Jacksonville, Fla. – JEA wants to encourage more customers to go solar.
The utility company has a new Solar Concierge Program designed to help customers interested in rooftop solar make an informed decision. Advisors can help answer questions about the potential effects on your electric bill, project costs and recommend verified, local contractors.
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“What we want to have is a safe landing space for our customers as they’re making that decision to go to adopt solar,” Philip Williams said, a JEA employee who’s assisting with the program’s launch. “[The] program will serve every customer and their personal needs, their personal goals that they want to accomplish, and how they want to be a part of that renewable goal that we have as far as our industry and our country and our state as well.”
The program is meant to help customers like David Byres. He made the decision to go solar last year but the installation process didn’t come without problems.
“They had problems getting crews out here and communication was pretty bad,” Byres said.
Byres said JEA’s Solar Concierge program would have made the process of choosing a solar contractor a lot smoother. He eventually installed his solar panels but later learned the company was going bankrupt.
Those are the scenarios JEA wants to help its customers avoid with the program. The online tool is designed to help customers interested in solar energy feel more at ease with their decisions and protect them from potential scammers.
Whether solar panels are worth it is a unique and personal decision. While Solar panels can save you money, it could take a decade, if not longer, to pay off the upfront costs.
“We’ve had them functioning for about four or five months. But it looks like we’re saving well over $100 a month. So they’ll hopefully pay off in roughly 10 years,” Byers said.
For Byers, his concern is being more environmentally friendly.
Your concerns might be different. Typically, you’ll want to consider the amount of sunlight your property gets, how much energy you use, how long you’ll be in the home, and how the installation would impact your roof’s warranty and insurance coverage.
If you log on to The JEA Solar Concierge site – you can enter your home address and explore different solar options that are right for you. Customers will be able to receive multiple solar installation project bids from verified contractors.
JEA will vet the contractors, verifying their business license and insurance requirements, and ratings with the Better Business Bureau.
Manatee Solar is one of the local companies going through that vetting process right now. Damon Egglefiel, President of Manatee Solar, said having a process where you can get multiple bids in one place is an important tool for consumers.
It’s also important to consider your personal goals.
“It’s a great financial tool for an investment. It’s also a great tool for you to lower your carbon footprint. It’s an investment in your future and in your kids’ futures,” Englefield said. “Typically, you can take a look at a solar system, or a company and you can understand how much it’s going to save you over time and you can see the rewards.”
Another tool you can use to decide whether or not solar panels are a good investment for you is called Project Sunroof. It’s powered by Google and Google Maps.
Just enter your address and you’ll be able to see how much sun your roof gets and how long it would take you to get a return on your investment.