Tourists visiting Orlando are increasingly seeing a sight other than just cartoon mice: solar panels stacked on rooftops.
The Central Florida city has set a goal of 100% clean and renewable energy sources by 2050. Meanwhile there are many clean energy initiatives, including private companies moving toward increased solar usage.
Going solar is an appealing choice in the aptly named Sunshine State: Florida ranks fourth overall for solar energy potential, while the average electricity cost was $167.55 in October 2023.
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“Orlando is one of the most concentrated areas for solar in general,” said Raina Greenfest, a civil engineer and Florida Solar Energy Industries Association board member who runs a solar consultancy called Raina or Shine.
If you do explore the possibility of solar energy, there are solar costs, installers and incentives to consider before making the decision.
Best national solar panel companies in Orlando
ADT Solar should be included in your search if you want strong warranties and the backing of a national company. A 25-year guarantee against your roof leaking is unmatched, except by solar installations that double as actual roofs. ADT also offers a wider selection of quality solar panels than other installers. Like the rest of the industry, ADT doesn’t offer much pricing info up front, but they do offer a price match guarantee. While we don’t have a ton of details about that guarantee, it makes your ADT quote even more flexible.
Solar panels are typically low maintenance equipment, but they’re also unfamiliar. If you want to reap the benefits of solar but will have a bit more peace of mind if someone else is making sure it’s working, Palmetto might be a good fit for you. Just remember to add the cost of Palmetto’s monitoring service in to your payback period calculations.
If you’re looking for top-of-the-line solar panels, SunPower is you best choice. But don’t write them off if you’re looking for a less flashy installation that will get the job done. This year it started installing Qcells panels, which should make an installation from the longest-tenured company on our list more available to more people.
Elevation’s focus on your home’s energy efficiency isn’t the norm in the industry. If you’re planning on addressing energy efficiency first, working with Elevation allows you to keep the whole process with one company. Elevation’s solar equipment comes from well-established and well-regarded companies. Elevation’s warranties on workmanship and weatherization could be a bit longer.
Include Freedom Forever in your search if you want the backing of a national company that installs a wide variety of the most popular solar equipment available. Freedom Forever also extends a couple of products that take some of the pain and risk out of going solar, like a production guarantee and an escrow option with cash purchases. Online reviews say customer satisfaction has been low of late, though the company says that’s changing.
Tesla’s solar branch seems to be the least loved of Elon Musk’s ventures. Even Tesla’s Solar Roof seems to get more love.
If price is the thing you won’t budge on, consider Tesla. By all accounts, Tesla installs quality panels and makes the closest thing there is to a household name in solar storage: the Powerwall.
Where you might miss out is customer service. Discussion online seems to suggest Tesla’s service is a bit of a gamble.
Momentum installs in 11 states without using subcontractors. While using in-house installers doesn’t guarantee a better experience, it does suggest you’re likely to get a more uniform experience from them. The fact that Momentum backs its installations with a 25-year workmanship warranty hints at a strong belief in their crews’ ability. If Momentum is part of your search, consider the warranties against leaks that other companies offer. Momentum’s is five years, which can be beat.
Local solar panel companies in Orlando
Panasun Solar offers residential solar, commercial solar and battery backup services. It offers three types of payment plans including purchases and leases. The company has an A+ plus rating from the Better Business Bureau.
Sunbright Solar boasts of completing 2,500 projects since its launch in 2020. It has an A+ rating from the BBB.
How to determine which solar company is best for me
Greenfest encourages thorough vetting of potential contractors and asking many questions before you move forward with installation.
“They should compare apples to apples and who is actually performing the work,” Greenfest said. “If a homeowner has a question they are going to want to have the ability to talk to somebody and get answers. It is really important they are working with a reputable contractor. Being in Orlando they should have no problem.”
How much do solar panels cost in Orlando
A major decision whether to go solar is the cost. The average cost for solar panels in Florida is $28,890, or $3.21 per watt, for a 9kW system, according to data from FindEnergy.com. Your total cost will depend on how many solar panels you get: You will want a system large enough that you’ll eventually save money.
Throughout the state of Florida, solar costs have come down 42% over the past 10 years, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.
“The prices have gone down,” Greenfest said. “The market is saturated with product at the moment, which wasn’t the case awhile back. You have installers ready to go and interest rates are dropping so that combination makes it a very viable option.”
Other cost factors include the type of panel selected for the installation and if there are complexities to the roof such as chimneys. Anyone with a roof 20 years or older may want to consider replacing the roof first before going solar, Greenfest said.
“If your roof is in good shape, especially if you are in Orlando, I would contact multiple installers and do a quote comparison,” she said.
You might also want to take a look at home appliances to make sure they are energy efficient and reduce your consumption before adding solar panels, Greenfest said. That could lead to you needing fewer panels — and saving money.
Florida solar panel costs
| Median system size (kW) | Price per watt | Total installed cost (before incentives) | Cost after 30% federal solar tax credit | |
| Florida | 9 | $3.21 | $28,890 | $20,223 |
| National average | 6.67 | $3.67 | $31,558 | $22,091 |
Orlando solar panels incentives and rebates
The biggest financial incentive for going solar in Orlando is the federal solar tax credit, known as the residential clean energy credit, which will pay you back for up to 30% of the installation costs.
The state of Florida doesn’t offer tax credits or rebates for installation, but there are net metering programs and both property tax and solar sales tax exemptions.
Florida solar panel incentives
| Program | Description |
|---|---|
| Residential clean energy credit | This federal tax credit provides up to 30% of the cost of a solar panel installation back on your taxes the following year. |
| Net metering | Net metering allows you to sell the energy generated by your solar panels but not used at your home back to the grid for credits on your power bill. |
| Property tax exemption | The value of a solar panel installation is exempt from property tax assessments. |
| Sales tax exemption | Solar panels and certain equipment are exempt from Florida’s sales tax. |
How to pay for solar panels in Orlando
While power purchase agreements are not available in Florida, you do have several options to pay for solar panel installation.
Cash: While the initial installation costs can be prohibitive, if you have the funds available to do a straightforward purchase, which eliminates interest and fees associated with a potential loan and the cost savings will start right away.
Solar loan: Generally offered by the installer, there are solar-specific loans available if you want to finance the installation over time.
Home equity loan: Home equity loans or HELOCs are another option for you and because they are tied into collateral (your home), you might be able to get a good interest rate. But they can come with a lengthy appraisal process, and if you fail to repay the loan, you could lose your home.
Personal loan: A personal loan through a financial institution is another route, but they tend to come with higher interest rates.
Solar lease: If you have a solar lease, you make a monthly payment to a solar panel company to have the panels on your home, but you do not own them. In this case, you aren’t eligible for the federal tax credits and you don’t actually own the system.
Other installation factors to keep in mind
Renting vs. owning your home: If you’re renting a house and hope to purchase a home relatively soon, the costs of installing solar panels may not be worth the investment. Also, the choice to get solar panels would ultimately be up to the homeowner — your landlord.
Insurance coverage: Solar panels can be damaged by extreme weather or other outside forces. You should review your homeowner’s insurance policy to determine if the panels would be covered and contact your insurance company to notify them.
Homeowners association regulations: While Florida has laws limiting how homeowners associations can restrict solar panels, you should check your HOA’s regulations to see what their rules are.
How we found the best solar panel companies
The companies we listed above as “the best” are curated from CNET’s best solar companies list. Companies making the best list are scored on the equipment, warranties and customer service they offer. Then, we make sure these recommendations are available in your state. You can read a full breakdown of how we review solar companies here.
Companies listed under the local installers were chosen in a less rigorous way. We chose them because they offered something unique or notable to customers in the state, they seemed well-regarded by internet reviewers or because they were one of the few installers we could find information on in the state.
Whether we’ve completed a full review on a company or not, it’s always a good idea to get multiple quotes from different installers before choosing a company.
