The Law Offices of John Caravella, P.C. does not own this content. This content was created by Brent Kearney, and was published to WEAR ABC 3 on September 8th, 2022. To view the full article, please click here.
PENSACOLA, Fla. — Some homeowners wanting to buy solar panels are running into a problem buying insurance.
Customers have told Channel 3 that they were either dropped or have been forced to find a new insurance company.
Insurance brokers want to make sure people do their homework before committing to a solar panel investment.
Solar customer Stephen Wilson and his wife Jeanne say when it came to energy costs, enough was enough.
“We’re retired and on fixed incomes and we couldn’t sustain going higher and higher in electricity costs,” Wilson said. The couple decided to harness the power of the sun and go solar. Wilson says the solar company told him to expect his Florida Power and Light bill to drop by 80 to 90 percent.
Wilson’s also expecting an $18,000 tax break from the state of Florida. What Wilson didn’t expect to drop though, was his insurance coverage. “When I called to renew and explain to our insurance agent that we were going to be getting solar panels installed that summer, she checked and said it wasn’t going to be covered,” Wilson said. Wilson says he was forced to find another insurance company which will now cost him more than what he was paying before.
“The quarterly payment went up about $200 a month,” Wilson said. Shana Silcox says her office in Downtown Pensacola gets several calls a week with questions about insurance coverage and solar panels. “It’s becoming more common,” Silcox said. “The more people that get solar panels, you see the carriers say we’re out, we don’t want that risk.”
Silcox tells Channel 3, a lot of the companies say the panels are too much of a liability risk. Silcox’s biggest piece of advice is to call your insurance company before committing to the investment. “Call your agent, ask questions. Whatever provider you go with, ask them questions,” Silcox said.
John Caravella Esq., is a construction attorney and formerly practicing project architect at The Law Office of John Caravella, P.C., representing architects, engineers, contractors, subcontractors, and owners in all phases of contract preparation, litigation, and arbitration across New York and Florida. He also serves as an arbitrator to the American Arbitration Association Construction Industry Panel. Mr. Caravella can be reached by email: [email protected] or (631) 608-1346.
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The Law Offices of John Caravella, P.C. does not own this content. This content was created by Brent Kearney, and was published to WEAR ABC 3 on September 8th, 2022. To view the full article, please click here.