Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Utility companies use net metering to credit solar system owners for the excess electricity generated by their solar systems. Credits are then used by Homeowners to offset future energy consumption, such as the electricity used in the evening. With net metering, you only have to pay for electricity that you use beyond what your solar panels produce over a 12 month period.

If you own your solar system, you home will sell at a premium. Studies have shown that owning a solar system increases the value of your home by double the value of the system. Even if you do not own the system, solar homes have proven to sell faster and for more than old fashioned houses. Buyers like having a lower utility bill and consider the house to be more modern.
Transferring the system to the new owner is as simple as transferring an electric bill.

The differences between the programs can be confusing. Their features can be explained in detail to you by one of our friendly consultants and they are described in detail on the Power Purchase Agreement page, the Ownership Program page, and the Cash Purchase page of this website. In short, the ownership program is likely to be better for homeowners who pay a lot in taxes and the PPA program is more likely to be better for homeowners who do not pay much in taxes.

Nope! Solar systems are made of durable tempered glass and corrosion resistant anodized aluminum, and require little to no maintenance for the 30+ years they will generate power. Not only that, but what little maintenance may be required will be handled by us, free of charge. We monitor the system and, if the production decreases significantly, we will take care of any work on the system necessary to bring the production levels back up to normal range.

You can pay for the entire system and still get free installation, maintenance, monitoring, and repair. The overall cost of a system is directly related to your home’s electrical consumption and the size of your utility bill. Don’t let anyone else’s system cost scare you away from checking it out for yourself. There is no cost involved in getting a quote and a proposal.
All our $0 down programs also come with the opportunity to pay for the system after a few years at a discounted rate.

Solar system size is determined by your home’s needs. Our engineering and design team will analyze your home’s past electrical usage to predict your future usage. Once we can tell you how many kWh of electricity you use, you tell us how much you want your system to produce. We can design you a system that produces 100% of what you use or more, if you want to use more electricity in the future. A system that produces more than 100% will allow you to use electricity more freely. Run the air conditioner as much as you like, leave all the lights on at night, let your kids watch TV all day, or get an electric car!

The process is incredibly simple. We take care of everything from scheduling the site survey with our engineers, completing a final design for your approval, submitting permits to the city, scheduling and completing the installation, scheduling city inspection, and putting in the request for system interconnection from the utility company. The total time it takes from making the wise decision to go solar to having a beautiful new solar system up and running on your home is generally 2 – 4 weeks.
Site Survey: An engineer will go to your home and take detailed measurements and shade readings of your roof planes, and outline a preliminary design of your system and an accurate projection of its overall annual production prior to installation. (2-4 days)
Design Approval: Following the site survey, our engineering team will make any necessary adjustments if needed, and complete a final system design for your approval. We can often streamline this process with Homeowner design approval on the day of the site survey. (1-3 days)
Permitting: Once the design is approved, we’ll submit your design and permitting paperwork to the city. Permit approval can vary significantly from city to city. (1-5 weeks)
Solar Installation: Once your permits have been approved, one of our teams of licensed and experienced of installers can get to work on completing your solar installation. Installation times can vary depending on the overall size of the system, additional electrical work, type of roofing, or any other work necessary to give you a high quality, great looking, and safe solar installation. (1-2 days)
Inspections: When construction of your installation is completed, City/County/Fire inspections must be completed before your system can be interconnected to the grid. Inspections vary by city, county, and utility company. (1-3 weeks)
Utility Interconnection: Once your system has passed the required inspections, your documents will be submitted to the utility company requesting system interconnection of your solar system to the power grid. Once you get Permission to Operate from the utility company and you have the go-ahead to flip the switch and officially go solar! (2-5 days)