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Good question. I would consult a licensed tax professional regarding your situation!

Historically, utility rates have increased by 3% per year (and much faster in recent years). This is a great resource for seeing that trend over time: fred.stlouisfed.org/series/APU000072610 That's the national average and it does vary from utility to utility. It's worth noting that Massachusetts is heavily reliant on natural gas for generating electricity, which is inflationary by nature and is prone to wild price swings that homeowners ultimately pay for.

Great question! Based on how things have gone in other states, there's a high probability that NJ solar owners will be grandfathered into their existing net metering policy if the state transitions to a new solar compensation structure. In California, the system is grandfathered for 20 years from its interconnection date. After 20 years, it transitions to whatever the current billing structure is at that time. Utilities and the PUC boards that regulate them tend to copy & paste policies when they can, so I would expect other states' net metering transitions to resemble California's.

Understand the confusion -- there's a lot going on. The 30% tax credit is claimed ONE TIME on your federal tax return for the year the system was installed -- it's completely separate from SuSI. Through SuSI, you can earn money by selling SREC's (renewable energy certificates) on a marketplace -- kind of like stock. Those SRECs represented 1,000 kWh of solar generation. They are earned over time and can be paid out in a few ways. These incentives don't interact. They're claimed separately -- but both of them can drastically reduce the cost of going solar in NJ!

Great question! Battery sizes are typically measured in how many kWh's of electricity they hold. Modern home battery systems range in size between 5 kWh and over 30 kWh -- it all depends on your energy goals.

That's right -- every energy source has emissions and environmental impacts associated with it. Solar & battery have much, much lower impact than grid electricity -- but not zero! Here's a great breakdown of the mining needs for fossil fuels vs renewable energy: www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/mining-low-carbon-vs-fossil

@@solardotcom thanks. the focus there is mining and barely touches on the massive e-waste being produced. the recycling we've been promised for decades never quite materializes and takes the form of kids in poor countries breathing fumes from burning the waste, or its simply dumped into the environment. similarly, author dismisses nuclear which is clearly the most practical energy right now.

Correct -- this incentive is through the federal government and can only be claimed on your federal income tax return. Some states have state tax credits (claimed on your state income tax return) and many have property tax exemptions (claimed in various ways). It's definitely worth searching your state, city, and utility provider for local incentives to combine with the 30% federal tax credit!

That's a great question and, frankly, I don't know if policymakers have really considered bidirectional charging for battery incentives. I wouldn't count on SGIP covering an EV battery -- but it's worth looking further into!

Hi Kristen, great question! According to Mass.gov "the credits never expire and will roll over to the next billing period." It's also worth noting that net metering lasts for 25 years from the interconnection date of the system. In Massachusetts, there is no cap for residential systems under 10 kW.

@@solardotcom Our system is over 10 kW. It's 14 I think. Is there a cap? Thanks for the info!

@@kristenkelley7341 It appears the cap was increased to 25 kW for residential systems in August 2022 (link below), but I would double-check with your installer as they should have a better understanding of local rules and regulations. www.seia.org/news/massachusetts-relaxes-net-metering-caps-residential-solar-major-climate-bill

Explain to the laymen why "free solar panels" aren't really free

Good point! Always factor in critical medical care devices into your essential battery backup needs.

I went with Semper Solaris (Cali) for both roof, solar panels plus batteries. Of course anything one does to improve they're house is a hassle, just the simple fact you have to deal with contractors and making sure they are transparent with you is a struggle. I requested everything to be itemized, everything was spelled out like I was in third grade. Long story short, I was going with Tesla until they ghosted me in the middle of the process with no explanation. Tesla does not have their own roofing company so that means buyer has to go with one of Teslas approved roofers so now your dealing with a completely different vendor even though its Tesla approved. Just more drama so it was a blessing in disguised. Tesla does state they become the one entity responsible for any leaks or issues the new roof has after panel installation if any issues. One thing to note you don't deal with humans at all. All is done via text messaging and that got old and if you don't or are educated in the solar language good luck. At the end of the day yes it was a hassle to getting a new roof and solar but it was done under one company plus Semper Solaris has been in business since 2012 so they are pretty stable. They bought all the material for roof and solar plus batteries. Not only until the job was done did they ask for payment. I believe there was a $1000 deposit that goes toward work. I'm happy with my roof and solar which we opted for an Enphase platform 2x 5P batteries and 5.8kWh panel system. So far so good.

When and if you're allowed to charge a battery from the grid is typically up to your utility. Some don't allow it, others only allow it during "Storm Watch" events (so you can prepare for outages). As for avoiding Peak pricing, theoretically, you could reduce your electricity bill a bit with a battery-only system. However, if you're charging with expensive CA grid electricity (even during off-peak hours) the savings may not be that substantial. Overall, batteries provide more cost savings and longer backup power when paired with solar panels!

Hi, great question. We have several videos on going solar in NEM 3.0, but the gist is that solar + battery is the default option for maximum savings under NEM 3.0. Fortunately, the industry has responded with some really great new batteries that are around 20-30% less expensive than traditional batteries. Plus, electric rates at the IOUs are forecasted to increase by 6-10% through at least 2026, which makes the savings potential of solar even greater.

Strangely enough, there can be more red tap and expenses for trying to go off-grid in the IOUs service territory than for staying on grid. Just another reason to pair your NEM 3.0 solar system with battery so you are importing and exporting as little electricity as possible!

True, it’s 🐎💩. System costs 2x because you need 🔋 backup & utilities pay 3-5 cents/kWh instead of 30 cents (NEM 2.0). You’ll never get your 💵 back.

Pge is going up 9% each year. We have a battery for the night time do you? Ain't looking to make money. Lookin to save money.

Hey, great question! Yes, solar financing rates are higher than they were during the pandemic. However, there are a wide range of solar loan options from 8- to 25-year terms and combo vs reamortizing structures. So, you have quite a bit of control over your monthly payments and savings by selecting a loan option. Some folks opt for a shorter term loan with higher payments to reduce their overall interest costs. Others opt for the long term loans with the lower payments to have more immediate bill savings. Given the average electricity bill in Massachusetts is nearly $200 per month, I'm confident that most homeowners can find a solar loan option with payments lower than their electricity bill.

Sounds like you may be interested in the new consumption-only battery options that many installers in California are starting to offer: www.solar.com/learn/what-is-consumption-only-battery/

Typical sales person

@solardotcom the ROI in the batteries is too long , so keep in mind batteries warranties is only 10yrs

@@victorgonzalez-ow2ro Just like solar panels, we're seeing batteries outlive their 10-15 year warranties by quite a bit and the cost coming down rapidly. We're all excited to see how today's batteries will perform and how cheap (and advance) new batteries will be in 10-15 years!

lithium battery prices will drop 50% in 2025

Great question and congrats on the bill reduction! Generally, the primary benefit of battery storage for NEM 2.0 solar systems is backup power and any additional bill reduction is a secondary perk. Based on the figures you presented, it doesn't seem like there's room to break even on this battery deal -- so it really comes down to your goals. If backup power, energy independence, and grid resiliency are important to you, then you might consider adding battery storage, even if you don't break even. If you are strictly looking for cost savings, then this doesn't seem worthwhile. Also, if you are leasing the battery, make sure you know *ahead of time* who is collecting the 30% tax credit and SGIP rebate. Typically in a lease, it's the installer.

Hey Jay, I don't have much expertise with off-grid so I don't have a great answer for you. However, I will point out that the SMART incentive (and battery added) are only eligible for grid connected systems, so don't count on those incentives if you are pursuing an off-grid project.

Great question! It really depends more on your average electricity consumption than the size of your home -- so it's really difficult for me provide an accurate answer (although one of our Energy Advisors could!) I will point out that many installers are now offering "no-backup" batteries that are essentially designed to maximize NEM 3.0 savings and cost much less than traditional batteries. The trade-off, as the name suggests, is that they won't provide backup power during outages. Might be worth checking out if you are worried about the cost of batteries and not frequently impacted by outages.

@solardotcom how many how many batteries are needed dto run a 5 ton AC during power outages, and what will be the AC runtime

There are a few layers of compliance in California (SGIP, general electrical code, etc) and it's typically best to check with a battery installer or program administrator with questions about specific products.

Yeah, the prize is great solar incentives!

Congrats on locking in NEM 2.0! One thing to clear up: The grid connection fee didn't change under NEM 3.0. This "solar tax" was in early versions of the NEM 3.0 proposal, but it was removed thanks to efforts from CALSSA. Batteries will be very beneficial for solar owners with NEM 3.0 billing, and many CA installers are offering lower-cost "energy arbitrage" battery solutions designed specifically for NEM 3 customers. Let's not forget about the 30% solar tax credit and a new wave of SGIP rebate funding that can substantially reduce the cost of batteries!

Congrats on locking in NEM 2.0! One thing to clear up: The grid connection fee didn't change under NEM 3.0. This "solar tax" was in early versions of the NEM 3.0 proposal, but it was removed thanks to efforts from CALSSA. Clearly NEM 2.0 is the more favorable billing structure, but, as the video mentions, homeowners can still save tens of thousands of dollars under NEM 3.0. In fact, California will remain one of the best states for solar savings, even with the reduction in export rates under NEM 3.0.

Great questions! We're still waiting on details for the new SGIP funding. All we know so far is that the approval of NEM 3 triggered new funds to be available on July 1, 2023. Whether or not that happens exactly according to plan is another question -- but stay tuned! It's typically recommended to have your battery intaller apply for SGIP funding on your behalf. So, when you're gathering battery quotes, be sure to ask the installers if they are familiar and comfortable with the process. Finally, you can add battery storage and retain your current net metering policy (I'm assuming NEM 2). However, adding more solar capacity will push your system into NEM 3 solar billing. Hope this helps!

Sgip has a max benefit?

In theory, yes, should be able to set your battery to discharge during these high-value windows. In fact, we crunched some numbers and found that battery owners could make around $200 per week by doing this. Of course, it's best to consult a solar/battery technician to better understand the schematics and capabilities of your system!

The NEM 3 rate charts are courtesy of The California Solar & Storage Association (CALSSA)

Yes, that is absolutely true! In fact, we advised many homeowners to get a solar-only system first to more easily lock in NEM 2.0, and then circle back later to get battery storage.

Congrats on NEM 2.0, by the way!

Correct. Submitting a complete and valid application before the deadline is the ticket to reserving NEM 2, and you can wait up to three years to install the system. Just a heads up: The application can -- and probably will be -- approved after the deadline. And that's okay. Just make darn sure that your application is complete and valid. If it gets denied after the deadline, you'll probably get bumped into NEM 3.

@@solardotcom Perfect! Very clear info.

@@solardotcom Can you have a NEM 2.0 Interconnection application submitted by more than one solar installer? Let's say I changed my mind and found a different company a few days later that I preferred more.

@@rkgsd I really not sure what would happen in that instance. Sorry, I just don't want to give you incorrect information. One thing I do know is that many installers are now charging a non-refundable fee to try to get projects into NEM 2, so heads up for that!

@@solardotcom I think I found the answer. You can sign more than one initial contract, but it's $1000 per installer refundable within 3 days. You would be sacrificing a few thousands just to see which installer gets you in first.

It's really tough to say what the IOUs will approve or not, so I can't give you a confident yes or no there. I can answer one part: If your interconnection application is approved, you can wait up to three years to install. BUT, changes to system size after the I/C app is approved may cause problems and kick you into NEM 3.

@@solardotcom It is going to be a $94 bet I’m going to make then for a NEM 2.0 3 year option. Good investment I think! Thanks for your great video and your response.

@@dannyjensen4954 did you complete and submit your application? I’m interested in doing it as well.

@@vivenreddy yes. I did applied for me and my family. $94 bet. Here is my video. I have done a few. th-cam.com/video/fKtpWe1N6Tc/w-d-xo.html

Great question! According to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, "The system must also be installed and used at your principal residence in New York State." Short answer: No. It's not available for second homes in New York.