Solar designed from the sun on your roof, installed by the contractor who holds the roofing license.
Since 2007, Fused has installed solar across Tampa Bay under its own electrical, roofing and building licenses. We model the shade on your actual roof before we quote, mount with K2 flashed attachments guaranteed not to leak for 25 years, and take the job all the way to permission to operate, in about 6 to 8 weeks.
- Hour-by-hour shade analysis before the price, not after the sale
- K2 hurricane-rated flashed mounts, 25-year no-leak guarantee
- Tesla Powerwall 3 for whole-home backup, designed in from the start
- 10-year workmanship warranty, permit and interconnection handled in-house
- Ownership only: Climate First Bank financing or self-funded, no leases
All-black array on an architectural shingle roof, Tampa Bay.
Same roof, two quotes. Only one of them measured the sun.
On the left is how most solar proposals start: panels sketched over a satellite photo. On the right is the same roof in our design software, with an hour-by-hour shade model from the actual trees and the actual roof planes. Yellow is sun. The darker corners are where a sketched design puts panels that will never earn their keep. Our quote is built from the picture on the right, which is why our production numbers hold up.
A Tampa home. Left, a sketch over a satellite image. Right, the shade model we quote from.
Equipment chosen for Florida roofs and Florida heat
| Mounting | K2 Systems hurricane-rated flashed attachments. On shingle, the Splice Foot with a butyl EverSeal flashing that seals to the shingle, not a bead of caulk. This is the reason we can put a 25-year no-leak guarantee in writing. On metal roofs, seam clamps with no penetrations. |
|---|---|
| Panels | We are REC ProTrust certified and install the major Tier 1 brands. We don't do the panel comparison for you; we point you to the manufacturer sites and price the options you choose. |
| Inverter and battery | Systems with a battery get the Tesla Powerwall 3, whose built-in inverter runs the array, so there is no separate inverter to fail. Systems without a battery get a string inverter. We are certified on Tesla, Enphase, SolarEdge, Generac, Fronius and SMA. |
| Electrical | Our own electrical license (EC13014750). Main panel upgrades and SPAN smart panels when the home needs them, coordinated with the utility. |
| Warranty | 10-year workmanship warranty covering wire, conduit and everything the manufacturer doesn't. Manufacturer warranties on the equipment. 25-year no-leak guarantee on roof attachments. |
Signing to permission to operate, usually 6 to 8 weeks
Bill review and design
We look at twelve months of usage, model the shade, and size a system to your bill, not to the biggest roof.
Written proposal
Production estimate from the shade model, equipment listed by name, price in writing. Financing through Climate First Bank or self-funded.
Engineering and permit
Stamped plans, permit pulled in-house, interconnection application submitted to your utility.
Installation
Usually one to two days on the roof. Flashed attachments, rails, panels, wiring, inverter or Powerwall, all photographed.
Inspection
County inspection passed. Then the utility swaps the meter or approves the interconnection.
Permission to operate
System turned on, app set up with you, photo report delivered. We monitor for error messages from then on.
If the roof has less than ten years left, do it now, with the solar
Panels on an old roof means paying to take them off again. Because we hold the roofing license, a new GAF Timberline HDZ roof and the solar go on under one contract, one permit set and one loan over 30 years (the roof can be up to 45% of the project). The roof carries the GAF System Plus warranty and the attachments carry our 25-year no-leak guarantee, both from the same company.
Sometimes the right answer is a smaller system
Fused's general manager is a certified HERS rater. Before we size a system we'll tell you if attic insulation, duct leaks or an aging AC are inflating the bill you're trying to offset. Fixing those first can mean fewer panels, and we would rather sell you the right system than the biggest one.
Solar leases and power purchase agreements. They make the house harder to sell, the buyout isn't set up front, and the payment goes up every year. We also don't install standby generators as a first choice anymore; a battery on solar does the job without fuel, noise or storm-surge damage at ground level.
Going solar in Tampa Bay, answered plainly
How long does solar installation take?
Most of our installations take 6 to 8 weeks from signing to permission to operate, which covers engineering, permit, installation, inspection and the utility's interconnection approval. The on-roof work itself is usually one to two days.
Why do two solar quotes for the same roof come out so different?
Usually because one was designed with shade analysis and one was sketched over a satellite photo. Panels placed in afternoon shade produce less than the proposal promises. We run an hour-by-hour shade model of the actual roof before we quote a single panel.
Do you offer solar leases?
No. Leases make a home harder to sell and the payments escalate every year. We offer ownership through Climate First Bank financing or self-funding.
Do I need a new roof before going solar?
If the roof has less than about ten years left, yes, because taking panels off later to replace it costs money. We hold the roofing license, so the roof and solar can be done together under one contract and financed together over 30 years.
Who handles the permit and the utility interconnection?
We pull the permit in-house and submit the interconnection application to TECO, Duke Energy, FPL or WREC. The interconnection agreement itself is between you and the utility. We have never had an application denied.
Can I add a battery later?
Yes. A battery added to existing solar is AC-coupled; for that we install FranklinWH, which is designed for it. A battery designed in from the start is the Tesla Powerwall 3.
Solar installation across Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Manatee
Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Brandon, Riverview, Wesley Chapel, Land O' Lakes, Lutz, Largo, Palm Harbor, Safety Harbor, Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch. TECO, Duke Energy, FPL and WREC territories.