Insurance Drops and Denial - It's now happening in our Neighborhood.

[Atomicpunk]

Hello,
I am trying to write this message in support of "Off-Grid" Solar for whatever purpose (backup, supplemental power or completely off-grid). To get into it, Bureaucratic red tape in Florida is making it possible that anyone that installed solar with "corporate" solar companies and/or even those that add solar panels to their own roof and/or Grid-tied on their own, are being be dropped from their insurance companies. Therefore, making DIY solar more prevalent and important.

About a year ago, people I knew started talking that those who had "grid-tied Solar on their roofs" installed even by those "MLM" companies (I know that may be extreme, but it appears that is how they operate and sound when talking to them); that they were being contacted and dropped from their insurance. It's difficult enough to get Insured in Florida, and if you ask me I would drop insurance 100%, but you can't if you have a loan.

Here is an article mentioning it: https://www.firstcoastnews.com/arti...homes/77-20929c68-bb37-4ae8-b39c-cdf37bb1e2a5

Due to the extraordinary increase in our power bills (+35% vs last Year and +70% since 2020). People are now talking about it in our Online Community forums if it is worth it, and it's sparking the conversation that those that took the plunge are being dropped from their insurance and warning against roof panels or grid-tied systems, so it is occurring. PLUS, there are many that don't understand how close that the 1 to 1 ratio energy reimbursement was almost was lost and you would have needed to produce twice the amount of power to break even, our Governor's veto (against his own party) saved that ratio. I am sure that won't happen again with the next group of people in charge.

I have produced over 1.5 megaWatts in less than a year in a backyard off-grid setup, It's has taken the sting out of what everyone else is feeling with the huge energy increases. Even though there was a bill passed in Florida in 2022 that you can't be denied to install Solar (HOA's etc.) , there are other situations that citizens are being pulled away (insurance denials, etc.) from taking advantage of "free" energy.

Curious if anyone has run into these types of roadblocks...

 

[50ShadesOfDirt]

There are some very strange "bedfellows" out there ... grid, banks, insurance, codes ... they are all in bed with each other to your detriment, and this indeed leads to mind-boggling scenarios and conditions/requirements. If you follow the money, it's all business. Businesses will try anything to get a charge to "stick to the wall", and if one form gets knocked down, another will soon take its place.

I went "rural" and "mortgage-free, grid-free, insurance-free" and any other -free I could think of ... you can self-insure, but it takes financial discipline to do so. Nobody will write me a check if I lose everything in some kind of fire, but I planned to lose everything, and built redundancy and triple-safeguard checks into everything, and then I put money aside to rebuild, among other steps. For over a decade, I have not paid a home insurance (or mortgage insurance) bill ... that's $10K or more, all of which got plowed back into the "backups", safety checks, and yes, financial investments (which grow on their own).

The various "bills" for everything is what got to me, over a few decades ago. When bills changed over from a straight charge for an amount of a service, to all the crazy fees on top of the straight service, I was forced onto the path of being "grid-free" ... that also led to going rural to escape all the code BS, HOA's, AHJ's, and so on, and that led to going mortgage-free, and all the others.

The big advantage to me ... no stress, no bureaucrats, no fees upon fees, etc. This part is priceless ...

 

[Sparky]

Hello,
I am trying to write this message in support of "Off-Grid" Solar for whatever purpose (backup, supplemental power or completely off-grid). To get into it, Bureaucratic red tape in Florida is making it possible that anyone that installed solar with "corporate" solar companies and/or even those that add solar panels to their own roof and/or Grid-tied on their own, are being be dropped from their insurance companies. Therefore, making DIY solar more prevalent and important.

About a year ago, people I knew started talking that those who had "grid-tied Solar on their roofs" installed even by those "MLM" companies (I know that may be extreme, but it appears that is how they operate and sound when talking to them); that they were being contacted and dropped from their insurance. It's difficult enough to get Insured in Florida, and if you ask me I would drop insurance 100%, but you can't if you have a loan.

Here is an article mentioning it: https://www.firstcoastnews.com/arti...homes/77-20929c68-bb37-4ae8-b39c-cdf37bb1e2a5

Due to the extraordinary increase in our power bills (+35% vs last Year and +70% since 2020). People are now talking about it in our Online Community forums if it is worth it, and it's sparking the conversation that those that took the plunge are being dropped from their insurance and warning against roof panels or grid-tied systems, so it is occurring. PLUS, there are many that don't understand how close that the 1 to 1 ratio energy reimbursement was almost was lost and you would have needed to produce twice the amount of power to break even, our Governor's veto (against his own party) saved that ratio. I am sure that won't happen again with the next group of people in charge.

I have produced over 1.5 megaWatts in less than a year in a backyard off-grid setup, It's has taken the sting out of what everyone else is feeling with the huge energy increases. Even though there was a bill passed in Florida in 2022 that you can't be denied to install Solar (HOA's etc.) , there are other situations that citizens are being pulled away (insurance denials, etc.) from taking advantage of "free" energy.

Curious if anyone has run into these types of roadblocks...

Is there an insurance "pool" to speak of? These would be "carriers of last resort" for undesirables like solar hippie freaks such as ourselves.

I know states do it with auto insurance for people who drive like they're in bumper cars.

 

[Atomicpunk]

There's always Citizens (Florida Government) Insc,, but very expensive ($4000+/yr) for a 1300sq ft house (not on the water and on high land, what they call X Flood zone, e.g. not a flood area). It's going to get worse, as more insurance companies are pulling out of FL. They use storm increases as a reason, but that's a cop out. There are no more storms than normal - in fact, it's mid-August, and we haven't had anything come by, yet - bad hurricane seasons come in cycles, good hurricane seasons come in cycles and normal hurricane seasons come in cycles - that's how weather works!. The main problem is that housing prices are through the roof, so that causes you to insure a home that is not realistically worth that amount. And if you owe on your home, then your loan company needs you to have insurance. Also, we went through few bad years that Roofing Companies were scamming Insurance companies by replacing entire roofs for a small leak and the insurance paid for it. So our insurance rates have doubled and then doubled again in 10 years. Then add on top of that, the insurance companies have some ridiculous rule that they won't insure (new policies) with a 10 year old shingle roof, and many companies are requiring current customers with 15yr + old roofs to get a new one OR they drop you. (I am in the middle of that right now) - I though it would be this year, but most likely it will be next year. Insurance is a real corrupt mess in Florida on all ends of the spectrum. So don't even think about putting solar panels on your roof...