Northeast Florida’s Largest Solar Company Sees Builder Interest in the Sun

By R.P. Whittington

With energy prices up more than 30 percent in northeast Florida over the last year alone, more homebuyers are looking at solar energy as a way to offset the increases in their monthly bills – prompting residential and commercial builders to take a new look at solar power.

David H. Smith, president of Jacksonville-based SUNWORKS Solar Systems, recently negotiated two exclusive agreements with custom-home builders Hanalea Construction, based in Jacksonville Beach, and Built Smart Builders in Fernandina, to provide solar hot water systems in all the homes they construct. He is also in discussions with JA Long – Custom Builders to develop a similar agreement. Paul Tutwiler is installing solar hot water systems into affordable housing being built by his organization, the Northwest Jacksonville Community Development Corporation.

"Some of the more progressive custom builders are seeing the incentive to begin installing these systems, not only the financial incentive, but that offering a solar option to the buyer sets them apart from other builders," Smith said.

In the solar energy business since 1973, SUNWORKS is the largest solar energy distributor and installation company in northeast Florida. The company installs and services solar water, pool heating, solar electric (photovoltaic) systems, skylights, solar attic fans and wind-power systems.

Smith says it has certainly helped that the Northeast Florida Builders Association and JEA introduced the Green Built Homes Program to promote both energy and water efficiency in home construction.

"It’s good for the homeowner, the environment, and certainly helps lessen our dependence on foreign fuels, which is certainly a good thing given current events around the world," he said.

Federal tax incentives that went into effect January 1, and state incentives that went into play on July 1, are spurring more homeowners to retrofit existing homes with solar water and solar electric (called photovoltaic) systems.

The federal energy bill gives residential consumers a tax credit of 30 percent, up to $2,000 each, toward the cost of installing a solar water heating or solar electric system, and the state offers an additional $500 incentive for solar hot water and up to $20,000 for Solar Electric..

And through state and local (JEA) incentives, builders can receive up to $1,300 in additional solar incentives.

Whether it is a residential or commercial building, water heating and air conditioning are two of the largest users of energy. Switching the water heating portion to solar can save the average homeowner between 15 to 30 percent on their utility bills – representing a savings on the bill up to $600 a year or more.

Depending on family size and type of solar water heater, the cost of an installed residential system ranges from $2,500 to $6,500 before any tax credits or utility incentives are deducted. These credits can now lower the installation cost to between $1,800 and $4,500 – depending on the size and type of system.

But Smith says it’s the larger residential builders that need to get involved in solar power.

"In our case, about 90 percent of our customers had to use their own initiative to have solar systems installed in their homes," he said. "They researched the solar installation companies and costs themselves, and then put the builder in touch with us to have it done."

Dan McCaskill, a long-time Arlington resident who is working with Prism Design and Construction to build a new home on Eagle Bend Terrace in north Jacksonville, had to initiate the addition of a solar hot water system into his plans.

"If builders promoted solar power systems more, I think more people would have them installed in new homes," he said. "In my case, I’m having a custom home built and did all the solar research myself. I picked out the system I wanted and hooked SUNWORKS up with the builder."

Hanalea President Linda Pomerantz said that although her company only builds a few homes each year, it's a start.

"We like the energy efficiency because it's good for the homeowner and the environment," Pomerantz said. "As more of us in the industry do this, I believe some of the larger home builders will have to follow to stay competitive."

Hanalea recently completed two homes, each equipped with solar hot-water systems, on Jacksonville Drive in Jacksonville Beach. Along with the solar hot-water systems, the houses offer other amenities that make living in a coastal environment a little more secure.

Hanalea Vice President Doug Othmer, who oversees construction, says the new homes are 85 percent energy efficient – and he expects to reach about 90 percent energy efficiency on two other Jacksonville Beach homes the company is building now.

"We’re pretty much committed to this approach from now on," Othmer said.

With Built Smart Builders, SUNWORKS recently installed solar water heaters in four homes.

"We have been building and distributing energy-efficient building panels for 10 years under the name of Premium Panel Homes and recently starting our own home construction business," said Built Smart Builders co-owner Catherine Garrett.

"Because of our background, we know what to look for to make our homes as energy-efficient as possible," Garrett said. "Our panels already make our houses more energy efficient, and SUNWORKS offers us the ability to install quality solar systems to enhance that efficiency even more."

Ponte Vedra resident Gail Greenblatt, who recently hired SUNWORKS to install solar hot water and a solar electric system at her home, is encouraged by the trends she is seeing among builders.

"I think it’s terrific that homebuilders are gravitating to installing solar systems when they build a home," she said. "It’s easier to absorb when the cost is included in the mortgage."

Currently, there are four solar-installation companies based in Jacksonville. Representatives from all of them say they are getting more requests for system installations since the incentives went into effect in January.

"Consumers are moving to take advantage of the federal incentives, which is good because they will expire at the end of two years, so the opportunity is limited," Smith said. "Certainly, our hopes are that the tax incentives will be extended beyond 2007."

Media Contact: Ron Whittington (904-563-0402)