider is how many panels your roof can accommodate (although some homeowners are switching to ground-mounted systems to build larger solar arrays), how much sunlight your home receives on average, and the quality of your solar panels. 

Fortunately, there are solar experts at Meraki who are dedicated to helping you understand the answer to all of these questions. With a free solar consultation, you can see how much energy your family needs, how much your custom solar panel system might cost, and how to save the most amount of money on your investment. Start the conversation today to see how much solar power your home can produce! 

Solar panel systems are always designed to fit your specific home and needs. Although they are all slightly different, every solar panel system is made up of the same parts. In order to understand this process better, it’s important to first learn all the parts of your solar panel system.

1. SOLAR PANELS & PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) CELLS: Solar panels are made up of thousands of photovoltaic cells, commonly referred to as PV cells. PV cells are the magic that converts sunlight into direct current (DC) electricity. This DC electricity is not usable quite yet, but is the first step of the process of powering your home!
2. SOLAR INVERTER: The solar inverter is usually installed close to your solar panels. The role of the inverter is to take the DC energy created from those PV cells and “invert” that energy into alternating current (AC) energy, which is a safer form of electricity that can be controlled by your fuse box. 
3. YOUR FUSE BOX: Most people are familiar with fuse boxes, as they are commonly installed in your garage or basement and are used to turn off or turn on the main power of your house. In the case of solar energy, your fuse box helps distribute the AC energy from the solar inverter to the needed outlets in your house in the right quantities. Too much power will “blow a fuse” and may be unsafe for anyone near the outlet. Too little power and your appliances will not work. Your fuse box helps to find that balance to power your home and keep you safe. 
4. NET METERING: Because you likely won’t use all of the energy your solar panels produce, especially on a very sunny day, you will need to decide what to do with your excess energy. Net Metering offers a way for you to send that excess solar electricity to the local solar grid and keep track of how much you provide so that you can receive credits for your contribution. If you ever need to borrow energy from the grid at a time when your home needs more energy than it produces (like at night time), net metering will also keep track of how much energy you use from the grid without you having to move a finger. Keeping your home powered year-round and keeping track of your energy usage. 

POWERING YOUR HOME: After all of these steps, your home is provided with the right amount of electricity at the right time. Although it may seem like magic at first, solar power is just a few different parts all working together to produce the end result of usable electricity. Solar energy is a more sustainable way to power homes in Florida.

Yes, solar panels are worth it for most homeowners in Jacksonville, FL. With abundant sunshine year-round, financial incentives for solar energy, and close proximity to the best solar panel company in Florida, converting to solar power can be a great investment for most homeowners. 

In fact, solar energy is an investment that offers 100% ROI. That’s right! Your solar panels could pay for themselves in 6-8 years with the amount of solar savings you will accumulate every month. After that “solar payback period”, all of your savings are pure profit from your solar investment. 

One of the most enjoyable benefits of solar is the decrease in carbon emissions compared to traditional electricity and utility companies. As fellow residents of Florida, we appreciate our beautiful beaches, spring rivers, parks, and wildlife very much. This is a big reason so many people find true value in converting to solar energy, knowing we are doing our part to preserve this beautiful land in Florida. 

Although every situation is different and everyone has different reasons for converting to solar, the decision to go solar has proven to be worthwhile for all of our customers. When you partner with Meraki to install your solar panels, the only question you will be left with is “why didn’t we start sooner?”.

Of course, to fully understand if solar panels are right for you and your family, you have to see how much your investment in solar energy might cost. Although this is not as straightforward as providing a sticker price for your residential solar panel installation, there are some factors to understand that can help you see how much solar might cost for you. 

The size of your solar system, or how many panels are included in your system, is one of the largest factors that can dictate the cost of solar panels in Florida. This will depend on how much energy your family uses and the size of your home. Fortunately, Meraki solar professionals can help you custom design your solar system to fit your energy needs and your budget’s needs. 

One of the most important factors to consider when pricing your future solar system is the Florida solar incentives you apply for and qualify for. From tax credits & exemptions to rebates and discounts, the more incentives you qualify for, the more you can save! To understand which solar incentives you qualify for, speak with a solar professional who can evaluate your home and situation to provide you with all of your solar options!

If you are concerned about the cost of going solar, don’t worry, you are not alone. Most homeowners interested in going solar have the same questions and concerns. This is why Meraki started its “zero-down” solar program. With zero-down solar, you can enjoy all of the benefits of solar without any upfront costs. Learn more about zero-down solar by speaking with a Meraki solar professional today!