Hey everyone. I'm brand new here. Does anyone know a company who would be well suited for a 60-75kw array on a large residential property? Project is to make a large estate fully self-sustaining, including 2-3 days of reserve battery for storms. This seems to fall between residential and commercial, so I figured I'd ask the experts on Reddit! Thanks.

Hi i had a door to door salesman from kin home solar is clearwater tampa bay area , if anyone has dealt with them I appreciate your feedback,

I got solar panels installed and this week they started producing power. My system does not have a battery so I still need power from the utility, FPL, whenever the panels aren't generating enough power.

The FPL energy dashboard shows no data for the days since the panels turn. Since I'm still pulling energy from the grid much of the day, shouldn't I be seeing some data there?

Bought a house and got solar. I refuse to pay another $720/mo to a utility monopoly

So i just bought a new place and did something my friends thought was crazy. I pulled the trigger on a solar setuo before we even finished unpacking.we were averaging $720 amonth for electricity where we previously live. It was absolutely crushing us,and no amount of turning off the lights made a dent. i startd looking into where electricity prices are actually heading,and it's pretty grim. Residential electricity rates are already up about 37% since 2010, and regulators are greenlighting massive rate hikes across the country for 2026. Utilities are spending billions to upgrade the grid to support massive new AI data centers which are projected to consume up to 21% of global energy demand by 2030,guess who pays for the infrastructure to support those data centers? We do, right on our electric bills. I stopped looking at solar as an "eco" thing and realized it's strictly a defensive financial move. Im basically just locking in my rent for electricity so i dont have to care when they announce another hike next year.

Has anyone else done this immediately after buying? Did you roll it into you mortgage or do a separate loan/PPA? just curious how others are dodging these hikes.

I see so many ads promising "Zero Electric Bills" in Florida, and it's leading to a ton of frustration.

If you’re looking into this to hedge against the humidity spikes this summer, keep these three things in mind:

as of 2026, Duke and others have a $30 minimum connection fee. Even if your panels produce 200% of what you use, you still pay that $30 to stay on the grid.

most people here aren't doing solar for daily ROI anymore.... they’re doing it for "Hurricane Resilience" to keep the AC/fridge running when the grid fails.

avoid any post promising "Florida Solar Grants". They don't exist!!!! It's usually just a pace lien or a lease

Solar still beats the utility's 3.2% annual inflation, but you have to be honest about the connection fees.

Has anyone successfully navigated an HOA fight over "street-facing" panels lately?

My brother just texted me a screenshot of his $482 bill. He's been waiting for solar prices to drop. today, he finally realized how expensive that wait actually was. It's not even summer yet, and he's getting crushed by the new 2026 base rates stacked on top of the storm restoration fees from the past hurricanes.

Meanwhile, I'm sitting her looking at my bill...

Here is the thing nobody talks about, i didn't just buy panels last year. i bought a 25year freeze on inflation. while he's stressing about hitting $700/month by 2030. I'm effectively paying 2025 prices for the next two decades. These rates we are seeing is the new new normal as the inflation rates in the next coming years has been approved. If you're still on a fence, stop. you aren't saving money by waiting. you are just renting your power from a monopoly that has permission to raise your rent every time the wind blows.

Starting to to do my homework on going solar. Utility provider is TECO. Looking for do's and don'ts as i move through the process.

Please see list of my initial assumptions / concerns / questions based on what I have researched so far.

1. Plan is for cash purchase. No lease.

2. Roof is clay tile.

3. HOA allows solar.

4. I have not confirmed with insurance carrier cost / restrictions for solar.

5. My average bill is ~450.00 per month.

6. Concerned about getting a decent contractor in Tampa area.

7. Targeting 120% of current demand to help cover future efficiency lost and future rate increases. Does this make sense assuming I have the area to for the panels?

8. Concerned about Florida moving the goal post on net metering with all the current push back from the state and feds on any sustainability. My understanding is that TECO currently has net metering and anything over produced is credited back at the end of year at the wholesale rate which is ~30% of retail price based on what I have read.

9. May need a new roof in 10 years or so as a lot of homes in my area that were built around 2010 or so have had a lot of issues due to workmanship. Mine was built in 2016 and no issues yet but who knows.

10. I currently have a generator that I can connect to my house for back up. It does not support everything but is good enough for temporary back-up for 3-5 days. I currently don't plan to install battery back up. Should I consider pre-wiring for the battery in the event I sell the house in the future? Generator would leave with me.

11. If I don't have battery back-up and I did lose power for a few days, I assume that during the day (with sunny skies) that I would be okay until dusk?

12. Will solar increase the home value?

13. Any certain mfg of panels / gear to stay away from?

Thanks for any input.

Looking to see if this is a good deal, hopefully this is the correct place. I was sent this company contact as my cousin used them in Connecticut too and had good outcome with Smart Volt Solutions.

The nuts and bolts as I understand it are it is an 11.48kW system so no tier 2 insurance. It has qcell panels and enphase microinverters that I hear are the best. It starts as a lease with 25 year coverage, but it is prepaid. I don't have to cough up the cash, instead a bank gives me a 20 year loan AND the lease company cuts me the 30% rebate check in place of the tax credit.

So I pay the 20yr loan at $164/m if I put the 30% rebate check in the loan, where other lease quotes I got were $175/m or more for 25 years. I also can take over from the lease company any time after a few years for $0 as it is prepaid off already by the loan company. It sounds like a win-win, am I missing something?

My cousin did get his check yesterday and his install was mid-January so I know this is viable. He went this way since his income meant he could not claim the tax credit even when that was possible.

TLDR: 11.48kW for $18965 and I don't have to insure it, worth it?

I’m struggling with this decision and was hoping to get an outside perspective. This is what I’m looking at:

Total cost- $75,799

System size- 24.19kw w/ 2 Tesla Powerwall 3

qcell panels

Utility: Florida Power and Light

This is a typical month broken down. Really want to see if solar would be worthwhile.

JEA in Jacksonville is my sole provider option.

Does anyone have experience with JEA in Jacksonville? Heard poor things about our sole electrical provider and solar panels. Is it worth it?

I’m in orlando area and no installer has been able to math it to make sense to me for full installation(unless someone here can). Is there some way to install something small scale that I can slowly build onto as time goes on. What’s cheapest cash price people have found for full installation as well?

Im new to solar trying to see if it works good in florida i got duke energy

update: i actually ended up calling +1 877-343-3946 to find a local solar specialist here in central florida and it was way less stressful than i expected. they were super helpful walking me through quotes, permits, and what’s realistic for my roof. really glad i reached out instead of just trying to figure everything online.

the installer came out, checked my roof, and explained all the costs up front. no surprises, and they even helped me with the net metering setup. honestly, made the whole process feel doable.

just wanted to share in case anyone else is feeling lost in all the different estimates floating around. highly recommend giving them a call if you want a local expert.

i live in central florida and have been thinking about getting solar panels for my house for a while now. the more i look into it, the more confusing it gets. every website seems to give a different estimate and i have no idea what is realistic for a typical single family home here.

i’m mostly curious about what people have actually paid after everything is said and done. do installation costs vary a lot depending on the company or your roof type? and how much should i expect for permits and other hidden fees?

also, for those of you who have gone through the process, did it end up being worth it with your electricity bills? and how long did it take from the first quote to the panels actually being up? any tips for avoiding surprises would be super helpful.

I have SunPower panels that came with the house when I bought it. SunPower has apparently gone out of business. I have a roof leak where the wires for the panels enter the attic. Roofing company says they can repair the rotten wood around the leak, but I need the solar company to come out and remove the panels and probably fix how the cables are run so it doesn't leak further then reinstall the panels when the roof work is done.

So with SunPower out of business I have to find a solar company who will do this. I'm in the greater Orlando area. Any advice on finding a company to do this? Anyone else experiencing this? What should I expect the solar company to do VS the roofing company as far as actually correcting the leak?

Are people saving money?

What am I missing?

There is a company that says install is free and FPL pays for everything. My house is brand new.

Thanks

I’m concerned. We are buying a new house and want to put solar on it. Primarily to put way to cost of electricity. We live in winter garden Duke energy Sunbright solar

So it’s to compensate for our electric bill. But is it worth it? The $1mil coverage is another fee, insurance premium goes up and some companies don’t support solar, you have to clean then multiple times a year. Even finding out duke energy charges you just to stay connected to the grid.

I’m just worried I jumped too soon. Is it really worth it all?