Eric B
5/5
Update 1/8/2025 - I now have a full calendar year of solar power under my belt. My power bill was $30 every month in 2024 and I will be receiving a check from Duke for my 2,211 kWh excess production (see photos). My system performed perfectly during hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton. When the grid went down, I always had power... I even ran a power cord over the fence to my neighbor's house as I was producing more electricity than I needed in the days after Milton.
Original April 2024 review:
I wanted a specific REC solar panel that would perform best in the hot Florida sun. I went to the REC website and got a list of REC certified “ProTrust” installers and found Coast to Coast Solar (CTCS) among others. When Scott with CTCS contacted me, he spent a LOT of time chatting with me to educate me and to understand my needs. I had already dealt with other companies and got plenty of high pressure, high prices, and false claims. CTCS is big on info, low on pressure, and right on price.
I chose Coast to Coast because of their length of time in business, favorable reviews, and clean BBB record. The price was competitive, even when compared to quotes for smaller systems and lower tier (less expensive) panels and equipment. CTCS also put their written 10 year bumper to bumper warranty in plain understandable English… some companies were vague about their warranty or would make verbal promises that did not match their written warranty.
From the time I signed the contract and paid my deposit until my 9.1kWh system was installed took about 10 weeks. I have been installed for about 4 months now and the system/production exceeds all of my expectations! There was one hiccup with a factory defect in a piece of equipment and CTCS/Enphase took care of it to my complete satisfaction. The installation was performed by CTCS’s own employees, not 3rd party contractors. Dave and the guys did a phenomenal job with the install.
I have already produced 4 megawatts of power and have 1,350kWh in banked energy credit. My electric bill has been exactly $30.80 a month since interconnection. Yesterday 4/13/24, I produced 50kWh of power, my record in a single day! I love the Enphase app which monitors the system's status, production, consumption, power imported/exported, etc....
Things that I have learned:
• The minimum electric bill with Duke Energy in Pinellas County is $30 + tax ($30.80). Even without solar, Duke charges $12.89 per month as a "customer charge". The way I see it, another ~$18 per month for Duke to take my excess power during the day and give it back to me whenever I need it is fair to me and fair to Duke. No complaints!
• Even on the cloudiest/rainiest days, the system still produces some electricity.
• If there is a power failure, solar panels will NOT provide you with power unless you have batteries or "sunlight backup" installed. I would recommend going with one or the other, especially since the tax credit will offset 30% of the additional cost. I went with batteries.
• The shade from the solar panels has reduced my attic temperature. The underside of the roof in my attic is about 25F cooler below the panels than under areas exposed to full sun... and I have a reflective metal roof. I bet the difference is more significant for an asphalt shingle roof. FLIR photo attached: The dark (cooler) stripe is beneath a bank of solar panels, while the bright (hotter) sections are not.
Lastly… I decided to go solar now and not wait any longer for 2 reasons:
1. In 2022, a bill to kill net metering was passed by the Florida legislature and vetoed by the governor. If the bill had passed, existing rooftop solar PV owners would have had net metering grandfathered in for 20 years. I want to be grandfathered in if/when this type of legislation pops up again. Some states have already axed net metering.
2. I am currently employed and pay plenty of taxes. The 30% federal tax credit is a HUGE discount. Once I retire, I may not be paying enough in taxes to fully take advantage of the credit like I can right now.
