@@shutinalley Not if the utility companies get their way and make it more expensive. They tried last year passed the legislators and DeSantis vetoed it. Google it.
Hence why the idea of health insurance terrifies Europeans, only being allowed treatment if the company can't find a loophole to refuse it would be scary as hell.
Our business was burglarized. We didn’t report it to our insurance because it would cost us more in the long run. Insurance is almost like filing bankruptcy.
You can pay into "insurance" for several years and not have a claim. Then when you do have a claim you are paying for it yourself. It has cost the company, NOTHING.
@Sean Stevenson But aside from natural disaster situations, that doesn't happen. The insurers know what the risks are -- that's their business. They just want to maximize their profits by resisting paying claims, even though the payment of claims is what their customers paid for in advance. It's like a casino that gladly takes your money, but then claims their slot machine malfunctioned when it finally pays off.
@@MrShadowpanther3 Huh? What are you talking about? This thread was was about homeowner's insurance in general, not about a particular case. What case are you talking about? The people profiled in this story were all homeowners who told their insurance company about the solar panels, and then had their coverage completely dropped.
I couldn't agree more but I do see their point, when a hurricane rolls through and the wind starts pulling and tugging from underneath the panels they could facilitate in possibly ripping sections of the roof off, and then the rain and eventual mold thereafter could destroy the entire house and all of it contents. Their concern is to minimize property damage and payouts, not people's electricity bill.
@@Ronniezim Health insurance is objectively better after Congress passed laws forcing them to pay their claims. We need to do that with homeowner's insurance, too.
What monopoly? There are quite a few insurance companies (although fewer as there are price controls and hurricanes making it not worth insuring here). There are quite a few solar power companies (although it's really just another "green" scam). Of course, if you mean electric power companies, yeah, they have severe barriers to entry. Would it be better to have several different companies running different sets of electric lines through the neighborhoods. It would be a bigger mess than we already have.
@@mrhodes3140 What exactly should he do to fix the problem? Enact more price controls to get rid of even more insurance companies? Should he force more electric companies into the market, requiring several different sets of electric lines to be run everywhere around the old infrastructure? I wonder how much that would cost customers, in the end.
Yeah, and after they've forced everyone to drive an EV, wait for your power bill to increase. They'll hike the tariffs up for sure. Their excuse will be, EV's are putting too much demand on the grid. Mark my words.
I haven't had homeowner's insurance for 20 years. Went through 3 hurricanes, 1 direct hit. Had to re-roof twice but the cost of 2 roof repairs is less than the 60-80k in premiums (plus the loss of investment growth) that I would have paid.
Financially speaking that is probably the case with any type of insurance unless something really bad happens medically. The reality is most people aren't responsible enough to save like you do so its better for them to have it. Also the peace of mind if the house burns down or another catastrophic event they homeowner won't lose everything.
That is what we are going to do. Save that money. May be put it in an investment account and make yourself extra money, instead of giving it to someone else. You will always be ready for any expenses on the house.
@@TheeGlocktopus Here’s the problem…people don’t want to take the time to make the necessary calls first…too lazy…they simply fall for the solar company’s sales pitch and can’t wait to fork over the 30-100K to those vultures. They don’t take the time to do the homework first then scream bloody murder afterwards.
@@lizzieb6311 Honestly all I am hearing are excuses... Excuses for the lack of personal responsibility. "It's the insurance company's fault!" "It's the predatory solar company's fault!" - It isn't. It's their fault, and their fault alone. It's not the solar company's duty to make sure their customers insure their product.
@@TheeGlocktopus Agreed. You know as well as I do, people are FING LAZY. Easier to point fingers than look in the mirror. Personal accountability is gone and everyone is a victim.
I was a contractor living on the coast after a hurricane and I saw first hand how hard insurance companies will fight to keep from paying out on claims.
Exactly, Capitalist NEVER point out how GREED really works. "Your" politicians are literally being bribed. There are some 7-10 empty homes per homeless person. For the last 40 years a minimum of 500,000 families kicked out of their homes every year do to foreclosure from medical bills. Minimum wage DOES NOT have to cover BASIC living cost. We will spend TRILLIONS of dollars killing completely innocent people in Iraq and Afghanistan, because 19 crazy people ran into some buildings in New York...I can go on...tell me how we can't do anything about it, because of your favorite 3rd world economy.
@@thesoundsmith between the MASSIVE corruption between big business and easily being able to buy off politicians...it does seem like your 'reasoning' is the only option left out on the table for coming to ANY form of reasonable solutions....GREED sure does change the rules for everybody.
Anyone notice no one asked a single insurance company why they won't cover solar? There are reasons, but all these "reporters" did was ask solar companies.
Remember that turd who hired Gary Betzner and Barry Seal to raise $$ for his rocka fella war? Well, the turd also said; ""Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem." and so all the corporate accountability we gained in the New Deal was erased by the clown who never failed to cash his big, government check. "Thanks" Ron!
The solar part of this is not going to cost $50k. If you listen to the video he said solar and battery. The solar part of this installation is probably between $20K and $25K the rest is the battery backup system. You are also not taking into account that the cost of electricity is going up for most people annually. That increase is variable by utility/coop so it is difficult to generalize but 3% to 8% is not unusual. That makes a huge difference in the ROI. Utility companies are getting really difficult to work with regarding solar. When solar first started being commercially viable many companies wouldn't allow solar to be installed. That started a movement called Gorilla Solar where customers would install solar and not tell the utility company. The utility can't tell if the customer installed solar or simply got more efficient so they would add a single panel using microinverters. Add another panel until the monthly bill was always just a small bill and the local solar covered 60-80%. With a battery this becomes even easier. It was a lot of fun to see how far you could go. It would be easier now as the utilities no longer visit your house to read the meter. Who knows, maybe that will come back.
Don't forget that $50K is a loan with interest so the cost is far higher than $50K by the time you pay off the loan, the truth is you never come out ahead because by the time you break even the panels will need to be replaced so the cycle starts all over again. Solar is a scam.
In California a $250 / MO bill is about $18K or was on NEM2 On NEM3 the solar would be that much but you would need to buy a battery to get a reasonable payback. Generally the payback time for a ESS:PV system is expected to be 9 years now.
There is a good reason for this. Solar panels require you to drill several unnecessary holes in your roof in order to secure them and makes your roof more susceptible to leaks and water damage. Most people don't know how to install them correctly to make them water tight, and not only that but it's going to be a nightmare trying to re-shingle your roof with all of that solar panel crap up there, it all has to be removed in order to reach the shingles underneath. No roofing company is going to want to touch that and so you will have an old leaky roof eventually.
What are the penalties for companies that promote Global Warming practices; like, dissuading people from cutting total carbon emissions by having solar panels?
@bobs182 this is false solar panels for a normal sized installation will cost around 20k and provide 7kw. As well as this they offset there carbon in roughly 2-3. Just google my dude.
@Bob S EV takes between 30k-60k miles to carbon neutral... saying it takes a lifetime is lying.. do you know it takes energy to turn oil into gasoline? The battery then can be recycle which reduces the need to mining more in a few decades rather than buring gas once and it is gone. You are either uninformed or misinforming others for self benefit.
Most people don’t realize that when you make ANY home improvements in excess of $10,000 you should be notifying your insurance company to review total replacement cost of home.
From experience I can tell you that you need to review without making improvements. Inflation alone will increase what you need your policy limits to be yoy.
@@cowboyx9380 changing your flooring is an actual modification of the house. At that point why not be like well you didn’t notify us you put appliances in your kitchen… If you put a few thousand dollars of panels on your otherwise unmodified roof how much are they gonna demand you increase your coverage? Presumably a lot more than the panels. The guy talked about half of the insurers, clearly it’s not only about not notifying. They’re always pulling schemes, like the whole storm damage vs. water damage or storm damage vs. flood damage dilemma. During the pandemic my travel insurance called to tell me they won’t cover me for pretty much anything due to the pandemic, even though that would only risk a few potential things my policy covered. The three countries I was travelling between hadn’t declared pandemics yet. Insurers are full of BS, you’ve got to constantly keep them honest. Need more benefit funds akin to community banks.
I'm hesitant to install solar panels because there's high chance the roof will start leaking due to shoddy workmanship. I inspected the attic and it was built poorly. One of the reasons insurance cost is high is because of low quality of materials and bad workmanship.
Then have a roofer install the standoffs, assuming an comp roof. then the solar installation team installs the array and the roofer does the roof. As far as materials go your solar installers are using the exact same standoffs and flashing that a roofing company will use. They all have to adhere to international standards. As long as they pull permits from the jurisdiction you live in they should be fine. If your inspectors aren't doing their job that is an issue for your local council to address.
@@m.williams3176 As I said, "If your inspectors aren't doing their job that is an issue for your local council to address.". In the jurisdictions in and around the Bay Area the problem isn't do they do their job, its often that they go too far. Palo Alto got to the point that there would be 5 inspections to assemble an array. It took so long that a lot of installation companies wouldn't do jobs there. We simply added $4K to the job to allow for the stupid inspections.
OMG! During a sales pitch, I asked what would happen with my home insurance company with attaching panels to my roof. What happens when I need a new roof? Who pays for removal and re-install? No answer was provided…..
Nobody...how does the insurance company know that the installation is done correctly? That there are no extra holes in the roof and after the water damages the house, won't they ask for money for repairs...in 9 out of 10 cases, in a period of 10 years with solar panels, the roof will leak and in order to make repairs, it is necessary to remove the panels, the insurance company does not want to part in this
power company has lobbies not doubt making sure they dont go out of business with everyone in florida getting solar panels to save money but, more importantly be dependent from govt/power companies/monthly bills.
@@mrmrmrcaf7801 EXACTLY! The solar companies hawking the panels won’t tell you that your drilling holes thru perfectly good roofing materials and the roof deck…they also won’t tell you that if you install them over your brand new roof you are likely VOIDING the manufacturers warranty formthe shingles/tile/built up/metal roofing. The SOLAR COMPANIES are really the ones negligent in providing this information to the homeowner. To do so may cost them a fat $ale 💰💰💰
@@mrmrmrcaf7801 Wait, what? You're saying 90% of solar panel installations cause leaks within 10 years? Do you have a source to back up that claim? I personally know five people who have solar panels and none of them have had problems. I also live in a neighborhood with numerous people who have them, have talked to them about them on my daily walks, and none have reported leaks. Sure, this is anecdotal evidence, so I did some searching and the exact opposite of what you said is true. 1. Usually if there is a leak after installing solar panels, you find out about it right away, usually in less than a year. 2. Leaks almost never happen. Again, if you have a source to prove otherwise, please let me know.
Florida gets hit buy a hurricane about once every 3 years. Yet, no one builds houses that can handle a hurricane, even if they get totaled and have to rebuilt. High fees is the result.
@@dolorousjohn5499 Is that so? If that were the case, why do so many houses get squished. Codes are regularly updated to make NEW construction more hurricane survivable but there is no magic "code" for hurricane.
@@dolorousjohn5499 Have you been to Florida? They have entire communities of trailer homes. If a hurricane comes they don't stay in their houses they go to the community building that is hurricane resistant.
Fantastic and valid point about the age of the roof prior to installing. These things can create nightmares when they leak. I see it happen all the time as an adjuster. You are at the mercy of workmanship and underlayment quality, not to mention the 5% degradation per year in generating capacity. I would never buy a home with solar panels.
Fire safety unknowns, less than reputable dealers, bad contractors and DIY'ers so this is a no-brainer for coverage qualms. Low volt is typically not safety regulated but this is high voltage. Another obvious query, if a roof company voids your warranty when you start drilling holes through it and mounting solar equipment on top then how can you expect any insurance company to cover it all? As a contractor, I've roof mounted a lot equipment (CATV, MATV, SAT, A/V, CCTV, etc.) so what is surprising to me is how it took this long for Insurance co.'s to start backing out. One way to possibly get around all of this trouble is to build a detached patio roof, carport cover roof, gazebo etc. and mount all the panels on top of those and without all that high volt atop your house - much safer. No homeowner should ever put a thousand + new holes through their roof anyway.
Haha you know little to nothing about solar roof installs and that much is obvious. It doesn't take. "Thousands" of goes to mount a solar system. Maybe a few dozen.
@@shawnd567 The coments here are hilarious in that people talk as if they know what they are talking about and don't realize that anyone that has been in the industry sees them as a fool.
This is not only happening in the southeast of the country. Last year I got dropped from my homeowners insurance out of the blue, for having solar panels on our house. Saddest thing was, before I had the panels installed I cleared it with the insurance company.
@@juju-xx5xn where I live sinkholes can happen and some insurance carriers choose to not offer that specific coverage... it happened to me ... I had to look elsewhere for it and pay $350 extra. Reason? Like rating solar panel potential collateral damage, sinkhole risk is very difficult to assess.
The main problem I see as a retired roofing contractor is, putting solar panels on a 'shingle' roof. Shingles last 20 - 30 years then are typically removed and new ones put on. This would mean removing all of the solar panels also and then reinstalling them. Plus the factor of the solar panels needing to be screwed through the shingles and into the roof wood. All those screws are then sealed with caulk or tar that does not have much of a lifespan. Far better to FIRST remove those shingles and install a METAL roof.
As a roofing contractor, you should know that shingle roof do not last 20 years much less 30 years; most will last half that claim in perfect weather condition.
Shingle roofs are utter trash used because of fashion. My galvanized steel roof is actually barn tin that was old in 1965 when the house was built. I coat it every decade or so (easy work with a scaffold and a self-fabbed jib using a Harbor Freight deer winch to raise buckets of compound with zero back danger). If I ever reroof I'll use Galvalume because my steel building (1995) has near perfect metal with only the cheap shit carbon steel bolts corroding slowly. Next one will get flanged stainless hardware (and anti-seize on the threads because stainless galls) but that one should be good for 50 years or more easily.
@@obfuscated3090 On 'galling' that only occurs when you have SS bolts and SS nuts to my knowledge. And Galling is only a thing with SS, Aluminum and Titanium as far as I know. The key to preventing Galling is to use only hand tools. Speed when using electric tools causes too much heat, thus the Galling (friction welding) problem. OH, and if you use anti-seize on SS, use Nickle anti-seize.
Good idea. We recently had our three layers removed and a new shingle roof installed and then the panels. We used a recommended roofing company and kept it under one contract. Cost us more but we had one number to call. Our last utility bill was $19 for gas. We're $292 in credit for electricity.
There was a tine, long ago, when I said that American consumers were the strongest and most knowledgeable group of consumers. They could take down a corporation if the product was bad or overpriced. Things have changed. Somehow or other, corporate profit and the concept of mandatory growth have become entrenched in American society so much that they are expected and accepted goals at any cost to consumers' well-being. Corporations have ruined America. Oh, I am not American, nor do I live in the US.
It's made worst by the guy in the cube next to you making only 50k a year thinks he's gonna be the next musk or Zuckerberg so he worships the ground they walk on instead of being mad they are the reason he's only making 50k and not 100k to keep up with inflation.
Use to be a much higher percentage of men served in the military. Education was much better, and money didn’t grow on trees. If you look at ads from before 1950, they tended to include some very practical language. Nowadays it is you want this, you need this, buy NOW!!!!!!!!!
@@Goawaypleasenow I don't think money is the root of all evil. Greed is a more likely candidate. "Somehow or other" in the sense that corporations have been given the LEGAL means to do what they have been doing.
The entire concept of business has changed. It used to be that you provided goods or services of reasonable quality and at a reasonable price in order to fill a need and turn a profit and make a living. Now, it is increasingly about providing goods and services that people come to depend on (or be addicted to...), and then using that leverage to power the social engineering schemes of the billionaire globalists who own giant international conglomerates and major investment firms. In the case of solar, there never was any need to be fulfilled. The entire industry is based entirely on training the population to accept the 'climate change' fairytale. Same thing for electric cars (which make even less sense). And then you have insurance, which is gambling, and which government forces you to do business with. You have to be an insurance customer so why would insurance companies make any effort at all to actually try and please the customer?
I had Allstate for home and auto insurance in Delaware 15 years ago and when i had a car accident and was found at fault by the traffic court Allstate didn't pay the other driver for medical bills on proven injuries. She personally sued me two years later just before the statute of limitations ran out because she wasn't getting anywhere with Allstate. Allstate then got a lawyer for me who made a deal with the other driver. But it should have never gotten to the point where i was personally sued. I learned later that playing hardball and refusing to pay other party injury claims is Allstate's standard playbook. This was a long time ago. Maybe they are different now.
I got rear ended last year on a highway. I have usaa insurance. The lady's All-State agent tried calling me and getting me to incriminate myself to her over the phone. I laughed at her and told her she can talk to my agent that's why I have them. Immediately called usaa and they were absolutely baffled they would have attempted to do that
Solar panels make the roof last longer. That is the funniest thing I have heard in a long time Unless you put up a specific style of roof and not standard shingle they will destroy them
I recommend putting the panels on the ground. Penetrating the roof to mount the panels is problematical, and as stated in the piece, you would have to disinstall the panels to change the roof.
Way more expensive and your ROI will be impacted. Penetrations are not problematical if done correctly. If you don't trust your solar company to do the penetrations hire a roofer to do them and then the solar company to add the array. It isn't that complex.
You penetrate the roof to attach shingles to them. There's a way to mount panels without creating leaks and the reduced sun exposure to roofs increases their lifespan.
@@glennmartin6492 Sorry, I have to disagree. Even nails holding shingles pop, are you saying the ones holding a big ole solar panel will not? There is a world of difference between nailing down a shingle and nailing down a roof solar panal that's typically 5.4 feet by 3.25 feet and high enough to catch the wind like a sail, over and over again until it fails. Look, it's not even my opinion, it's based on millions of observations. People didn't believe in bacteria either, because they couldn't see it. How'd that work out?
panels are net metering the power goes no where, its just a compliance item the utility companies are forced to do by government regulations, thanks to Musk, Bezos, Gates and Buffett all making billions off rate payers
You raise an excellent point. A significant part of Florida WILL be under water in a few years. Any actuarial would be advising to get the hell outa Dodge. Or Miami... The Keys will be the first to go, but not the last.
@@thesoundsmith You didn't just drink the koolaide, you guzzled the entire pitcher. I've lived in Florida my whole life. I went to school here. I remember way back to the 1970's and they were spewing the same lies. Specifically, due to Global Warming, the ENTIRE US would be under water by the year 2000. 23 years past that date we're still here and the water hasn't risen any. Yet the glaciars and ice packs are still melting. The only thing that happened was Global Warming isn't a thing anymore. They moved on to Climate Change. And the Climate hasn't changed at all. Summers are still hot. Winters are still cold. Neither have had any extreme changes. Get back to me when it snows in July, or when it's 100° in the middle of winter
Brilliant third-party proof there... A-1 journalism on display. I love the way the guy being interviewed about what happened to his "friend" made the phone sign with one hand.
This report needs to be more specific. Are the insurance companies refusing to cover the home at all or are they just refusing to cover the solar panels? I can see where adding fifty thousand dollars to the value of the home would require the insurance company to increase the cost of insurance to cover that additional expense if the house were damaged. I can also see where insurance companies would not want to cover those homes until they understand how a solar system might make other damage more or less likely. I looked into alternative energy at one point, and I heard from someone that they prefer not to install the panels on the roof. Most people like the panels on the roof because that keeps the panels from taking up useable space in the yard. I would still lean towards a yard-based system.
Removing and re-installing a solar array to do roof work is so very complicated and painful. people think its simple but there are so many things that can go wrong and break while taking it apart that will require replacement and or upgrade. the company that installed the array may no longer even exist so you can be stuck on your own dealing with it all.
Like adding a room to your house, the insurance company would just increase your premiums. There is another reason other than increased value of the home.
This is a heads up to every consumer out there when you have a claim and are dealing with your insurance company . I was in the flood and fire and smoke restoration business for 26 years and I did mold remediation alongside of that for 20 years. When an insurance adjuster comes out and tells you what your damages are worth and try to give you a check, if you think that you are not getting what you are entitled to, you need to call a public adjuster. Now a public adjuster gets 10% . but there have been jobs that I've done and the insurance company only wanted to give the homeowner for example a $38,000 check for a mold remediation or a flood job. And when I had my customers call a public adjuster they would come out and say no you have sixty or seventy thousand dollars worth of damage. The public adjuster will get 10% of that but you are getting a lot more money than what the insurance company would have tried to give you. But if you cash the first check you cannot fight it after that.. So always call a public adjuster if you think that your damage is worth more than what your insurance company is giving you. Because whatever a public adjuster says, IS LAW.. it doesn't matter what the insurance company or an insurance companies adjuster says the public adjuster has the final say and as long as you don't cash that first check your okay. I have had public adjusters come out and adjust multiple jobs that I have done and most of the time they find things that I miss or the homeowners missed and they include that . Never take the first offer from your insurance company and call a public adjuster and pay the 10% they charge, trust me it is very well worth it. And I have done all of these jobs in the State of Florida for almost thirty years. And in 2004 when the four hurricanes came through Central Florida I was busy for a year-and-a-half cleaning up messes. I also did flood fire smoke restoration and mold remediation throughout all of metro Atlanta.
totally. I have a business that had a total loss on a building. I got a measly check for $25,000 initially. Then I hired a lawyer (who had a public adjuster). After about 4 months, my lawyer got my insurance company to admit the damage was total replacement (vs. repair). They ended up getting me $1.3M to build back to where I was. I acted as my own general contractor and was reimbursed for that, too. That money essentially was used to pay the 15% my lawyer charged me so it was no out of pocket expenses. The adjuster had a whole book of what to go through and ascertain what personal property and real estate property was damaged and insured. Always get an adjuster and pay the fee.
magic words to live buy on any low-ball offer.... I want to talk with your supervisor. This is the person who will listen when you start talking about lawyers and second opinions. The first person is reading from a script and a set of charts that give ballpark values, so you need to go up the chain to get satisfaction.
This is like a magic spell where you summon darkness to consume darkness. It's all a Ponzi scheme, and in this case you get to use the bureaucracy of the city against the insurance company. That's pretty sweet.
Solar panels greatly increase the risk. Recently an entire solar 'farm' was destroyed by large hail. The insurance companies should increase the cost to reflect the increased liability.
Don't cover your roof completely with solar panels. Leave some space between surfaces that are covered with solar panels so that you create open 'lanes' (or spaces) where the fire department can put water in in case of a fire. In the Netherlands we have had homes and industry buildings that totally burned down because there was no way the fire fighters could put out the fire because of all those solar panels on the roof.
or don't put them on your roof at all if you don't have to. Just put them on racks in your yard if there's space and light available. Then you can manually adjust the angle for optimum efficiency in different seasons.
Franky, get real. As if the insurance companies wont find another reason and way to continue discontinuing insurance coverage for homes with solar panels
I had eight large plastic solar pool heating panels on my roof. They worked just fine but the screws used to secure them to the roof were a problem a few years later. They covered the steel, not stainless screws with a black tar like goo that dried out and cracked. The result was water seeping through the screw holes and rotting the plywood. Leaks, leaks, leaks. I had it removed and put on a new roof with new plywood sections. All this could have been prevented with a proper installation.
Sorry you were screwed by a bad installer. I’ve been installing solar, both commercially and in residential settings for ten years and have never had a callback for any reason. Never a leak.
I love how insurance companies now say your roof is at the end of their lifespan at 10 years. Can you imagine replacing your roof every single decade? "I lived in this home all my life and replaced the roof 9 times." They're just looking for excuses to weasel out of policies.
It isn’t so much that the roof is end of life at 10 years, but that the solar panels you would be installing typically have a 20 year service…so if the roof is already 10 years old, then adding another 20 years (roof plus solar) means your roof must last at least 30 years and many begin to fail or begin developing leaks around that age. Unfortunately, large scale repairs or replacement of a roof generally requires the full removal of all your solar panels, which is about equal to the labor involved installing them to begin with (plus similar labor incurred reinstalling them). As such, it is best if the roof and solar panel lifetimes are roughly in sync (after 20 years the panels should still be producing around 80% of their rated power provided they have not been physically damaged, so you could ride out those final 10 years in the roof’s life with old solar panels if needed, you just lose some generation capacity.
@@ethanpoole3443 as the subsities run out and they are hit with the FULL cost of replacement it becomes a net loss to install them for the home owner and a $60,000 dollar or more liability for the insurance companies. You keep seeing people speaking of the savings but none want to show the break down including the subsities included in the total cost, and your great grandkids will be paying the taxes to pay the debt, you are literally enslaving future generations. Also, ask yourself this they sell you on a 20 to 30 year lifespan but why are some electrical generation companies who build solar fields replacing them at 1/3 of that time span. I fully expect the insurance companies to do the real math and pay out like with cars with deprecated values and no payout after 10 to 15 years. As for the roof I have a 22 year old home the roof has been patched three times one time 1/4 of it replaced, you try getting a roofing shingle company to honor a warrantee, or better yet just compair a old shingle they take off to the new ones, the olds ones may be shot but they were still almost double the thickness.
I have USAA homeowner's insurance. We had a hurricane 3 years ago this comming Halloween. They had an adjuster out that week, and paid me more than was fair. I can't say enough about their company.
I've had my insurance company for 20 years and have never had a claim. And NEVER got great job card or a bonus thank you for not having them pay out any money. 😅😂
Had hail damage on my roof from a gnarly storm. The insurance company tried denying the claim stating that "the hail damage dings were from a previous storm in 2011 a few years prior...not damage from the current storm in 2015". Funny thing about this is that the insurance company INSPECTED the roof for damage BEFORE they would give us a policy. They did TWO different checks on the roof, one from satellite pic, and another by having a guy from the insurance hop up on the roof to examine it before they covered us. At the time (it was like 2012) they said there was NO damage and the roof was good, we were covered by them. Ergo, when they decided to reject our claim a few years into having coverage when they personally had inspected the roof and said it was in great shape and had no damage from 2011...we called their bluff and got a lawyer. It is called a "good faith" lawsuit. After a whole year of the insurance company fighting us in court they lost. They had to pay: for our new roof, for their lawyer's time, and for our lawyer's time...and wanna know how big the house was? Our house was a 832sqft single story bungalow lol! They spent SO much more money fighting us than they would have just covering such a tiny, simple to roof house. We decided to go with a metal roof (shingled, nice quality metal), because we learned how crappy asphalt roofs are becoming. Asphalt roofs are way lower quality now than even 20-30yrs ago. We bought the metal roof directly from the manufacturer in the USA rather than having the roofer be the middle man which increases costs. Due to this, the metal roof only cost a few thousand more than an asphalt roof AND!!! The metal roof can handle hail without needing replacement, is stronger, can withstand higher wind speeds, and it will last about 50yrs+. In Colorado the rapid temperature shifts and bright sun at high elevation wears out asphalt roofs very quickly, but metal can handle this better. Metal roofs also help to insulate the home from heat better by reflecting the heat back out more than asphalt. Plus when the roof is old it can be recycled as it is metal rather than polluting like oil based asphalt roofs which sit in landfills. I am surprised that insurance doesn't encourage metal roofs for the cost savings when the roof is stronger and needs replacement way less often and can withstand storms without damage better. The roof is NOT noisy in the rain either...a good quality metal roof is not like a cheap tin roof, and it was no different in storms noise wise than the asphalt roof. Unfortunately we had to move a few years after putting the metal roof in, so now we have a bleh asphalt roof again.
They chalk that up as an "oh well" because they are able to intimidate enough policy holders to give up that a loss like that is more than covered with all their other combined denied claims.
NEVER trust an insurance company. You did the right thing. Sounds like they gave you a hard time for nothing because they lost. It is a total scam the insurance business in this country.
Back in the 70’s my parents garage caught fire and burned to the ground taking out the neighbors glass patio. My parents had insurance but had to sue the insurance company to collect.
@@jerradwilson thank you for your reply. Never having been a home owner I didn’t know how home owners insurance worked. I was 12 when their garage burned down.
I live in Florida. I was thinking about getting solar. Did a little digging and found out that the complaints on most solar companies are 1 to 2 stars on BBB when it comes to preparing a damaged or non-functioning system. The salesman wouldn't allow me to write in a clause that when the panels are not working my payments would be suspended. Also... if you lease the equipment a lot of buyers don't want to take over the original contract. You may have to pay the solar company to remove the panels. Now the roof's substrate integrity is compromised.
@@mscolli3 yeah most recommend the roof because that is where you will get the most sunlight with out obstruction but i agree having them ground level is a better way to do it
Why would any roof leak, let’s see age, hail, wind, sub standard installation would all impact the integrity of the roof system and when it needs to be repaired or replaced, removing the solar panels and placing them back would increase the cost.
@Cmore Butts +1 Why would naysayers need to reference nagging realities? Imagine people obstinately NOT wanting to be independent, autonomous and FREE from unions, CEOs, utilities, vulnerabilities, dirty deeds and sustainability. Deniers laps up lies like mommy's milk from a cow.
easy fix it you have a yard just put the solar panels on the ground with a metal housing. This is very common. you can grow a hedge a few feet hight to cover the metal stand.
The other issue is, that American homes are poorly built. In Europe, solar panels on homes is a real thing and over there I don't hear anybody complaining about this insurance issue. But US homes, as nice as they are otherwise, are just poorly built. Stuff goes wrong much quicker, like a roof leak. I wouldn't go for solar panels on my roof either at this point.
I see it all the time in Florida People installing solar panels over an old roof and expecting it to solve the problems And the salesman convincing them that it will
Here in Australia your building insurance premium only goes up because the replacement cost of your house increases to cover the cost of the panels, so only increases by a very, very small amount. Every insurance company in the country covers houses with solar systems.
@@ldnwholesale8552 That only ever happens when people install solar panels and neglect to inform their insurance company, but that’s exactly the same with every addition to your home. If you add a garage and don’t tell them, they don’t cover it. If you add an extension and don’t tell them it’s not converted. It’s your responsibility to inform your insurance company of anything you do do your home which increases the rebuild price. That’s only common sense.
@@SeattlePioneer No. Only those “with” solar pay extra. Just like those who add an extension pay for the insurance to cover their extension. Why would you think every person’s insurance would go up just because one person installs solar? It’s just like any addition you make to your house. If the replacement value of your house goes up, your insurance premium goes up by a small amount to cover that extra cost of replacement.
@@just_passing_through My post: I was being critical of that policy in Australia. I fully support insurance companies choosing when to accept a risk, and to charge accordingly. Just another example of the web of subsidies which make solar popular, and for which everyone else must pay.
Don't put them on the roof. That house in the final scene could build a free standing platform, at the roof height set away from the house, like a patio.
EVERY solar panel is anchored to the deck of the roof. I did estimate s for a company. EVERY roof I inspected with solar panels were leaking around the anchor points of the deck. EVERY ONE.......
Everything about solar turns out to be a scam... the only purpose seems to be as backup power, to keep your refrigerator running during a power outage... and for that you probably need just a few panels and a large battery bank that you can charge over time. It's always going to be best to have multiple redundant solutions, like a generator as well (you can store propane indefinitely, compared to gasoline).
i wonder if it due to hot spots created under panels expanding materials more then usual effectively destroying even best seal. Also for thousand of years principle of how roof is made remain same now people drill holes into it.
1:42 in other words they haven’t figured out how to hustle you yet…they need to figure out the details, loop holes and terminology of how to charge you for the coverage but not actually give you any coverage.
A solar panel system can run from $30K to over $100K depending on how big you want and how much power you want, you will have to take out a 15 to 30 year loan to pay for this, so now you have a mortgage, a solar system loan as well. Don't forget to add your monthly loan payment to your electric bill, most people dod not do that or admit that is a factor in the total monthly electric cost. You will also have interest on that loan so that $30K to $100K is going to cost you far more than the loan amount. Solar systems are a scam.
I had a homeowner's and auto insurance company that's always advertising on tv. A rep came to "check out" my property. He wanted to go through the house and all around the yard. He was checking for the following: trampolines, swing sets, slides, stockade fencing (can be a danger if the posts begin to rot or have termite damage), granite countertops, built in bookcases, etc. When he couldn't find anything to ding me on, he took a photo of the dogs in the backyard (behind a four-foot chain link fence). Within a few weeks I got a letter from the insurance company saying that I had to pay them more premium money because I had "killer miniature dachshunds" roaming in my backyard and barking at the rep. I dropped them............and never looked back. Caveat emptor when it comes to those insurance companies that aggressively and constantly advertise on tv.
*if a insurance rep wets themselves by being barked at by a miniature dachshund and informs you that you will be required to pay a maximum of premiums for coverage then they deserve to go out of business and be totally humiliated on the local news broadcast stations...it's like when i worked at a sandwich shop several years ago we had spent several days doing a deep cleaning in preparation for a corporate inspection...the person had great difficulty finding anything to wrong to mark us off on but still refused to give us the highest score we deserved...think they are not allowed to give perfect scores or were given a bonus for finding problems*
15 panels, 12 batteries and a good inverter and you dont need the power companies. Been off grid for years and its not that hard. Power companies are losing their monopolies.
That's 15 panels and 12 batteries that can't be recycled or disposed of without some kind of damage to the environment. If you really want to live off grid then live like the pioneers did before we had electricity.
@@jamesreynolds852 Recycling those panels today is a whole lot different than it was more than a decade ago. Same with hybrid batteries. Great improvements have been made. Now about those fumes coming from the exhaust, how do you recycle that, may I ask?
@@jamesreynolds852 keep regurgitating the same lies. Battery and solar tech are way beyond what they used to be and are just going to get better. The problems you speak of are more and more a thing of the past.
@jimmy 12 batteries and 20 panels is probably 50k but 3k in electric bill a year is also a loss. After 20 years, IF the system lasts it will break even.
It shouldn’t be that complicated. If the solar panel costs like 10% of the house, then raise the premium by 10%. If insurance claims related to the solar panels would be wildly different from the rest if the house, we would already see that.
This comment is equivalent to someone spamming: “Not all superhero’s wear capes.” “Every child deserves a parent but not all parents deserve children.” “Don’t be sad because it’s over, be glad that it happened.”
We have a little insurance company in rural NC, and they say things like, "If you think you need new shingles then we'll send out an inspector to approve it because we'd rather replace your shingles than your roof." Fair enough, take my money.
My cousin owns a huge roofing company and he tells people that if they install solar panels on their roof then he automatically voids the warranty. His reasoning is strait forward that it is not his job to remove panels to make repairs.
EXACTLY! I work for a roofing material manufacturer….the commercial and residential contractors who install our products will NOT mess with homes with Solar…too much risk damaging them if they’re already there…and then if the solar panels are installed after the new roof it is ALWAYS a 💩 job and leaks occur nearly 100% of the time.
Their losing to hurricanes, and their trying to save money by shrinking the customer base. They were looking for an excuse. New construction in Southern California requires builders to install solar.
When we bought our house last year we got an insurance policy from a name I never heard of. They were a small outfit based in another state. A month later they sent a letter saying they would drop us if we didn't fix the broken cellar window and one other relatively trivial thing which I don't even recall. Why I was so surprised is that we didn't actually have a broken window, nor did we have the other complaint. When I called twice I never spoke to a person so I left messages but never heard back. We then got insurance from a known company with competitive rates. No issues after that.
Well, here’s the issue…the solar panel companies are required to DRILL THROUGH the existing roof to secure the brackets for the panels…that leaves the possibility of water intrusion into the home and can ALSO void the warranty on your ROOF because holes are DRILLED THROUGH IT. Don’t just check with your homeowners insurance carrier…also check with the manufacturer of your roofing materials (GAF..Owens Corning…etc) too,see if they will honor their warranty if you install the panels. Also, many Roofing Contractors won’t work on a roof if they need to remove and reinstall solar panels…the risk of damaging them too high.
@@motorizedjunk6666 Exactly! One wishes to reduce their energy use they can use passive means to do so…insulate to a higher degree and upgrade windows and seal all openings to keep your home conditioned air in and the outside air OUT. Solar panels are a freaking environmental DISASTER because the rare earth minerals required for them is absolutely destroying the land from which it is mined AND the CANNOT BE RECYCLED! Some components can be reused if not damaged - but after 20 years in the elements most are not reusable. If you’re building new then spend the money instead on the BUILDING ENVELOPE! Use SIP or ICF. If you don’t know what those are - google them! They are highly efficient AND structurally superior to traditional wood frame built homes…and guess what? INSURANCE COMPANIES LOVE THEM because they can withstand HIGH WIND LOADS. Ditch the FING solar already!
Here's a fun fact. Roofing shingles and flashing are also attached with thousands of nails that go right into the wood sheathing. How on earth can anyone stay dry with that?
The only new hole that should be drilled during an installation is for the cable entry and will have flashing around it. Tin roofs use existing screw lines and tile brackets screw onto the truss and come out under the tile. In Australia anyway.
The quote is usually taken out of context. It comes from an article discussing how lowered cost of communication and transport may lead to rental and service businesses replacing ownership for many objects, with potential efficiency improvements. Speculating that self-driving car and drone technology will be the key new development to hasten the change. Why buy an expensive suit for special occasions when you can rent one delivered to your door for a day? Why own a car that will spend most of the time just occupying space in your garage when you can rent one on demand and have it arrive within minutes?
@@vylbird8014 Because a suit you own will actually fit your body correctly like a rental never would. Because a car you own won't be driven hard and treated like shit. Ever had a rental? Yeah, I don't want to commute in that every day. And the cost of renting is not going to be meaningfully less than just owning a car, miles are miles on a vehicle, time spent parked costs nothing. This crap is just being pushed by people that drink too much cool aid, those of us who know better see right through it.
@@dancooper6002 I've had exactly one occasion to wear a suit this year, and I have one more coming up shortly: One wedding, one funeral. Unless you've got money to burn, is it worth buying a really expensive tailored suit for such infrequent use? My solution is to just wear a cheap off-the-hook one from a supermarket - it's not going to pass muster at any really snobby institutions, but it'll do for family. As for cars: Time spent parked does cost. It's just a hidden cost: It's the slow depreciation of your asset, and the extra cost you pay for your house to cover the land use and construction costs of the garage or parking area. Sometimes the cost can be externalised by parking on the street, which dumps it on the local government and community who bear the cost of devoting otherwise productive land to parking lots and extra-wide roads.
@@vylbird8014 So you show up to every event in a poorly fitted suit, because you are too cheap/poor to buy a properly fitting one? By the way, I've spent less than $200 on suits and own about 4, all second hand and tailored to fit me. You are just cheap and don't care if you look like a slob. Your family apparently has the same low standards. And presumably you don't work in any job where appearances are relevant. False, time spent parked does not add costs, it lowers it. You are spreading misinformation. Cars depreciate as a function of model year and miles driven. Time spent parked is time not driven, so miles are lower and value higher. If the car is rented and used 24/7 it will depreciate to nothing in a year and require replacement. If it is used in a normal fashion it should go 15-20 years. Cost per mile is the same. Garages cost very little, they are simple structures with multiple uses. More than worth the convenience of having a vehicle when you want one. Nor is the cost externalized relative to your rent-a-car fantasy land, they take up space regardless and must have adequate street parking to load and unload passengers, so streets stay the same with.
Banks should not be allowed to discriminate against homeowners who wish to avoid homeowners insurance. If the banks want insurance, then let them do it from their end.
$50 to $60k for solar panels, how much they pay electricity a month to recoup the investment? I live in NY, pay between 100-200 a month for the house. Have central a/c and electric stove/ oven. Say $2.5k a year for ConEd, the solar power would equate to 20 years of regular electricity bill.
That seems high. I pay $900 in Texas. You might benefit from more insulation. Also a window unit on a back room can cool most the house 9 months a year at a much lower cost than Central a/c.
In Phoenix AZ we are noticing a new trend. Some fire departments won't put out a house on fire if it has solar panels on it. They are afraid of electrocution if they spray water or foam on the roof. One of the first tasks when arriving on scene is to shut off utilities, gas and electric, to prevent electrocution and explosion. Since solar panels can't be shut off externally, they can still generate 120-240 volts using inverters depending on how it is set up. This is a risk to firefighters and they will just let it burn rather than put it out. This in turn costs insurers more money to pay claims. A small fire would then result in the entire house burning to the ground because firefighters refuse to protect it. I'm a solar enthusiast, but I have to agree with the risks and the dangers to firefighters.
I really thought hard about moving to Florida, but now there are just too many negatives. The hurricanes, insurance issues, homeowners property taxes doubling or tripling, over crowded cities, pythons moving further north in the state. Paradise becoming a nightmare to some degree.
You forgot one other nightmare.. HOA's! They are EVERYWHERE down here! Pythons aren't an issue but gators are and those big mouth critters are everywhere in this state.. pythons aren't leaving their watery habitat that's where they launch their surprise attacks from. there's also way too many people here they'd never make it out of FL alive even IF they can withstand the cold like gators (which they can't). yeah any temp below freezing for a few hours kills them.
You forgot about an unhinged governor obsessed with fighting the "woke mind virus" but saw no need for concern regarding that other virus, which killed more than 80,000 of his constituents.
This is why I don’t have house insurance at all. I just carry a liability policy in case someone gets hurt on my property. Otherwise I’m far better off to just self insure.
@@mathisnotforthefaintofheart Well, a big storm blew through and dropped 3 big trees on my house. It damaged the roofs of my house, garage and barn. All three required replacement. I cleaned up the trees, then I bought material and replaced all 3 roofs. If the house burns, I just build a new house. The worst would be losing the contents, the house is relatively easy to replace.
Smart advice there at the end. Better to be the one doing the dropping than the one being dropped. That might actually motivate the outdated insurance companies to finally update their coverage.
@@ZzXZ636 I was implying a negotiation of a better contract with another better and more open minded company with a more adaptable sense of the future. It's obviously preferable to keep some sort of home insurance for many good reasons, but if they are going to drop you anyway for something this ridiculous then it might put you in a stronger position to make the preemptive move. That gives you more power to negotiate instead of just looking desperately for someone to cover you. How else could you hope to effect any change in an establishment that set in their ways? To be sure, a lot of people out there would like an answer of some sort.
@@wheel2man It has to come from the legislation . Too much power was given to the insurers . The people have no choice . I don’t know if your a homeowner , but they are holding all the cards . A lot of insurers also don’t want to even give insurance in the state of Florida . Even if your house in in perfect shape . They will write a policy saying if a storm happens , and even if you have no claim your premium can go up . The law needs to be changed , but it’s the same problem with all the big business , health care , etc. . At the end of the day , they are all thieves .
I live in Orlando. After getting a new roof, I asked my roofer about solar panels. He said that the panels would void the warranty on the roof. Other roofers I called said the same. One roofer told me that if I got panels then eventually I would need a new roof in 10 to 20 years. Then I would have to hire someone to remove the panels, store them and then replace them after getting the new roof. Somehow, I don't think that any savings on my utility bill would cover the cost.
easy fix just move the solar panels to the ground and make a metal housing to attach the solar panels to. This is a better method because it a hurricane is coming you can remove the panels store them in your home. Then when you return after evacuation you can hang them back up & you will have power if the electric power company is out of service. plus you can clean the panels easier from the ground.
You do have options…if you have the space in your yard without tree over to block it, you can ground install on a frame - which will you allow repositioning of the panels to follow the sun during winter and summer…also, put them on a shed and house the equipment inside the shed…the roof of the house is not your only option if you have a little space around your home. Also, check with your roofing manufacturer to see if they will void the warranty…likely it will.
In Australia at least one third of homes have solar panels, also many businesses, small and large, including government and private, yet insurance companies there have no issues with them.
Name and shame these companies dropping coverage. This is appalling! Though of course you need to adjust your plan to cover the panels -- so I'm not sure what this story is about, really.
It's about DeSantis protecting fossil fuels and non-renewables. ALL politics, and some companies are playing along. Remember: the sun is the source for solar energy. The sun wakes you up each morning. THEREFORE solar energy is 'woke.'
That should be easy to name and shame them! There's only about, what, 6 companies left? Wait until the 1st major hurricane and see what happens when you submit a claim for damage. Be prepared for no payment.
Are they dropping homeowners because of solar panels installed or are they dropping them because solar panels were installed over an old roof. Insurance companies send notices when the roof covering is nearing its time for replacement.
@@richardrose9943 Hes spending most of his time campaigning and passing useless laws that don't address the real issues people are facing. Hes 100% running for president at the moment and leaving the people of Florida in the lurch. He gives 0 fucks about people.
Roof and fire damage insurance goes up, your roof has new damage, so it last's shorter number of years, and who pays when it all must be torn off, roof replaced and then re-installed? HOME-OWNER. Add that to the panels last about 20 years at mostly full capacity, and yet, it only takes you 17 years to pay for the whole system. And NO, you will never get a check from your regular electric company. Some states even make it ILLEGAL to totally remove a house from the electric grid!!
yes they can. State and federal governments regulate how insurance companies operate.Tht includes what must be covered. For example, in MA, auto insurance companies must include windshield coverage in all comprehensive policies
@@conchobar if they choose to not write coverage, you cannot make them. if they choose to write coverage, you can set a minimum standard. in that you are correct. but that is not the same as making them write coverage in the first place to to write new coverage for a particular person once it expires.
I had batteries and solar panels added to my house but not to save money. I wanted to have power during power outages. I came from NY so just moving to Florida. I was saving money. My electric bill was 1/3 of what I was paying in NY. When I called my insurance company they told me anything that is part of the house is covered. But I increased my coverage for a modest premium increase. No big deal. I guess it may depend on the insurance company you choose.
So long as you informed the company BEFORE any work. Insurance companies may or may not like it when you damage your own home and THEN make a claim after the fact from contracted work solar install or otherwise in excess of 10k in possible damages to your home. Some home owners installing the work probably try claiming dmg AFTER the fact. 😬
I recently got Car Insurance; i did the online stimate ~$540. Then, I went to the actual office of the representative. He wanted $780 dollars, and he said that I needed to declared and provide the driver's licenses of everyone that lives in my home, and that the price could go up because they COULD DRIVE MY CAR; why would they touch my car? Why would I lend them my car?? I just did the complete check out online, and since it took me like a week to get back online the price went up by $40 dollars. Going from stimate of close to $1000 dollars to $540..... I felt like I was getting scalped and scammed.