Progress energy rebate Runs out of money in 1 hour

rollandelliott

Note: Progress Energy Florida is no longer accepting applications for the 2012 rebates. All funds have for 2012 have been committed.

from their web site
https://www.progress-energy.com/florida/home/save-energy-money/energy-efficiency-improvements/sunsense/solar-pv.page?

So many people were applying from 8am to 9am today, the server kept giving 403 errors. There's gonna be a lot of disappointed people that couldn't even get through.

rollandelliott

Re: Progress energy rebate Runs out of money in 1 hour

8 months latter my sister gets a phone call about the solar system she applied for. I guess some poor soul couldn't meet the project deadlines and now she gets a stab at it. If things go well she'll have a 10KW system of Jetion Solar panels in 3 or 4 months for a very low price after the rebate.

rollandelliott

Re: Progress energy rebate Runs out of money in 1 hour

the 2013 rebates applications are due October 1st.

Good luck. Amazingly the rebate is still $2/ watt. With all the price wars I was expecting it to be even cheaper.

rollandelliott

Re: Progress energy rebate Runs out of money in 1 hour

For anyone that already applied this year here is a sample time line:
10-1-2011 Applied for system
5-3-12 Progress energy informs us that previous applicants failed and we get a go at it.
5-25-2012 application accepted, informed we have a few months to complete it to qualify for rebate.
June through Sept. Deal with paper work and arguing with HOA. Have to threaten them with legal action before they approve system. Local AHJ required HOA approval!
Asked for 1 month extension for project completion, which progress grants
9-15-12 Solar system installed
Local Inspector has grounding concerns, have to order special solar grounding clamps, take a week to arrive.
10-15-12 Finally get system approved by local inspector
11-1-12 Complete Interconnect agreement with Progress Energy, few days before their deadline, rebate check to arrive in 6 to 8 weeks.
11-27-12 New interactive grid tie meter installed and system turned on.
All above dates are approximate....AS you can see this is a long process.
Still waiting for rebate check.....

rollandelliott

Re: Progress energy rebate Runs out of money in 1 hour

Progress did delivery with the rebate check in about 8 weeks as promised

They also delivered a 1099 tax document showing the Federal government they gave us $20,000 for the solar installation.

So I guess this is counted as income and pay taxes on it.????
Then it is also counted as a solar expense and we get a 30% solar credit on it?
Since our tax bracket is less than 30% I guess this benefits us a little?

Darn this paperwork never ends!

I am surprised that no one has ever commented on this thread. With millions of $$$$ of free solar rebates being given out in Florida I would of thought at least a few people would of found this thread useful?

3154tm

Re: Progress energy rebate Runs out of money in 1 hour

i'm a gulf power customer in the Fl panhandle. i participated in the rebate program and completed the installation at the end of 2012. everything went smoothly with a few minor glitches and i received my rebate check about 8 wks after finishing the project. the nice lady in charge of the program for the southern company was very helpful.
here's the kicker: i just got a letter from the local tax assessor telling me he's seen the permit application for the solar panel installation and wants to have a talk with me. this can't be good.
it was an approximately $25K installation and at the current tax rate it could add $500 to my annual tax bill if they increase the assessed value of my property by that amount. so much for any savings.
frank

solar_dave

Re: Progress energy rebate Runs out of money in 1 hour

3154tm wrote: »

i'm a gulf power customer in the Fl panhandle. i participated in the rebate program and completed the installation at the end of 2012. everything went smoothly with a few minor glitches and i recieved my rebate check about 8 wks after finishing the project. the nice lady in charge of the program for the southern company was very helpful.
here's the kicker: i just got a letter from the local tax assesor telling me he's seen the permit application for the solar panel installation and wants to have a talk with me. this can't be good.
it was an approximately $25K installation and at the current tax rate it could add $500 to my anual tax bill if they increase the assesed value of my property by that amount. so much for any savings.
frank

That is too bad, our tax code exempts solar installs.

rollandelliott

Re: Progress energy rebate Runs out of money in 1 hour

from the follwoing web site:
http://www.solarsouthwestflorida.com/property-tax-exemption-for-solar-energy-products-in-florida/

Property Tax Exemption for Solar Energy Products in Florida
Posted by Jason Szumlanski On October 17, 2011

Officially there is no longer a property tax exemption for solar energy products installed on Florida properties. It’s a long story, but the bottom line is that a once-in-place exemption disappeared because of some technicalities in the wording up in Tallahassee. Despite the fact that Florida voters overwhelmingly passed a ballot amendment to retain the property tax exemption in 2008, the Florida Legislature failed to enact the law three years in a row, ignoring the Florida voters.

There is good news on two fronts.

First, Senator Jack Latvala submitted a bill in late August 2011 that would define the renewable energy products exempt from property tax assessments, and provide for such exemption. It looks like the bill is going to be heard in committee on October 19, 2011. That’s a step in the right direction! The summary and full text of the bill can be found here.

Second, the Lee County and Collier County property appraisers appear to have no interest in assessing solar energy equipment installed in homes in their counties. I am not sure about Charlotte County, but I have not heard anything to suggest that homeowners are being assessed for solar energy products there, either.

If all goes well, property tax exemptions for solar energy products will be enacted into law once again and solar products will be officially exempt from property tax. If you or anyone you know has been assessed for solar improvements at their property, I would like to hear from you, but I would be very surprised if I did.

I googled the bill and found it failed.

https://www.google.com/search?q=florida+property+tax+solar+panels&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

good luck, keep us posted on what happens please. Might give me a heads up latter on!

3154tm

Re: Progress energy rebate Runs out of money in 1 hour

hi all,
this link was sent to me by FlaSEIA, the renewable energy business trade group:
http://www.flaseia.org/members/legislativereports/2013/2013Bills.asp#HB0277
only the first bill seems pertinent.
the person i spoke with at FlaSEIA seemed to think bills in both the senate and house would be passed with either identical language or would be reconciled in committee and likely signed by the governor. it's thought that it would take some time to effect implementation but could be completed by mid summer.
even though the ballot initiative was in 2008 this statute was still on the books when i did my install:
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0100-0199/0196/Sections/0196.175.html
to read it is to think you would be exempt, you'd be wrong. god i love our legislature. lazy idiots.
frank

BB.

Re: Progress energy rebate Runs out of money in 1 hour

Yea--My system would not be worth it if I had to pay property taxes on the original install (back in the days when a 3kW system cost $30,000 to install).

-Bill

solar_dave

Re: Progress energy rebate Runs out of money in 1 hour

Arizona’s property tax exemption was established in June 2006 (HB 2429) and originally applied only to “solar energy devices and any other device or system designed for the production of solar energy for on-site consumption.” For property tax assessment purposes, these devices are considered to add no value to the property.

HB 2332, signed in July of 2009, expanded the exemption to include other renewable energy technologies, as well as combined heat and power systems, and energy efficient building components. The bill defines renewable energy equipment as "equipment that is used to produce energy primarily for on-site consumption from renewable resources, including wind, forest thinnings, agricultural waste, biogas, biomass, geothermal, and low-impact hydropower."

http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=AZ20F

AZ in front of this issue.