FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. What are the financial benefits of solar energy?
Going solar saves you money on your electric bill, not just on the Generation portion (as Third Party Energy Suppliers do) but on the whole bill, your Generation, Transmission and Distribution! We strive to offset your current bill (as close to 100% as possible) with solar energy and save you money in the process. We simply take your electric budget/current spend, change the way you get energy by getting it from solar production and save you money in the process! (solar equipment and installation is all included!!) Saving right from the start and putting money back in your pocket (thousands of dollars usually) plus you're making a positive impact on our environment! 

2. What is net metering?
Net metering is the 'system' that utilities use to store and give credit for the solar energy created to homeowners that they don't need to use in that particular month in which the energy was created. Think of it like your electric company has a 'bucket' with your name on it, each month if you make more energy that you need (often in the Spring and Summer months) your excess kWs are 'stored' in your 'bucket' (much like cell phone rollover minutes were back in the beginning), then when the days are shorter (in the Winter months) your utility pulls kWs from your 'bucket' (banked total) before charging you for kWs from the grid. Every year in the month of May, any excess kWs in your bucket are 'cashed out' to the homeowner in the form of a check or credit (depending on your utility). You are always connected to your electric company because they hold the 'bucket' for you and store you excess kWs that are created but not necessarily used, you will always have your utility company customer fee (even if you are 100% or greater in solar production offset/replacement).

3. How does solar impact my property values?
Studies have shown that homes with solar energy systems sell for more than homes without them. However, your property value will only increase if you own, rather than lease, your solar panel system. In most parts of the country, going solar will actually increase your property value more than a kitchen renovation.

"Homes with Solar Sell for 6.8% More [based on a 2024 Zillow Data Study]  In 2019, Zillow published a groundbreaking statistic that homes with solar panels sold for about 4.1% more than homes without solar installed. However, in the last five years, home solar installations have more than doubled in capacity. With more solar homes on the market than ever before, how do home buyers currently value homes with solar arrays?  By comparing over 400 homes with and without solar that have sold in the last three years, it was found that homes with solar panels now sell for 6.8% more than their comparable non-solar counterparts." (From a Solar Review Blog Post written and then updated by Ana Almerini in May 2024)

Homes with Solar Sell for 6.8% More [2024 Zillow Data Study] 

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4. How do solar photovoltaic (PV) panels work?
Solar Panels absorb the sun's energy. Sunlight takes approximately 8 minutes and 20 seconds to reach Earth from the Sun. Sunlight travels at the speed of light. Solar Panels absorb this energy creating DC (Direct Current) electricity. We utilize inverters mounted with the system to switch the DC Power created with the panels to AC (Alternating Current) electricity that we use run our power our houses and businesses. With Solar Panels on your house you make the energy, use it if you need it at the time it is created, or send it back to the grid for 'storage in your bucket' until the time when you need it or you are 'cashed out' with any extra in May each  year under Net Metering.

5. Do my solar panels produce power when the sun isn’t shining?
When The Solar Girl/The Solar Guy creates your Solar Potential Eval we are utilizing solar technology and programs to create a customized solar potential eval for your specific house/property. We take into account your specific house and address because every house is different. We need to know how much electric you need in a year then the program analyzes the weather and annual sun path over a 12 month span. Finally also put into the equation is your specific roof slope, roof shade and south-ness of your house, all these factors go into creating your annual projections of what your house/property Solar Potential Eval looks like for you. This is why we sit with each family/person individually to get this customized plan and evaluate the possibilities for you and get you the best design possible, that looks the best aesthetically and gives you the most solar possible to offset what you need for your electric company and ultimately save you the most money we can! 

That being said. Your panels will work on sunny days, overcast days, cloudy days, even some on rainy days, even with 6" of snow or less the sun can penetrate and make 'something' on your roof! 

6. What happens if there is snow on solar panels?
Solar panels convert sunshine into power, a light snow will hinder 'some' solar production but not stop it completely. If there is a large snow store that covers your panels then it will affect your solar production of course, if your panels are covered in snow they can’t produce electricity. Snow load is calculated for your home during the Roof Evaluation and if additional support and reinforcement is necessary it will be added to your install plan. Solar panels are always tilted at an angle (even if it's slight) as the sun warms the panels, the glass gets warm and the snow will slide off. ** Be aware of your drop zone, if you have patio furniture or a grill in that 'drop zone' where the snow will shed off the roof it could damage anything in that 'drop zone' so it's best to plan ahead when there is impending snow.

7. Will I still receive an electric bill if I have solar panels?
You are always connected to the grid. Even if your system produces 100% of your solar need (or more) you will still receive a bill from your electric company for your Customer Fee. With Net Metering where you are paid for any excess kWs your system creates but you did not use, some electric companies pay for those unused kW in the form of a credit that is applied to your electric bill that will absorb your customer fee charges until that credit is used up and utilized. 

8. Do solar panels work when the power goes out?
When the power goes out your solar panel system will shut down as well (even if the power goes out on a bright sunny day). This shutdown is a safety shut down that protects emergency first-responders and electricity utility repair-people from being injured. If your solar system were 'up' and producing energy when others are without power you would potentially backfeed to the grid which is dangerous to those repairing the line. If you opt to add solar storage to your system, you will have back-up power for as long as the battery storage lasts, then it will recharge the next day. (When we are adding Solar Storage to your system we will determine which breakers/appliances are your 'essential' things that will run through the Solar Storage in the event of an outage.)

9. How much will solar panel maintenance cost?
Solar panel systems are made of durable tempered glass and require little to no maintenance for the 25 to 35 years that they will generate power. If something does happen, the equipment warranties kicks in under the 25 year warranty.

10. What solar energy rebates and incentives are available?
Solar rebates and incentives vary depending on in which state you live. The Federal Incentive, the 30% federal investment tax credit (ITC), which allows you to deduct 30 percent of the cost of your solar energy system from your taxes (this is processed through your annual Federal Tax Return based on your individual Tax Liability. The State Incentive known as the SRECs (State Renewable Energy Credits) offer additional tax credits annually based on the system kW size. Every time your generate a 1000 kW up on your roof you earn a credit that the utilities buy on the 'market' (much like stocks are sold). With The Solar Girl/The Solar Guy we help set up your brokerage account with a SREC broker to facilitate the sale of these credits. There are several options you may choose from a pay-out situation based on how you wish to benefit from these credits.

11. Can I afford to go solar?
If you can pay your electricity bill you can afford to go solar!! We offer Solar Options that cost you $0 out of your pocket up front to go solar! We simply take your electric budget, change the way you get energy by getting it from solar production and save you money in the process! We offer you multiple options for going solar from Borrow the Panels for free and getting discounted electric (through a Solar PPA or Lease depending on what's allowed in your specific utility) these plans do not include the Federal or State incentives. You can buy the solar panel/system, you pay for the equipment, the energy the system makes is free plus you benefit from the Federal and State incentives. Everyone's objective and means are different, we make it easy for homeowners to get solar and ultimately solar savings, you simply need a 650+ FICO score to start saving on their electricity bills by going solar. 

12. What size solar energy system should I get?
The size of your solar energy system will depend on how much electricity you use on an annual basis, as well as the shade and weather conditions where you live. Our goal is to counter 100% of your electric bill or fill 100% of your solar-viable roof space. We can't spin your house or stretch your roof but we work very hard to get you the best design/production, aesthetically pleasing design and the biggest savings we can get you!

13. Do I need to replace my roof before installing solar?
Solar energy systems can last for 35 to 40 years, and it can be costly to remove and reinstall them if you need to replace your roof (handling fees do apply depending on the scope of the project, we are running a truck and crew to your house to take the panels off and put them back on). If your roof needs maintenance in the near term, you should consider completing it before you finish your solar installation.

14. How long will my solar power system last?
In general, solar panels are very durable and capable of withstanding snow, wind, and hail (they are rated for these extremes). The various components of your solar power system will need to be replaced at different times and fall under our 25 year bumper to bumper equipment warranty, but your system should continue to generate electricity for 35 to 40 years.

15. What happens if I sell my solar house?
If you sell your home, everything transfers out of your name into the next homeowners name. If you are Borrowing the panels (a PPA) you are required to borrow the panels for the first 5 years, if you sell in the first 5 years the person buying your home must also borrow the panels under the PPA. If you are beyond your first 5 years, the person/people buying your home have the option to purchase the solar system at Fair Market Value, they could potentially wrap the cost of the solar into their mortgage and move into a house with some or all of the electric being free! If you purchased your solar system under our Loan Option, you have the option to transfer the loan to next homeowner or you sell your house for more to account for the amount of the solar loan (or more depending on what the market can handle) and settle up your personal solar loan at the time of settlement, you walk away from your solar and your house, they get the solar with the house and benefit from the savings you started. The 25 year bumper to bumper equipment warranty and 25 year roof warranty are transferable to the next homeowner to finish out the term of the warranty.

16. Should I ask for a solar monitoring system for my solar panels?

With The Solar Girl/The Solar Guy one of the big benefits is our after-installation customer care and monitoring! We are very dedicated to standing behind the solar system we helped you get for your home. We are very dedicated to making sure that system is producing as we planned for you. While you will have monitoring capabilities through your inverter app, we are also watching and monitoring your system for any alerts or errors and assisting to troubleshoot and initiate service calls if necessary to make sure your system is 'down' as little as possible.

17. Do I need to install solar batteries with my solar power system?

Solar power systems that include solar batteries, known as solar-plus-storage, are increasingly popular! Batteries are not necessary for most solar homeowners, but are a great source of back-up in the event of a power outage. Since you are always connected to the grid, your system does not need a battery: excess power goes back into the grid, and you can draw from the grid if you need more electricity than your panels can generate.