MargateNews.net - http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/ Original Article URL: http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article208.asp Margate solar home more than just about saving electricity • Resident adopts solar lifestyle By Mitchell Pellecchia, Staff Writer Monday, November 16, 2009 When Margate resident, Jessica Morgan, retrofitted her home for solar hot water and to kick power back to the grid -- it changed her life. She’s invested $23,000 for her home to be outfitted with photovoltaic panels and a bidirectional meter that causes her conventional electric meter to run backwards on sunny days. Morgan knows solar, as her family (The Morgan Group - MGI) has been a fixture in South Florida contracting since 1986. Certified by the Florida Energy Center and members of the Florida Solar Energy Industries Association, MGI has a long list of satisfied customers at both the commercial and residential level, including numerous Broward cities and corporations. Morgan is charismatic, and although would like to see the whole world go solar tomorrow, she says things will take time as more people see the value in adopting the green-friendly lifestyle. She suggests that anyone interested in solar should explore Federal and State incentives and deal only with certified solar contractors when moving forward with advice, bids and installation. “The problem is you don’t have to be a certified solar contractor to sell and install solar in Florida. A lot of non-certified electrical contractors are selling solar, but don’t have the resources or experience to install it properly,” Morgan said. “You take a bigger risk when you hire a solar contractor who isn’t certified.” Although Morgan enjoys savings on her FPL bill, it isn’t the main reason she installed solar in her home, nor is it that her family is in the solar business. Morgan’s payoff in her $23,000 investment is the freedom she feels in reducing her dependence on fossil fuels and the sound sleep she gets in knowing that the sun provides for all things good, like the miraculous butterfly garden that encompasses her yard and the Certified Wildlife Habitat she maintains. The lover of butterflies says even taking a shower feels better knowing that her water is heated by the sun, leaving no carbon footprint whatsoever on the environment. There’s a waiting list for federal and state incentives, said Morgan, as the state presently budgets too little to meet commercial and residential demand -- but things may change in the near future. There’s talk among the solar community that state monies garnered from Florida offshore drilling might boost solar incentives in the form of tax incentives and grants. Although Morgan says many of her solar colleagues object to oil-money being used to fund solar initiatives, why fight it if offshore drilling is inevitable, she said. “The more offshore oil money used to fund solar, the faster Florida will become independent of the need for offshore drilling,” said the solar enthusiast. Watch Morgan demonstrate how solar works on her house Morgan encourages readers to attend free MGI solar seminars held monthly in Lighthouse Point. Click on Free Solar Seminar to learn more, or call or email Morgan at 954-784-1955, jmorgan@mgi-morgan.com. Visit the MGI Website. __________________________________________ Get MargateNews.net on your desktop, laptop or mobile Internet with customizable RSS (Real Simple Syndication) Feeds. Receive all the news, or just some of it, as soon as it’s published! Sign up now. Access the wireless version of this website by visiting http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/wireless with your WAP (Wireless Access Protocol) Internet-enabled wireless device. Copyright © MargateNews.net 2009