Orange County Solar Installation
So you’ve made the decision to move forward with solar at your residence. Congrats!
Now comes the permitting and inspection process that you may have some reservations about. No worries though, because Empowerment Solar prides itself at making your conversion over to solar as smooth of a change as possible.
One of the fastest growing areas in all of the Sunshine State (& even the country, according to Zillow) for residential growth is Orange County (Orlando) Florida. With this boom in property values also comes increased power demands and likewise property owners turning to solar as a trusted alternative energy source. Factoring also an extensive pool of experienced professional installers whom we’ve worked with in the past at coordinating successful installations…both on schedule and under budget…solar energy remains the smart approach to fulfilling residential power needs.
Having reviewed the checklist available from the Developmental Services of Orange County, Florida, acquiring a permit and associated inspections is a relatively simple task:
The first step, aside from contacting us at Empowerment Energy, is to develop a plan as to WHERE you envision your solar panels being installed. You’ll in most cases prefer the roof of your house, but there’s a possibility that you might prefer the panels on the ground. In that scenario, you will need a site plan for the municipality to review. This ensures that you aren’t constructing the panels in an area of your property where any conflict might arise (i.e. other utilities, rights of way, drainage easements, etc.)
You’ll also want to submit a Notice of Commencement to the local municipality. This is basically a formal declaration of your intentions and plans on how you’ll be proceeding about your project. That is all covered in section 713.13 of the Florida Statutes that we at Empowerment Energies can walk you through.
Next, Empowerment Energies can schedule your rough in inspection on the day you anticipate beginning your rough in activities. If your installer is handling the installation, they will assist in coordinating the task. It’s basically an inspection that occurs at the groundbreaking to ensure that the correct fasteners and materials used are acceptable for installation. (Of course, having a skilled installer will always help in ensuring that the right materials are used, but Orange County would prefer to avoid any conflicts at the beginning of the installation rather than having to swap out components at the conclusion). We at Empowerment Energies applaud efforts to reduce blunders and ensure that energy is being empowered…not squandered or wasted.
The electrical inspector will require a signed and sealed drawing demonstrating compliance with the wind zone code. Why is that? Because depending on the geographic location of WHERE in Florida improvements and enhancements are occurring for a house, those items must conform to whatever wind zone requirements are stipulated within the building code. Ultimately, it's meant to protect your investment during severe weather events. They will also need a signed and sealed 3-line electrical drawing. Once again, these tasks can be coordinated through your installation professional who has prior expertise with these types of submittals.
Finally, you will need to provide the electrical inspector with a signed and sealed materials’ list that encompasses all solar equipment, equipment part numbers and fasteners. Once the rough in inspection has received it’s official approval, you (or your installer) may schedule the final inspection. Eureka! You are on your way to energy independence.
Most of these steps are meant to protect you, the end user and likewise principal investor in the unit. There might be some hiccups along the way (as is the case with any project), but rest assured the fine folks at Orange County are ultimately interested in expanding the green footprint of solar as you happen to be.
So, let's get started and give us at Empowerment Energy a call or drop us an email so we can begin your journey towards a solar energy system that works best for fulfilling your household energy needs.
