Letter: Consumers should know the risks of rooftop solar

Florida is known as the Sunshine State for good reason. There is sunshine all year round. When filtered through solar panels, the sunlight produces electricity, which can be good. But there is a dark side to solar, particularly the risk and unknown problems that come with solar panels. And folks who sell these products don’t always tell potential customers about the negatives. In other words, it’s not all honey and no bees.

Solar installation companies don’t want to talk about the real cost of financing. They talk about low interest rates but omit the service fees and additional costs that run the rate higher than financing most automobile purchases. The price of solar doesn’t end there.

The granddaddy of all negatives is the potential loss of homeowner’s insurance for those who have solar panels and the inability to get coverage for those purchasing a new home. Potential customers need to know that when they put solar panels on their roofs, their homeowner’s insurance could drop them like a hot potato. Ouch! 

Fewer insurance companies will even cover solar panels on homes in Florida. It’s happening more and more. Homeowners who want solar are learning the hard way that some insurance companies are saying goodbye and canceling existing policies. And others who have written policies in the past are no longer writing new policies.

Remember having no insurance places your mortgage in default, and that leads to foreclosure. Often when homeowners get dropped, they only have thirty days to find a replacement. That is, if you can find a replacement. Or off to foreclosure you go. 

The home insurance market in Florida is in a free-fall crisis, and insurers are looking for excuses to drop policies. You might not want to install solar and give them another excuse to drop you.

In addition, some utility providers have a clause in their contracts that says if any damage is caused by the panels, “you as a homeowner are responsible to pay for all of that damage.” Often insurers will give an example such as a surge running through your panels that causes damage to the grid or other homes in your neighborhood. Those types of damages can be huge and costly.

Touting the benefits of climate change legislation and going solar can be misleading if the negatives and/or challenges are not also mentioned and explained. 

We at Seniors Across America speak out on behalf of seniors in an effort to protect older folks, who are often prey for solar peddlers. At the end of the day, the message for people considering solar is “caveat emptor,” a common law term that means “let the buyer beware.” 

You wouldn’t buy a car or a house without knowing all the pros and cons. So, the same goes for solar. Shining a brighter light on the dark side of solar will allow consumers to make informed decisions based on all the information available – good and bad.

John Grant, President
Seniors Across America
Tampa, FL

John Grant is a former State Representative and State Senator, an estate planning attorney, and a member of the National Senior Citizen Hall of Fame. He has spent much of his career working on behalf of seniors. John is continuing the advocacy work by heading a new venture called Seniors Across America to continue speaking up for our elderly population.

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