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FPL Offering Incentives For Going "Solar"

MIAMI (CBS4) – South Floridians who want to harness the power of the sun to heat their water or power their home or business may be able to get cash back from Florida Power and Light.

FPL said customers can start applying for solar rebates on Wednesday, June 29th, at 8:30 a.m.  The rebate is being made available as part of a five-year pilot program authorized by the Florida Public Service Commission.

"If we can get more customers to look at renewable energy resources like solar power and other energy improvements, it's going to help lessen the load on our system," said FPL spokesperson Jackie Anderson.

Homeowners are catching on to the idea of going solar. Kevin Martin, founder of Building Unlimited Roofing and Solar, already has customers waiting to qualify for FPL's new program.

The program rebates are in addition to a 30 percent government tax credit which, according to Martin, you can also get when you simultaneously put on a new roof as well, because the solar panels can be built into the roofs.

For more on the solar tax credit and solar roofs, click here.

"It is more cost effective because now the cost of your roof and the cost of your solar panels qualify for the 30 percent tax credit," said Martin.

The program was supposed to kick off last Tuesday but was delayed due to a technical issue with FPL's website.

FPL customers planning to install a new residential solar water heater can receive a rebate of a thousand dollars.

"I have seen my share of very high electricity bills," said homeowners Kieran Fallon. "I did a little bit of research on the web about roofs and solar energy because I understood solar energy was becoming more economical."

For example, a solar water heater can cut a family's water-heating costs by up to 85 percent, according to the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC). The Residential Solar Water Heating Rebate is for solar thermal collectors, pumps, mounting hardware and water storage tanks. All systems must be approved and certified by the FSEC. Solar pool heaters do not qualify.

Click Here For More Information

FPL customers who are planning to install a new photovoltaic (PV) system will be eligible for a rebate of $2 for every watt of DC output, up to $20,000. The rebate is available to all existing customers.

This rebate program is only for grid-interactive PV systems with a minimum nameplate rating of 2 kilowatts direct current (DC) and a maximum nameplate rating of 2 megawatts. The rebates are not available for new construction or PV systems that are already installed.

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The rebates will be given out on a first-come, first-serve basis. The PSC has made $15.5 million available to FPL to dole out to customers who qualify.

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