Automated Solar Pool Heating Valve Manifold Explained In this video, we explain how our automated solar valve heating manifolds work. The manifold shown here is based on our standard valve setup. Your valves may vary due to a variety of circumstances, but this is the most common arrangement for manifolds installed by Florida Solar Design Group. Keep in mind, your …
Solar Pool Heating Valve Actuator Toggle Switch Position
This video shows you how to determine if your solar pool heating valve actuator is in the correct position and how to change it with the toggle switch. While we use the Pentair SolarTouch solar controller and the Pentair CVA24 valve actuator, this video applies to other solar controllers, pool controllers, and valve actuators. It does not apply to Heliotrope …
Solar Panel Door To Door Sales
There is a practice in the solar energy industry that you should know about. Door-to-door selling has been around forever. The people that sell solar door-to-door really don’t sell anything. We call them “door knockers.” Solar Panel Door Knockers The idea of knocking on doors is simply to gauge your interest in solar energy. Once you are targeted with some …
Does A New Roof Qualify For The Solar Investment Tax Credit
Read the question carefully. What answer makes sense to you? Usually, the most obvious answer is correct. And that’s the case here. There are many solar contractors and sales outfits out there that are claiming that you can bundle a new roof with solar panels and take the tax credit on the whole thing. It sounds too good to be …
Solar Panel Power Clipping
The solar electricity term “clipping” refers to energy that is lost when a solar panel’s output potential exceeds the amount of power that an inverter can convert. That sounds bad, right? Well, maybe not. In good solar photovoltaic system design, the solar panel rating is almost always higher than the inverter (or microinverter) rating. The factor by which the solar …
When Building A New House, When To Get A Solar Contractor Involved
It’s a common call that we get – something along the lines of, “I’m getting ready to put drywall up and I was wondering, is there anything we need to do to prepare for solar panels we want to install?” That’s when we have to kick things into high gear. It usually involves getting us to the job site urgently. …
Solar Pool Heaters Are Weather Dependent
Unheated pool temperatures are essentially the average of the nighttime low and daytime high ambient temperatures. It’s well known, and not surprising, that swimming pool temperatures in Southwest Florida closely track the surface temperature of the Gulf of Mexico. The near-shore gulf temperature fits the same pattern. At times, unheated pools can lag large temperature swings, but for the most …
Accounting for Solar Water Heater Investments
We have said it before – solar domestic water heating is dead. Heating water for household use in Florida sounds like a good idea, but is it really? To know for sure, you have to have an accounting system. In the world of energy, we call this a monitoring system. While solar pool heating may be the most economical use …
Installing Solar Panels On Tile Roofs (Solar Photovoltaic)
You spent a lot of money on your tile roof. And now you want solar panels. Obviously, you want to make sure that your new roof will not leak. The process for installing solar panels on your tile roof sounds scary until you understand some of the realities of how your roof is installed and how far solar mounting products …
Pentair Superflo VS Pool Pump Updated With New Automation Options
The Pentair Superflo VS is being re-released with some new automation functionality. We previously recommended against this pump for a couple of reasons, primarily due to the analog automation options and 1.5 HP rating. The new automation options make it a good choice under certain circumstances. We have always recommended “oversizing” variable speed pumps so you can get the advantages …
Putting Battery Backup Capacity into Perspective
Grid-interactive solar panels cease to operate when the sun goes down. They also shut down when there is a utility outage. That is unless you have batteries. It’s a common misconception that solar panels can directly power your home during the day if the power company has a grid failure. Except in very limited circumstances, this is not the case. …
Whole Home Solar Backup vs Critical Load Backup
Most clients who install solar panels just do grid-interactive systems that offset utility electricity usage. The solar panels cease to function during a power outage. This is (by far) the most cost-effective way to install and use solar panels in Florida, and the reason for the explosion of solar panel installations worldwide. However, there is obviously a desire for backup …
Photovoltaic System Variability by Month and Year
In the industry, we make fairly broad generalizations about how much you will save with solar panels. We can’t tell you what your electric bill will be because we can’t control your energy use. Your choices have a lot to do with how much electricity you need. But we can tell you how much energy your solar energy system should …
Naples, FL Home Get REC Alpha Solar Panels
We recently finished a solar panel installation in Naples, FL using all-black REC Alpha 360W Solar Panels. These are really sleek looking and have great performance and warranty as well. At 360W each, these panels are highly efficient for a 60-cell sized panel. Usually, you need to go to a larger 72-cell panel to get that kind of performance. But …
Solar Panel Efficiency Is Overrated
I tell people all the time… don’t get so wrapped up on solar panel efficiency. I get it – you want the best. The most efficient solar panel on earth sounds exactly what you are looking for. But is it in your best interest? The current leader for panels that are commonly available in the efficiency race is likely Sunpower. …
What Does A Net Zero FPL Utility Bill Look Like?
Have you ever wanted to know what it would be like to eliminate your electric bill? How exactly does that look? Well, let’s just cut to the chase: We installed solar panels for this client in April. Immediately we wiped out their electric bill for May, June, and July. They also have 727 kilowatt-hours of electricity “in the …
How To Install A Generator With Existing Solar Panels
This article is intended for our colleagues who install whole-home generators in Southwest Florida. Licensed electricians often don’t realize they are creating a hazardous situation that could severely damage equipment. Warranties for generators or solar inverters can be voided by failing to take into account important factors. We have seen this time and time again, so we wanted to point …
Comparing Batteries to Generators
When hurricane season comes around there is always a renewed interest in solar panels and batteries. Clients wonder if they should consider solar power instead of a whole home generator. But how do batteries compare to generators? Notice how I didn’t title this “Compare Solar Panels to Generators.” That’s because people conflate solar power and batteries. You don’t necessarily need one …
Should I Buy A 60-Cell or 72-Cell Solar Panel?
There is a bit of a myth out there that 60-cell solar panels are made for residential installations and 72-cell are for industrial and utility-scale use. There are pros and cons of using each for typical home solar panel installations, but the lines are really blurry. Your local marketplace has a lot to do with it, as does the supply …
The Importance of Solar Roof Attachments
I find it very strange that solar photovoltaic system proposals and contracts often leave out one of the most important things. How are you attaching them to the roof? It seems like an obvious thing, but clients rarely ask and salespeople rarely bring it up. Yet this is a critical aspect of a solar energy system installation. There are many …