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Solar is simple if you know all of the moving pieces, (or lack thereof)

Solar is glass lined with a copper wire that turns the heat into electricity, moves it down the side of the house to the inverter box. That box converts it to usable power and power flows to the grid.

Most of the time the system can make all the power you need and then some. Compared to your local power plant, having your personal power plant on your roof cuts down on the delivery fees. Because of how close your power source is to your home, the bill to purchase a system is less than paying for just the juice itself.

Because there are no moving parts, systems typically last up to 50 years but pay themselves off in about 6 years. By year 8, the system owners make a profit on their return on their investment.

It is important to note that unless a home has a battery and even with a battery in most vases, the power must flow to the grid first. Electricity will always be pulled from the grid. If a power outage occurs and the home has a battery, the battery will then kick into effect.

It is important to note that unless a home has a battery and even with a battery in most cases, the power must flow to the grid first. Electricity will always be pulled from the grid. If a power outage occurs and the home has a battery, the battery will then kick into effect.

Yes but only if you own your system. Because the system generates the home’s power, the value of the home increases as it has its own power source. Typically between 4-6%.

If you lease the system, your selling point is your price per kilowatt which should stay fixed if you’re with an ethical company.

Your system should cover your annual usage and produce just a little bit more as a buffer. It depends on if the home is comfortable with power usage or not. If so, adding a 10-15% to the annual electricity consumption is typically a good amount of buffer. By sizing a system larger than the home’s needs, it leaves room for power changes and degradation of the system. If the residents in the home feel like they need more power, 15-25% should be adequate.

Most utility companies have a fair net metering policy. Net metering is when the utility company counts how much power the solar system makes and how much power the home uses. Any extra power that the home produces, the utility company buys that power from the home and sells it to other consumers. The utility company then credits the home for the power that it made and put back into the grid. Then, when the home needs electricity after sunset or for the hot summer months, the home can use the credit it has been accruing over the year to pay for their power usage.

Any extra power generated is credited to the home and rolled over from month to month. After 12 months, the utility company pays the owner for the extra power the system generates.

After you’ve met with a company and you agree to their proposal, the next step is to assess the roof and the electrical panel of the home. This happens at the Site Survey.

Should your home pass inspection, the project moves to engineering designs and when completed, the company will submit for permitting. Once permits are received, material delivery and installation is scheduled with the homeowner.

Installation can take a couple days based on the size of the system. After install, the city and utility inspect the work before giving the project the Permission To Operate.

When PTO is received, the home is put in the utility company’s queue to get connected to the grid. This can take up to a month. Once connected, the system is live and producing power.

Utility companies can take up to 3 months to recognize a home as a “Generating Facility.” It’s best to call the utility company and ask for them to put billing on hold until they recognize the home as such. If this does not happen, typically the utility account holder will get credited back the money they paid but this is subject to the utility company’s policy.