JEA now offering SolarSmart rate, allowing customers to participate in solar energy

Jacksonville, FL — The company says it's about giving customers more options.

JEA is out with what it’s calling the SolarSmart rate program, which will provide customers the opportunity to invest and participate in solar energy in Jacksonville.

The Director of Financial Planning and Analysis at JEA, Ryan Wannemacher, says, "[It] will allow customers to subscribe for up to 100% of their energy to come from our solar facilities we're building in the Jacksonville-area."

We're told JEA's Board of Directors approved the program last year, in response to a number of customer inquiries and was put in place in conjunction with their new solar facilities being installed.

With this program, even if you can't put rooftop solar panels on your home, or if you live in multi-family housing apartments, you're still able to participate in green energy.

However, it is likely taking part in the SolarSmart program will add a few bucks to your monthly electric bill.

Wannemacher explains, "An average residential customer uses about 1,000 kWh a month, over the course of a year, so if they chose to get about 10% of their energy from SolarSmart, that would equate to about $4.00 a month. So, for the price of a latte, you can get some of your energy from green."

But he says over the next several years, the price of solar will likely fall, especially as they add additional resources.

If you're interested in signing up, you can call their customer service line at (904) 665-6000 or go to their website. 

There is no long term contract attached to the program, so customers can subscribe or unsubscribe at any time after a month.