{"id":61847,"date":"2025-11-26T18:54:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T18:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/61847\/"},"modified":"2025-11-26T18:54:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T18:54:08","slug":"wanting-to-save-on-electric-bills-may-be-the-only-agreement-florida-families-can-reach-this-holiday-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/61847\/","title":{"rendered":"Wanting to save on electric bills may be the only agreement Florida families can reach this holiday season"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Florida, holiday gatherings are a unique spectacle; less Norman Rockwell and more National Lampoon\u2019s Christmas Vacation with humidity.<\/p>\n

While the rest of the country bundles up, Floridians are juggling Christmas lights, hurricane shutters, and that one uncle who insists it\u2019s \u201cnot that hot\u201d as he secretly lowers the thermostat to 65.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a state where families don\u2019t agree on much: football loyalties, Publix sub orders, the correct pronunciation of \u201cOkeechobee,\u201d and whether it\u2019s actually cold enough to wear a jacket when the temperature dips below 70.<\/p>\n

But there is one surprising subject that manages to cross party lines, family rivalries, and generations: saving money on electricity.<\/p>\n

And as it turns out, the holidays in Florida are the perfect moment to bring it up.<\/p>\n

Maybe it starts with the lights. There\u2019s always one neighbor attempting a Clark Griswold-level display \u2014 reindeer on the roof, synchronized music, a light show so bright it could guide ships into Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n

But if those lights are LED, pointing out that all those lights cost just a few dollars to run is an easy, harmless way into the conversation. It\u2019s relatable, it\u2019s festive, and, unlike most holiday topics, it doesn\u2019t end in a heated debate.<\/p>\n

From there, the conversation has a way of drifting toward solar, which is practically Florida\u2019s unofficial state accessory at this point. In a place where the sun shines aggressively year-round and electricity rates rise like a tsunami in Japan, rooftop solar has become a Florida homeowner\u2019s version of \u201cI finally started taking my vitamins.\u201d You don\u2019t have to preach. A quick, \u201cOur bill hasn\u2019t budged all year, solar\u2019s been a blessing,\u201d is usually enough to get Aunt Teri\u2019s attention, especially if she\u2019s been side-eyeing her own utility bill since the last utility rate increase.<\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s battery storage, a topic that needs no introduction in a state where the power flickers whenever someone sneezes too hard. Mentioning that your battery kept the lights on during the last storm is a guaranteed conversation starter. Batteries are the quiet, calm no-spark-plugs-oil-changes-air-filters-or-fuel-filters counterpoint to the gas generators that rattle so loudly they could double as percussion for the Outback Bowl halftime show.<\/p>\n

By dessert, the conversation tends to migrate toward holiday gifts. Nationwide, people are gifting practical items, but Floridians take it to the next level. Smart plugs? Perfect. Timers for Christmas lights? Absolutely. Solar-powered outdoor lamps? Peak Florida energy. These are the stocking stuffers that don\u2019t melt, mold, or require insurance. And every family has that one Floridian who unwraps a smart thermostat and reacts like they\u2019ve won on a scratch-off ticket.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Eventually, someone proposes a Florida-style energy challenge, usually the family member who has just discovered their utility app. \u201cLet\u2019s compare December bills,\u201d they say, as if they\u2019re launching a statewide competition. It\u2019s friendly, mostly. Those with solar and battery storage have a clear advantage, but in the spirit of the season, nobody brings that up \u2014 except Cousin Eddie, who accuses them of cheating anyway.<\/p>\n

But humor aside, there\u2019s something oddly wholesome about it: in a state where people argue over everything from manatee speed zones to the correct way to prepare Cuban coffee or the origin of the Cuban sandwich, energy savings offer a rare moment of unity. Everyone, regardless of political stripe or preferred beach, agrees that Floridians want an alternative to their ever-increasing electric bills.<\/p>\n

And in a holiday season full of unpredictable weather, unpredictable relatives, and unpredictable thermostat settings, agreeing that solar power is good for Florida might be as close to family harmony as Florida gets.<\/p>\n

So if Clark Griswold can light up a Chicago suburb with enough wattage to be seen from a passing jet, Florida families can certainly handle a conversation about LEDs, solar panels, and a battery that keeps the house running when the lights flicker during a \u201cquick little storm system\u201d that turns out to be a Category 1.<\/p>\n

After all, it\u2019s Florida. If we can handle hurricanes, iguanas falling out of trees, and in-laws flying in from the Midwest, we can definitely agree about energy savings.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Bill Johnson is the President and founder of Brilliant Harvest LLC. He is a Florida-licensed solar contractor and NABCEP Certified PV Installation professional. Johnson is the current President of Florida Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade association representing solar and storage contractors across the state of Florida.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In Florida, holiday gatherings are a unique spectacle; less Norman Rockwell and more National Lampoon\u2019s Christmas Vacation with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":61848,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[37312,29672,29705,28,30,29,37313,37314,1189,801,12210],"class_list":["post-61847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-bill-johnson","tag-electric-bill","tag-electric-bills","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-powers-saving","tag-solar-power","tag-thanksgiving","tag-utility-bill","tag-utility-bills"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61847"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61847\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}