General
Using advanced design technologies, our team of engineers are able to determine the optimal solution for you without coming to your home.
This depends on how much energy you need and how many panels you can fit on your roof. But when you go solar, it works just like any other energy source, except, it’s cleaner. So when you’re cooking eggs on a Sunday morning for the family - just know it’s powered by clean energy.
No, there are many options for ways to go solar, including roof mount, ground mount and in some specific areas, shared community solar.
Let’s say you went solar today and then a few years later want to re-roof. Well, it’s not that pricey to pop the panels off, re-roof, and then put them back on. Often, the amount of power expenses you could have saved during that time is worth more than waiting to do the two things simultaneously.
If you’re going to do your roof this year anyway, go ahead and coordinate with a roofer and do both at the same time (it is commonplace for solar installers to coordinate like this). Otherwise, just pull the trigger on solar and worry about the roof when the time comes.
It’s not, really. During the day, you will use the solar energy in your home. If you produce more than you are using, you will sell that power back to the grid in the form of “store credit.” Then you buy it back at night or on days when you use a lot of energy. If you produce more than you use on average for the month, the extra amount carries over to the next month. Think of it like roll-over minutes on a cell phone.
In some states it all resets at the end of the year, and no states (at the moment) will actually give you cash for over-production, so getting a huge system that supplies more power than you need doesn’t make much sense yet.
Not much. Dust and grime you should rinse off twice a year, but if you never did anything and let the rain do the work you might not even notice. Big debris like leaves and bird poop MUST GO, so if you get a lot of that, you’ll have to clean it regularly.
We are familiar with local and state requirements, and we will take the lead on all permitting before, during, and after solar installation.
Financing
There are many options available, some which include no costs whatsoever for installation, maintenance and insurance. There are other option where your investment into solar can net you a healthy return. Like many upgrades to your home, you may want to consider insuring your new solar system!
Solar systems are custom for each home and/or business owner. The costs can range from $0 for installation up to thousands of dollars depending on many factors, including your energy needs, available roof space and desired savings outcome.
Your installer will take care of this for you. We make sure that the installers we choose help you with this process. As for tax incentives, check with your tax professional to help you take advantage of the juicy 30% Federal Solar Tax Credit.
It depends on a lot of things like how much your utility charges for power, how much sun you get, and what the temperature is where you live. Other large factors are the local, state, and federal incentives involved. Payback can be anywhere from 3 years to 30 years. The important thing is that whatever it is, EnergyGeeks reduces that payback period.
With solar panels, we offer a few options for payment:
Cash: Purchase your system outright and own your energy from day one.
Loan: Similar to a car loan, you can finance your solar purchase and pay in monthly installments. You’ll immediately benefit from tax credits and savings on your utility bill.
Lease: With a lease, you’ll make low monthly payments with no money upfront.
Technology
Generally, it’s fewer than people think but every home is different. It’s a function of energy needs, available roof space and desired savings outcome.
While solar panels are completely silent, there is a very slight humming that will come from the inverter located on the side of your house. You can only hear it during the day when you stand right next to it.
At EnergyGeeks, we will never compromise on quality. Therefore, we use the highest quality panels who tend to have the strongest warranties in the industry with a minimum of 25 years. Typically, you can expect your panels to last 35+ year or longer.
No. For safety reasons, when the grid goes down, your solar system stops sending energy to the grid. That being said, with the recent advancements in battery technology, you can protect yourself against energy outages with a home battery storage solution.
Currently, most solar systems are grid tied which means that you will not have power during an outage. There are other steps that can be taken for the system to work during an outage such as battery storage, however batteries are costly and are not feasible now.
It’s not, really. During the day, you will use the solar energy in your home. If you produce more than you are using, you will sell that power back to the grid in the form of “store credit.” Then you buy it back at night or on days when you use a lot of energy. If you produce more than you use on average for the month, the extra amount carries over to the next month. Think of it like roll-over minutes on a cell phone.
In some states it all resets at the end of the year, and no states (at the moment) will actually give you cash for over-production, so getting a huge system that supplies more power than you need doesn’t make much sense yet.