Curious about the power of solar energy and how it can benefit you? Join us for an enlightening discussion with Corey from FAFCO SeeMore Solar, where we debunk myths and dish out facts about the world of solar power. Corey, an expert in the field, sheds light on key advancements in solar technology, explains how solar pool heating has evolved over time, and discusses the efficiency levels of modern solar panels. We also address prevalent misconceptions about solar power, including notions about its costliness and government subsidies.
But our chat isn't purely technical! Corey shares the founding story of his family-owned business, FAFCO SeeMore Solar, and how a passion for solar energy led to its inception. He also introduces us to the practical side of solar power, discussing how it can help you enjoy a longer swim season or a lower electricity bill. Additionally, we get a glimpse into Corey's life outside solar energy, exploring his joy in coaching youth soccer. Tune in to this episode, packed with information, insights, and personal stories, and start your journey into the fascinating world of solar power.
FAFCO SeeMore Solar
Corey Keck
901 SE 13th Place
Cape Coral, FL 33990
(239) 574-1500
info@seemore.solar
WEBSITE
Curious about the power of solar energy and how it can benefit you? Join us for an enlightening discussion with Corey from FAFCO SeeMore Solar, where we debunk myths and dish out facts about the world of solar power. Corey, an expert in the field, sheds light on key advancements in solar technology, explains how solar pool heating has evolved over time, and discusses the efficiency levels of modern solar panels. We also address prevalent misconceptions about solar power, including notions about its costliness and government subsidies.
But our chat isn't purely technical! Corey shares the founding story of his family-owned business, FAFCO SeeMore Solar, and how a passion for solar energy led to its inception. He also introduces us to the practical side of solar power, discussing how it can help you enjoy a longer swim season or a lower electricity bill. Additionally, we get a glimpse into Corey's life outside solar energy, exploring his joy in coaching youth soccer. Tune in to this episode, packed with information, insights, and personal stories, and start your journey into the fascinating world of solar power.
FAFCO SeeMore Solar
Corey Keck
901 SE 13th Place
Cape Coral, FL 33990
(239) 574-1500
info@seemore.solar
WEBSITE
This is the Good Neighbor podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Jim Schaller.
Speaker 2:Welcome Good Neighbors. Episode number 36 of the Good Neighbor podcast is Stero. Today we have Good Neighbor Corey from FAFCO SeeMore Solar joining us, corey, welcome.
Speaker 3:Yeah, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, pleasure. Always good to meet nice people out in the neighborhood and get to know their local businesses. Why don't we jump right in and could you share a little bit about what you do?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I work for Solar. We're a family owned business up in Cape Coral. We service Marco Island up through Port Charlotte, so we include the Estero Fort Myers, bonita area and we service and provide all things solar energy. So our two biggest sections of business are solar pool heating. That's a technology that we've been doing since the 70s, as well as solar photovoltaic, or PV for short. That we have been doing since 1999.
Speaker 2:Wow, and I'm sure that it seems like the technology has definitely changed since you started doing this. So are there things newer, things that are obviously more efficient but better now that people should know about?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so on the pool heating side of things, like I said, that technology was invented in the 60s and it's, by and large, pretty much the same as it was then. You just have these large black mats that you, you know, plumb water, your pool water through and, by virtue of the Florida sun, it obviously gets hot and gets returned to the pool. So the overall concept of those has been unchanged for the last, you know, 50 years or so. But they have gotten better. I mean, there's been advancements on how they attach to a home, so they're more resilient than they used to be. They don't blow off as easily. They can stand up to our storms, as well, as you know, the longevity of those systems. They don't fail at the rates that they used to. So the products have gotten better, although not dramatically different.
Speaker 3:On the electric side of things, that's where the advancement, you know, has been a lot more prevalent. You see, you know solar panels getting more efficient every year. I personally like to draw the comparison to like a cell phone, for example. There's a new one that comes out every year and it's always just a little bit better than what the last generation was. And you kind of see the same tendency in the solar industry as well. So, getting better every year, it's not really getting as cheap as fast as it used to. So there's no, not really any sense in. You know, I'm going to wait for it to get cheaper. I'm going to wait for it to get cheaper because that's kind of tapered off now. This is kind of held steady for the last five years or so there.
Speaker 2:Got it Now, solar being in Florida, you think it would be bigger than what it is. I mean you think everybody would have solar down here. Do you think there's a reason behind that, or is just Florida's slow and slower to get going with it?
Speaker 3:Yeah. So I think part of that explanation is Florida is. You know, we have a older demographic than a lot of other places, especially here locally, and so they're, you know, a little bit more, I would say, cautious of what they explore, at least financially and with their investments. So you know there's part of that. And the other thing is, although we get a tremendous amount of sun, being the sunshine state, we have relatively inexpensive power, or at least historically we used to. I haven't pulled up the numbers recently, but I think you know as recently as like two years ago we were the fifth cheapest state in the country as far as utility rates went. So it didn't hurt very bad financially for people to not do this. They didn't have much of a reason. But I'm sure you, as well as a lot of people listening, don't feel the same way anymore. Power bills have been getting more and more and more.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like everything going up and up and up. So, yeah, obviously taking a look at solar is what more people should be doing right now. Are there any? I would say you touched on a few of them, but are there any myths or misconceptions that we could kind of bust for our listeners out there in regards to solar?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I would say the two biggest misconceptions that I hear, and it's funny because they're polar opposites. I hear it's too expensive, which I mean. I guess, depending on your frame of mind, you could perceive it that way. I tell folks to think of it like buying a lifetime's worth of electricity. You know all at once. Obviously, buying a lifetime supply of anything at one time would be expensive. If you wanted to go to publics and buy a lifetime's worth of groceries, that's going to be a large bill. It doesn't mean it doesn't have value because you're blocking it in at today's rate, whereas we know, just like you said, things keep getting more and more expensive.
Speaker 3:So first misconception it's expensive. You can finance this just like you would a vehicle or a house. You don't buy those in cash typically either, and if you're financing this, it's cheaper than what your power bill was to begin with. So if you were used to paying $300 a month, $250 is less. So yes, it's expensive, but your net $50 positive each month.
Speaker 3:The other side of that I hear is it's oh, it's free or the government's going to pay for it. You see a lot of those kind of ads on social media nowadays, and there's always a grain of truth to anything. But that's a enlarge, just kind of a marketing employee that, you know, kind of got you like oh, now that I got your attention I'll explain the details. So it's not free, you know the government's not going to pay for it, at least not entirely. But the truth to it is that there's a 30% tax credit for, you know, whatever you end up spending. So Uncle Sam doesn't pay for it all, but he does chip in his fair share, 30% of whatever the overall project ended up costing you.
Speaker 2:So I know your family owned business. You've been around for a guy almost 50 years now. How did you get into the solar industry? How did you get into this?
Speaker 3:So me personally. I joined the team in 2018. So I've been here, for I think I'm going on almost six years at this point. But I have a degree in environmental science and while I was in college, I sold cars. So when I moved down to Florida, this was kind of it seemed almost like a happy meshing of those two, you know, passions and experience. So that's how I found myself here.
Speaker 2:Interesting, interesting. So, and the family? How far, obviously going back 50 years. How did they begin in this industry?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so it started with our current owner's father Dan is our current owner and it started with solar pool heating back in the day, and the story goes that I guess there was like a surplus of the materials that some nearby person had, and so he said I'll, you know, I'll sell these, and it caught like wildfire. People down here wanted to, you know, extend the length of swim season that they had, and it was a really inexpensive and efficient way to do that, so they started, you know, taking off from there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we all love our pools down here. We just don't like that water. You know the two-chilly.
Speaker 3:Right, yeah, exactly, and it gets this time of year it happens quick. We go from you know it, feeling a hundred degrees outside, to you know, today I'm wearing a sweatshirt and it happens quicker than you think, and the heat from the pools just just leaving every day.
Speaker 2:It's crazy. So you personally, outside of outside of work, what do you enjoy doing?
Speaker 3:I enjoy being a father. I have two young children and my passion with them is coaching soccer. I'm a youth soccer coach. I have two different teams. I have a group of five year olds which is it's own challenge but rewarding in its own way, and then I have a group of advanced, competitive level nine year olds which you know. I can really kind of dive deeper and share more of a knowledge and love of the game with those guys. But I love that.
Speaker 2:That's great. Yeah, and that's in sports have changed a lot since I was younger too, as far as the travel and the commitments and you know it's a full time job for parents.
Speaker 3:I spend probably five days a week on a soccer field easy.
Speaker 2:That's crazy. That is crazy. So are there other things that our listeners should probably know about solar that maybe they don't know or you like to share with them?
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know I that what I always tell folks is that it's an investment. You know you're spending money, but ultimately you're going to spend money to save money. There's no way to do solar and not come out ahead. You will end up saving. It's just a question of giving your house how much and how fast. You know how much are you going to save and how quickly are you going to do so. And then recently, you know, a lot of my conversations have revolved around what happens in storms, just because Ian's fresh in everybody's mind and a lot of people you know had significant damage from that. So you know what does that entail. How does this stuff hold up? And by and large, it's going to do better than just about any other part of the house. It gets anchored into the you know the trust of the home, which is like the skeleton. If you're unfamiliar and you know, unless something physically hits the house like a tree, it's not really going anywhere.
Speaker 2:So hold on, I'm pretty tight there, so are there. Where do I want to go with that? Obviously there's a need for solar. Are you seeing it more so in new construction or retrofitting?
Speaker 3:So combo of both, I would say. The majority of our projects are still retrofit because the majority of the homes already exist and that's easy enough. There's no, no, you know real challenge in doing that. It's pretty straightforward. But we also have a steady you know demand for new constructions. You know people that have lived here historically but they're building a new house say, hey, you know, I want to get this from the from day one and we go in, you know, with nothing but the, the architectural plans, and I design a system based off. You know the blueprints of the house doesn't even exist yet and you know you have it as a homeowner from day one.
Speaker 2:Very good, very good. Like I said, I think more and more people are becoming aware of solar and the benefits and especially, like you had mentioned, with the rising cost of utilities nowadays, I think it's a definitely a viable option for Florida that more people need to be seeking out. So I appreciate what you guys are doing and hopefully your business continues to grow for the next 50 years as well.
Speaker 3:It's got bigger and bigger every year.
Speaker 2:Yes, and that's. It's a good thing. You know Absolutely. Is there a? How many listeners go about getting a hold of you?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so probably the easiest way would be online. Our website is seemore. solar, so that's s-e-e-m-o-r-e. Like you're seeing more solar, so you can find us on a simple google search. More than welcome to call the office as well. Yeah, whichever way, facebook, we're on all of it.
Speaker 2:You're out there. You're out there. People just need to get out and find you, and hopefully this will spread the word as well, too. Corey, it's been a pleasure getting to know you today, and and we look forward to seeing you out there in the community.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. Thanks for having me on.
Speaker 2:All right.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor podcast, estero. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpasterocom. That's gnpasterocom, or call 239-296-2621.