Why Solar?

Net metering is the policy that really enables your solar to work for you. In most US states, there is a policy that says for every kilowatt hour that you put into the grid, you will receive a credit for that kilowatt hour. So if your solar system produces 10 kilowatt hours of energy, and it puts those 10 kilowatt hours into the grid, that's 10 kilowatt hours you get back. That's what net metering is.

This is really important because your solar system produces energy during the daytime, but you use energy during the nighttime as well. How it works is that during the daytime, you put a lot of energy into the grid, and it goes “on account” to be used later when you are not producing electricity. So you're banking all those credits. Then at night (or on a cloudy day), you pull that energy off the grid, and you use all the credits you accumulated.

That's net metering. It's an amazing policy. One that we all as consumers and advocates for clean energy have to continue to fight for. It has enabled solar to develop so much and, in effect, gives you the ability to use the grid as your own battery, reducing the cost of electricity for you and your family.

The Solar Investment Tax Credit (also known as the ITC) is actually really simple. When you go solar, the federal government gives you a rebate on your taxes in the amount of 26% of the value of your solar system. Now, keep in mind, the tax credit is scheduled to step-down in future years. So while it is 26% in 2021, it will likely be lower in future years. That's why customers who are ready to go solar should do so while the tax credit is maximized.

The ITC is a huge part of the value proposition of solar. For example, if you go solar and finance (or purchase with cash) your system for $30,000, you get to keep 26% of that $30,000 solar solar system. And if you finance your system, you get this benefit without paying ANY money down for the system.

When you file your taxes at the end of the year, you're going to include the cost of your solar system, and the government is simply going to send you a check back for that amount (or subtract it from your existing tax liability). That is why you want to go solar today and take advantage of the generous federal subsidies we as consumers have to support clean energy and save money.

One of the most common questions our clients ask is how a solar warranty works. There are three types of solar warranties:

Net metering is the policy that really enables your solar to work for you. In most US states, there is a policy that says for every kilowatt hour that you put into the grid, you will receive a credit for that kilowatt hour. So if your solar system produces 10 kilowatt hours of energy, and it puts those 10 kilowatt hours into the grid, that's 10 kilowatt hours you get back. That's what net metering is.

The first one is on the panels. When you buy a solar system for power, those panels are typically warrantied for 25 years. What that means is they're guaranteed to work for 25 years and continue to produce power. Now, depending on the panel you buy, that production guarantee could be anywhere from 85% of the power they were producing on day one, all the way up to 92% if you opt for a higher-efficiency, premium panel.

The second type of warranty is on your inverter, which is the component of your system that transforms the energy you get directly from the sun into usable AC current that can actually power your home: turn on your lights, power your A/C, help you watch TV and all that good stuff. Your inverter is warrantied anywhere from 12 to 25 years. And a lot of times we will also include an extended option for 30 years, which really makes it a complete no-brainer.

Now the third part of the warranty covers what's called the workmanship. Our workmanship warranty is for 10 years. That means all the work that we do on your house when we're installing your solar system, when we're on your roof while you're working, when we're working inside your electrical panel. All of that work is guaranteed for 10 years to make sure that there's absolutely no issues.

25 years on the panels, 12 to 30 years on the inverter, 10 years on the workmanship warranty. Truly, we've got you covered when it comes to protecting your solar investment and making sure that it provides value to you for the long haul.

Not every home is eligible for solar, so cross your fingers. Let's hope you're one of the lucky ones, and you can save money. There are three main factors:

Number one is called "sun exposure" - does your roof (or the location of your solar panels) get enough access to the sun? One of the things we'll do is analyze your sun exposure from satellite images and other technology to make sure that you've got what's called "proper solar access". There's a percentage we're looking for which, as long as you’ve got that, you're good to go.

Number two is orientation. What direction would your panels be facing? Ideally we would want the panels facing South or West, since that is where the most sunshine hits. So you're looking for the right sun exposure, you're looking for the right orientation.

And then there's just number three. Are there any structural issues with your house or roof that would make it difficult to mount solar panels? And if it turns out that it doesn't work for solar, no harm done, you got educated and you know it is what it is. But that's the reason why I encourage you to reach out and get a no-cost proposal from us so we can actually do the hard work of analyzing your property and show you exactly how much money you can save by going solar.

So what happens when you sign an agreement to go solar with power? Actually, the agreement is the hardest part! Once you sign your agreement, we do the rest. We will assign you a dedicated project manager that will keep you posted through every step of your project.

First, we will schedule your site survey. Next, we create the design that gets submitted to the City to receive a construction permit. Once the permit is received, we schedule your installation, which typically takes 1-3 days depending on the size of your system. After we finish installing the solar system on your house, we schedule the city inspector and/or your utility company to approve the installation and give you what is called “permission to operate”, or PTO. Once you have PTO, we power on your system and you can enjoy clean power for your home from sunshine. The whole process typically takes 30-60 days. Although much of that time is simply waiting for permits, inspectors and the like.

There are two primary ways that homeowners benefit from owning a battery:

First, you can use the battery for backup power. If the grid goes down, you're still covered. If disaster strikes, if there's a hurricane in your area, or a fire, or any of the things that we're all dealing with now, on a much more common basis, having a battery will allow you to continue to have electricity in your home, even if your utility company can’t provide it.

The second reason is that you can often actually save money by getting a battery if you live in a region with specific rate structures where you would benefit from using stored power from the battery during more expensive times of the day. In many regions, net metering policy allows you to save money without the need for the battery, unless you want the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your home can provide electricity even when your utility company can’t. Ask your Powur consultant for more information. They'll be able to give you a detailed proposal of exactly how much a system will cost with a battery if you're interested in one. We work with all the biggest battery manufacturers and we can absolutely make sure that you get taken care of - whichever way is best for you.