Florida Home Solar Exposed!
Florida Home Solar Exposed is an insight into why solar has not expanded exponentially in Florida. It’s an understatement to say Florida should already have more than 2% of homes running on solar but it doesn’t. One of the primary reasons for this is the cost of home solar systems until 2020 has remained high. I worked for a solar company in IT and sales but they are no longer in business as of 2019. I left the company before they closed but learned how the entire industry works from the inside while working there.
Without naming names I can tell you for a fact that these companies use very talented salespeople to sell solar and they are very good at what they do. I can also tell you for a fact there was a lot of over-promising and under-delivering. Interesting enough the quality of work or equipment was not the issue, it was without question over-eager salespeople. I had a unique role because I worked in sales and did tech support for the entire company and that gave me an insight into how the solar industry operates. I saw first-hand how much money is being spent just to get the sale and it’s $6000 over and above the cost of equipment & installation.
The Price Differential From Home Solar Companies Can Be Huge
For a solar system cost breakdown from a solar company, I refer you to several articles already posted here at Florida Solar Report, such as Benefits of Solar or Your Solar Advocate and many more. But, the bottom line is anybody that goes solar in Florida pays a bare minimum of $7000 in additional costs, over and above the equipment & installation. Plus an additional $5000 for company profit.
They go about it like a car dealership, high-pressure sales. They’ve mastered selling a payment instead of the actual price of a home solar system because it works. They can only do so much work in a year, so why not maximize the profits, but unfortunately at the customers’ expense.
Unfortunately, the consumer is absorbing all the costs of the solar company’s business model. We are talking about a modest-sized solar system selling for $13,000 more than equipment and installation costs. That’s Insane! Here at Florida Solar Report, we expose the solar industry that is making hundreds of millions of dollars just in Florida at the buyer’s expense. We advocate for the consumer, bringing the good, the bad, and the ugly to the consumers for their own protection.
I love solar, and there is no reason under the sun (literally) why at least 25% percent of the homes in Florida don’t already have solar. But, of course, we’re the Sunshine State, which should mean we are the leader in solar technology, but we are not?.
Solar Companies’ Overhead Costs Breakdown
A Typical Solar Company's Proposal
| Add-Ons To Every Solar Proposal | Cost of Add-Ons |
| The Cost of Salesperson | $3000 |
| Sales Manager | $1500 |
| Proposal Builders and Permitting Department | $1000 |
| Overhead: Rent, Auto Insurance, Vehicles, and Utilities | $1000 |
| Cost of Leads and Marketing | $1000 |
| Points for Low Interest 20 Year Loan Terms (Frequently Hidden Cost) |
$2500 |
| Solar Panels, Inverter, Installation | $17,000 |
| Solar Company Profit | $5000 |
| Total | $32,000 |
| Add-Ons To Every Solar Proposal | Cost of Add-Ons |
| The Cost of a Salesperson | |
| Sales Manager | |
| Proposal Builders and Permitting Department | $1000 |
| Overhead: Rent, Auto Insurance, Vehicles, and Utilities | $1000 |
| Cost of Leads and Marketing | |
| Points for Low Interest 20 Year Loan Terms (Frequently Hidden Cost) | |
| Solar Panels, Inverter, Installation | $17,000 |
| Solar Company Profit | |
| Your Solar Advocate Target Price $2.75 a Watt Totals for 7K | $19,250 Tax Credit – $5,005 The net Cost Is $14,245 |
