JEA rate change proposal concerns homeowners with solar panels

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Homeowners with solar panels voiced their concerns about a proposed change to buyback rates for excess energy to JEA board members on Tuesday.

Other people who were concerned about the rate change were in the industry and worked for companies like A1A Solar Contracting.

Their main issue was money.

JEA proposes to lower its solar energy buyback rate from 11 to 7.5 percent, which would decrease the amount of money homeowners get for surplus energy from their panels.

"We essentially would not have much of a market because the economic value would be removed from people making that solar purchase decision,” Pete Wilking, President of A1A Solar Contracting, said.

He and  his employees stood in unity at the board meeting Tuesday afternoon.

Victor Letourneaut and his wife invested in solar panels when they remodeled their 2,600 square foot Springfield home.

They don’t want JEA to change the rate.

“Just keep it the same,” Victor Letourneaut said. “It's not impacting anything.”

The Letourneaut family says they save on bills each month by using the solar panels.

Their bill is about $56 per month compared to the $300 or so they would expect to pay for a standard electricity bill.

After hours of public comment and much debate, JEA board members voted to defer the issue.

Most members want to see what happens with a constitutional amendment at the state level before they make a decision.

That solar legislation is slated for the November election.

“Using the sun. It's going to generate electricity and saving money," Victor Letourneaut said.

JEA said it plans to increase its solar energy reach by 300 percent in the next 12 months.

There are currently 524 JEA customers that use solar energy.

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