{"id":5786,"date":"2021-11-02T15:07:08","date_gmt":"2021-11-02T20:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nwfl4sale.com\/buyers-may-face-hidden-costs-for-homes-with-solar-power\/"},"modified":"2021-11-02T15:07:08","modified_gmt":"2021-11-02T20:07:08","slug":"buyers-may-face-hidden-costs-for-homes-with-solar-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nwfl4sale.com\/buyers-may-face-hidden-costs-for-homes-with-solar-power\/","title":{"rendered":"Buyers May Face Hidden Costs for Homes with Solar Power"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cSolar-powered home\u201d sounds like a great money-saving deal, but buyers should study possible costs before committing. Not all property insurance companies will cover solar panels, and the ones that do have a wide-ranging set of rules and inconsistent coverage pricing.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, solar panel use in Florida jumped 57% in 2020. Beyond a desire to save the planet, increased demand sprang from low interest rates, pandemic-locked homeowners who targeted improvement projects, tax rebates and lower costs for the technology.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n As a result, more homebuyers see listings that offer solar power and the promise of long-term savings on their power bills.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n However, potential savings could be offset by another higher cost: property insurance rates.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s not a lot of history on solar panels. There\u2019s not a lot of data, so a lot of carriers won\u2019t cover homes with solar,\u201d said Christy Wolfe, sales development manager with Florida Peninsula Insurance and Edison Insurance, to the Insurance Journal. \u201cAnd when you start drilling holes in a roof, it\u2019s problematic.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Some Florida insurers say they have enough problems already, thanks to the rising cost of supplies for replacement jobs like roofs, and they fear that their ongoing legal problems could become exacerbated if they\u2019re faced with new lawsuits over solar-panel issues.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Some insurers simply include solar panel coverage under Section A in homeowners\u2019 policies, said B.G. Murphy, director of government affairs for the Florida Association of Insurance Agents. Others add conditions, such as not covering photovoltaic panels damaged by wind or hail. And others offer no solar panel coverage at all.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Florida-owner Citizens Property Insurance will cover some \u2013 but not all \u2013 solar homes, a spokesperson told the Insurance Journal. The state\u2019s largest private insurer, Universal Property & Casualty, will cover solar panels if a roof is in good condition, according to John Lykins, the Alabama and Florida marketing manager for Universal.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Lykins calls liability \u201cthe tricky part.\u201d What if solar-panel electricity injures a utility worker, for example?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n On almost every issue, opinions run hot and cold. However, many Florida insurers, already skittish about current problems they\u2019re facing, choose to err on the side of caution.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Amber Bradford, a We Insure agent\/owner in Navarre, Florida, says many Florida insurers require a new roof every 10 years now. If that\u2019s the case, she suggests, get a new roof before having solar panels installed.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nInsurers\u2019 solar panel considerations<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
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