THE RESULTS TOGETHER WITH ERIK VON ANCKEN. THIS IS NEWS 6 AT 5 GETTING RESULTS.
>> MATT: IT IS A WAITING GAME
FOR SOLAR ENERGY CUSTOMERS AND
THOSE THINKING ABOUT GOING
SOLAR THERE WAITING AND
WATCHING TO SEE IF GOVERNOR
DESANTIS SIGNS A BILL THAT
WOULD MEAN BIGGER ELECTRIC
BILLS FOR SOME CUSTOMERS NEWS.
6 INVESTIGATOR ERIK SANDOVAL
UNCOVERED SOME WAYS PEOPLE ARE
STILL TRYING TO SAVE MONEY
BEFORE THIS LAW WOULD TAKE
EFFECT. ERIC? YEAH, GET A LOAD
OF ONE OPTION. WE FOUND GUYS
IMAGINE GETTING 200 OF YOUR
FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS TOGETHER
GOING TO A SOLAR PANEL
RETAILER IN SAYING WHAT KIND
OF DEAL CAN YOU GIVE US? WELL,
THAT’S THE IDEA BEHIND SOLAR
CO-OPS. THEY HAVE GAINED A LOT
OF MOMENTUM HERE IN CENTRAL
FLORIDA. BUT SOME UTILITY
COMPANIES AND LEGISLATORS SAY
THAT’S PART OF THE PROBLEM.
COMPANIES AND LEGISLATORS SAY
THAT’S PART OF THE PROBLEM. Greatness Lives Here. >> MEGAN MCCOLLUM AND JONATHAN
WHITE SAY THEY WRESTLE WITH
THEIR ELECTRIC BILL. IT JUST
KEPT GOING UP. THERE ARE NO
MATTER WHAT WE WERE DOING.
THEY WERE PROBABLY BETWEEN ONE
50 IN 200 A MONTH. WE COULDN’T
GET IT LOWER. YOU GUYS ARE
STRUGGLING TO GET THEM DOWN.
WEREN’T YOU?
>> WE WE DID EVERYTHING THAT
WE COULD THINK TO TRY. WE DID
THE INSULATION. WE ENERGY
COMPANY COME OUT AND GIVE LIKE
A SURVEY OF WHAT THEY
RECOMMENDED.
>> WE REPLACE THE WATER
HEATER, BUT THEY SAY NOTHING
REALLY BROUGHT DOWN THE COST.
THEY SAID THEY STUMBLED ACROSS
A COMPANY CALLED SOLAR UNITED
NEIGHBORS, WHICH IS A
NONPROFIT THAT BRINGS PEOPLE
TOGETHER WHO ARE INTERESTED IN
GETTING SOLAR PANELS AND THEN
HELPS THEM BUY THEM AT A FULL
RATE TOGETHER FROM THE
RETAILER. THAT WAS 5 YEARS AGO
WHEN YOUR ELECTRIC BILLS
LOOKING LIKE THAT WE JUST PAY
THE THAT YOU KNOW, CHARGE JUST
TO BE CONNECTED TO THE GRID.
SO SHE SAYS THAT AMOUNTS TO A
MONTHLY BILL OF AROUND $15 A
MONTH BECAUSE THEY’RE SELLING
THE EXCESS SOLAR POWER. THEY
GENERATE.
>> BACK TO THE ELECTRIC
COMPANY. A PRACTICE CALLED NET
METERING.
>> NEWS 6 INVESTIGATED AND WE
FOUND OUT SINCE 2016, THE
NUMBER OF FLORIDA HOUSEHOLDS
INSTALLING SOLAR PANELS HAS
GONE UP 467% TOTALING NEARLY
100,000 ACROSS THE STATE OVER
THAT SAME TIME PERIOD, FLORIDA
UTILITY COMPANIES CREDITED
THOSE SOLAR CUSTOMERS MORE
THAN 4.6 MILLION DOLLARS TO
BUY THEIR EXCESS SOLAR ENERGY.
>> AT A RETAIL RATE FOR CS FOR
HOUSE BILL 7.41, THOUGH, TO BE
ENTITLED AN ACT RELATING TO
NET METERING BECAUSE OF THAT,
THE FLORIDA HOUSE AND SENATE
HAVE NOW APPROVED NEW
LEGISLATION THAT WOULD REDUCE
HOW MUCH SOLAR CUSTOMERS CAN
SELL THAT SOLAR ENERGY BACK
FOR 3 A’S. 31 NAYS. MISTER
SPEAKER SHOW THE BILL PASSES
READ THE NEXT BILL FOR THOSE
WHO GET SOLAR PANELS INSTALLED
BY JANUARY OF 2024, THEY’LL BE
ABLE TO SELL THEIR ENERGY BACK
AT FULL RETAIL RATES FOR THE
NEXT 20 YEARS.
>> BUT THOSE WHO WAIT OR RISK
SEEING A LOWER RATE CUT IN
HALF BY THE YEAR 2028.
>> THAT MEANS POTENTIALLY
HIGHER ENERGY BILLS.
>> SO FLORIDA POWER AND LIGHT
WAS ONE OF THE DRIVING FORCES
BEHIND THIS NET METERING BILL.
AND THEY TELL US THIS
BASICALLY AND DOES WHAT THEY
CALL OUTDATED RULES ON SELLING
THAT POWER BACK, ESPECIALLY
WITH THE NUMBER OF SOLAR
HOUSEHOLDS GROWING IN THE
STATE. SO UNITED NEIGHBORS IS
LOOKING FOR MORE PEOPLE TO
JOIN THEIR NEW CO-OP GROUP IN
SEMINOLE COUNTY. WE PUT
INFORMATION ON HOW TO JOIN
THAT ON OUR WEBSITE. CLICK
ORLANDO DOT COM. THERE’S A LOT
OF MOVING PARTS YOU MENTION
THERE IS GROWING DEMAND FOR
PEOPLE WANTING TO DO THIS
MORNING TO SAVE MONEY AND DO
SOMETHING BETTER FOR THE
ENVIRONMENT. SO IF THIS GOES
INTO EFFECT.
>> COULD WE BE LOSING JOBS
BECAUSE OF THIS? BECAUSE
PEOPLE WOULDN’T DO THAT.
ABSOLUTELY. THERE’S A WHOLE
INDUSTRY THAT IT THAT IS
LINKED TO THIS. THERE’S ALSO
CONCERN THAT THIS LEGISLATION
IS GOING TO DETER PEOPLE FROM
GOING. SO THAT MEANS LESS JOBS
FOR THEM.
>> MATT: THEY POINT TO NEVADA
ACTUALLY WERE SIMILAR. LAW WAS
PASSED. SOLAR DEMAND DROP
SOLAR RETAILERS PULLED OUT OF
THE STATE AND THAT LEFT
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE THERE
WITHOUT JOBS. HERE’S THE
THING, THOUGH, THAT LAW WAS
EVENTUALLY CHANGED AND SOME
PEOPLE ARE HOPING THEY’RE
APPEALING TO THE GOVERNOR NOW
NOT TO SIGN THIS, BUT HIS
SPOKESPERSON SAYS RIGHT NOW IT
LOOKS LIKE HE’S GOING AND
DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY THEY’RE
DOING THAT. THAT’S A GOOD
QUESTION. THE VOTE WASN’T EVEN