The Builder-Installed Solar Problem
St. Lucie County added more rooftops than any other county we serve in the last five years. A lot of those rooftops came with a small builder-installed PV system as part of the package. On paper this sounds great. In practice, the inspections we run on these homes turn up the same issues over and over.
Builders are buying solar by the cheapest installed watt. That means the smallest acceptable inverter, the cheapest racking, and a crew rotating through three subdivisions a week. The system "works" the day the buyer moves in. Two years later the production is 30 percent below model and nobody can find the warranty paperwork.
We pull the as-built permit set, run the system against its model, and tell you whether the home you are buying actually has the solar value the listing claims it does.
Net Metering Is Where Most Resales Fall Apart
If the seller is on Florida Power & Light's net metering program, that interconnection agreement does not automatically follow the panels to you. It has to be transferred. Done wrong, you can find out 30 days after closing that you are no longer crediting export power back to the grid.
On every St. Lucie inspection, we check:
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The FPL net metering tier the seller was enrolled in (Tier 1, 2, or 3)
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Whether the agreement is in the seller's name or the previous owner's name
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The current bidirectional meter is actually installed and recording
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Whether the current agreement, meter setup, and billing credits match what the seller represented
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The transfer paperwork the title company will need
This is the single most common item buyers find out about too late. We give you the checklist before closing.
Resale Solar, Age 5 To 12 Years
Older PSL neighborhoods (Sandpiper Bay, River Park, the original St. Lucie West) carry a lot of 2014 to 2019 era solar. That generation of equipment is mostly fine, but it is at the age where things start to need attention.
What we tend to find:
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Enphase IQ7 microinverters: still under warranty until year 25, generally healthy
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SolarEdge inverters: optimizers can fail individually, watch for production gaps in the monitoring app
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Pre-2018 string inverters from now-defunct brands (FreedomPower, Solectria): no parts support, plan to replace
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Roof leaks below mid-rail brackets where original sealant has dried and cracked
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Squirrel and rodent damage to wiring on homes near tree line, especially in River Park
We will give you a five-year forward maintenance projection so you know what to budget after closing.
Out-Of-State Buyer? We Will Be Your Eyes On The Roof
A meaningful share of our St. Lucie inspections are for buyers still living somewhere else, often the Northeast or Midwest. You cannot fly down for the inspection period and your buyer's agent is not climbing the roof. We will.
The deliverable for remote buyers includes:
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Drone footage of the roof and array (when conditions allow)
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Inverter portal screenshot of the last 12 months of production
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A short walkthrough video where Mike or one of our techs explains findings out loud
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The written PDF report, photos, and recommended repair list
We bill it the same way: free. Schedule the inspection, we show up, you get the report.
If you also want to see how this compares with our process in neighboring counties, start with the free solar inspection hub. If the system needs service after closing, see our solar maintenance and repair, battery backup storage, and solar removal and reinstallation pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Schedule Before Your Inspection Period Closes
Phone: (772) 232-6594
Email: sales@blueenergyelectric.com
Service area: Port St. Lucie, Tradition, Verano, PGA Village, Tesoro, St. Lucie West, Fort Pierce, North Hutchinson Island, Lakewood Park, Fort Pierce South.
Florida Solar License CVC56991.
Electrical License EC13014796.
Roofing License CCC1337565.
What Your South Florida Neighbors Are Saying
Martin Loynd
Yay Blue Energy Electric to the rescue! We have had a terrible experience with the original installer of our solar panels and could not get them to return calls or provide service… Blue Energy immediately answered my call and knew exactly what was needed to fix the problem . Very professional and committed to Resolve issues. Gabi was most helpful and was able to answer all my concerns over the phone. The repair cost was reasonable. The work completed as promised.
V G
I was really pleased with the job that Blue Energy Electric did for me on my solar panel installation repair. I had a really bad experience with the company that originally installed it and was worried that I would not be able to have the work covered by warranty without going back to them. Dave from Blue Energy Electric came and took a look and sorted out everything and he managed to do so under that same warranty without an extra charge to me. He was professional, friendly and efficient but most importantly completely honest and trustworthy, something I was not used to in previous dealings with the solar company that installed my solar system. I cannot give this company a higher recommendation. Job well done thank you!!!