I am a retired engineer (66 years old). I did all my own solar and it works great (San Diego). The first thing I learned about "solar" was that most of the people selling it did not understand it. Now that I have designed a couple systems and experimented with them before safely putting them to work, I am ready for my next system. I was so fortunate to find Julian's TH-cams and did a binge session learning from him. Once I get my schematic drawings done I am going to pay him to advise me on my next system. I will definitely be using Enphase IQ 8(X) micro inverters as I learned how great they are during my studies. Anyway, he is a great science-based and well-educated young man that I look forward to working with on my project. If I were considering paying someone to do my solar there is not a person I would contact except Julian.
You hit the nail on the head…..you gotta be an electrical guru because unless you are, you are gonna get ripped off over and over and over…like my sister.
The guy across the street just bought into one of these systems. He was very excited by the whole sales pitch and took it hook line and sinker. He sent them to my place after they finished with him. I ignored them...He called and said let them in...he said that he would get a $300.00 "credit" if I buy a system too...? Anyway...I asked my neighbor "how many KwH output? his reply was, "Huh"? How many panels will you get? Ummm...30 something? when do they install the new system? Oh, there is a 60 to 90 day waiting period due to supply issues. When is your first payment? I had to start paying as soon as I signed the contract. Can I see the contract? they didn't leave a copy for me....but I can get online and see it. What did you sign? a summary!! but I don't have a copy of that either. LAST question....did they bring the Vaseline? or did you pay for that too?
Not sure if you’re trolling or not but: 1.How many panels your home needs is based on your needs, not your neighbors. 2.The 30 to 90 day process involves having site survey on your home(to make sure your conduit is to code, and they don’t burn your house down ),city and county permitting etc. most of which has nothing to do with the Solar Company. 3. Contracts are two forms. One is Loan Docs, soft credit check to make sure you are north of 650. Also HIA which gives the project management to ask for permitting on your behalf. Loans don’t fund until install. It’s really you that needs the KY jelly since your Buddy will own his power when your still renting. Solar is a financial no brainer, a hedge on inflation, if you even understand that terminology
Almost everybody in my neighborhood had them installed. I felt pressured. We will be here in 4 days to inspect then set up install. I said I can't that day. It has to be done ASAP! It has to be done ASAP? Why? Is there an expiration date on the panels? Total BS! We calculated per month for the year and we pay $80 a month. They said you will pay $80 a month. I'm not saving at all. My neighbors have tri-level homes they pay $80.00/ month. Plus I also have to pay $13.00/m to Comed. I have a raised ranch 1 level! There is no reason I should pay that much! My husband said the next day just cancel it. Don't bully me to do it on the spot. There's no immediate rush to put them on my damn roof.
Yeah 25 year lock in! I'm glad I was freaking out about it and canceled the next morning by text. Get your point across and save yourself. Get it in text - Email...whatever. I've been trying to move out of Illinois for 14 years. Only stayed to help with grandkids. There is no way I could have paid outright that charge without taking out a loan.
From the perspective of a solar engineer, solar designer, master electrician, and electrical contractor: -I’m glad to see a solar sales person who cares about learning and sharing knowledge -it’s nice to hear MORE truths than not From this young man -I realize this video scratches the surface and shared generalities, however for one to desire to be fully honest about products and what’s being shared with potential customers, It sounds like more learning is needed or the fullness needs to be presented even when speaking generalities -when speaking about energy usage in the USA, there is a whole other 1/2 of the conversation still needed to be presented with regards to be generally presented, residential storage, power from residential wind, etc. Keeping this short, I’m glad to see one who is working to be knowledgeable and disclosing truths.
@@Superiorsolarconsulting I'm considering purchasing solar panels. I've not come across anyone mention putting the panels on a roof that is 20 years old. Have any of you had to have your roofs replaced AFTER you've purchased solar panels? It seems like replacing your roof with the panels would a pricey NIGHTMARE. Thoughts? Thanks!
Tile roofs typically last 40-45 yrs from what I’m aware. I’m not sure what other company’s services/guarantees are but we offer 25yr Roof Penetration “Leak” Guarantee on the areas that are worked on or affected by the solar installation…and if your roof need to be replaced before installation or any repairs the gross costs should be included in the 30% tax credit
Before going solar make sure you do an energy audit of your home, it might be cheaper to replace windows, upgrade your heating and cooling, add insulation so that when you do go solar you will have the right sized system and not too large. Don't trust the salesmen they will up sell you on a system you don't need. I agree on the micro inverters, when I put in my system at my last home micro inverters weren't an option and when my whole system inverter went down so did the system, even when covered under warranty it still took months to replace under warranty. Even when going with a good contractor they may not be in business in the future, so make sure you know how your system is warranted from the manufacturer and how to get repairs under warranty. Make sure you have some option to use solar when the grid goes down, a grid tied system leaves you in the dark when the power goes out. Last of all not all homes are good for solar, I have seen people put solar on homes that are shaded most of the day and even on north facing roofs.
Thank you for sharing your advice I got talked into allowing a salesman come and explain to me why solar will be a good option without me really doing my own research
@@alexb.6772 I understand totally ! I been trying to spread the word as much as I can but you would be surprised at how many people believe a con man rather than doing research or listening to someone trying to save them ! There is a huge solar company that just changed their name to ( link solar ) or something but they had so many people complain they had to close the business and start all over ! They errr selling to people located in places where the snow would never allow the solar to work ! I’m a fan of solar , but there is a time and place for it and it sure is not going to replace grid electric at any time soon
The number 1 thing is to make your home interior as energy efficient as possible. Insulation, appliances, heat pump water heater, highest seer HVAC you can afford, and seal as many home air gaps to outside you can. 2nd, do not undersize your solar panel system!
I just seen a horror story, a family was short twenty panels I believe. Their utility bills before solar, under two hundred, with solar reaching three hundred, and the cost of the loan for the panels, company gave them a huge runaround. They were also told when they let the salesman know that they were planning on replacing their roof, it would be no cost, one time deal, wrong four thousand dollars. I am interested but not interested in being lied to and scammed.
Completely agree with your first point, but the second one doesn't apply to everyone depending on their utility. If you oversize a system and end up paying more for the system then it cost to pay the difference to the utility then it's a bad idea. For example, my utility will provide 1:1 net metering during the billing cycle, but any excess at the end of it is purchased at 5% of what it cost to buy it from them. Therefore, oversizing would have lost me money 6 months out of the year.
This is an awesome video and thank you so much for putting this out there. Everything you guys covered is exactly what I have had to find out on my own. Breath of fresh air! One thing I would say is for everyone is to first update their windows, A/C, insulation first before going solar. Normally the number one power consumer in any home is going to be A/C and the water heater. Poor insulation also forces your A/C to work harder so good insulation and good windows also go along way. Once you have all these done I suspect you will really have a good idea of what your true power consumption is on average per month. Sizing a system when you have a very old A/C, old water heater, poor insulation and poor windows will lead to sizing a system that may be larger than what you really need. Important to note that power consumption is a very personal thing. If one persons wants to run their A/C at 70 degrees all day long will be very different than someone that keeps their A/C at 76-78 degrees. Everyone is different; however, if you take some of these variables out of the equation it will give you a more realistic idea of what your power consumption is. All these upgrades will increase the equity in your home and end up saving you money when you decide to go Solar. For a friend of mine this was the difference in installing a 42 panel system versus a 58 panel system. Hope this helps and my humble .02 cents everyone!
Very good advice- power consumption needs are and should be based on your electrical bill… I am doing my homework on the feasibility of solar panels for our home and our needs…each home is different and for the size of home we have and the amount of windows and our north facing house with a 3 foot engineered roof overhang- it changes everything… so really do your homework and maybe remodeling your home where you can favorably get back your investment on a resell… or negotiate as low as possible, for a cash price which I am trying to do… I wonder what sales commission are on the sale?… that and quality of install, service and quality of product is what your paying for…
Endless thanks for putting time into making this video! I was just manipulated into a solar contract yesterday from the door to door salesman and am ready to make the call to cancel it immediately-after this valuable information. Wow!-was almost sucked into a major $64k mistake!! I have got to be more careful.
64k certainly is no small amount of change. I'd be interested in more of the specifics as to what you were saying you were getting ripped off for. Cause systems do cost that much.
1) Avoid PPAs - absolutely! 2) Love microinverters - absolutely - Enphase forever! 3) Roof leaks! Need folks who seal penetrations correctly! 4) Delaying? Nope - the sooner you go forward, the sooner you are saving with your system paid off! 5) Payback periods - depend on your utility rates. In SCE or SDG&E a 5-7 year payback sounds right for solar only. Adding storage extends that quite a bit. 6) $3.00/Watt? Not really, expect more like $3.50, and more depending on other work that needs to be done, at least here in SoCal. 7) Julian - get NABCEP certified!
There is a solar panel company in NL, that has 30+ different brands of panels, all are installed on their building for show-case purposes. You can see the power output of each panel live and over time. Each of them works good, no matter if it's some big name brand or some cheap rip-off, they all work without fail and the power differents they give is about 1,8% max between all the panels, last time I checked. That's why some honest installers around here would say, you can buy expensive panels or get some cheap ones from some wholesale, they will both be perfectly fine. But, make sure you get a good invertor, like the enphase, because those actually really matter. Great video, thanks.
Never buy right away. Most these door to door salespeople want you to buy right away, which is nuts. Always look at the details and at least do a comparison with a competitor. Here in Florida I had two solar people come to my door and pitch me a 9.6 Kilowatt system for around $45,000. That’s a lot to potentially save my $160 electric bill. I compared that online with a similar Tesla system and that came out to around $21,000! That’s a huge difference. I’m probably not going to get that either because I’m only going to be in this house for a few years but at least it’s reasonable.
Funny thing is,. that 21k (not Tesla, but other high quality parts (I have put these together on my own) includes the batteries which would allow you to cut out the grid almost completely (depending on your sun hours throughout the year). That 45k I bet had zero batteries. Most people don't understand the most expensive part of any solar system is the batteries which is what can truely make you energy independent if you have enough capacity. At a minimum, you can offset and add to it over time depending on the size of the array.
I run my own solar company and your number #1 is exactly how I believe about solar. I have seen fellow companies fall for the beauty of profits and start selling leases or ppa. Second point; you are right that these big companies have great contracts BUT these companies are too large to fulfill everything in the contract. So get them to breach their own contract. Create lots of service tickets until you are not a profitable customer... look into the contract for the hard to maintain statements
I have to say that this was a very informative video, not just a slick way to try and convince people to go solar. Interesting fact about having to take over contract if you buy a house that has already been converted to solar, I never even thought about that. For me though, my electric bill from Oct-May average about $62 a month, Jun-Sept $115, so it does not make sense for me. Single guy, small house, big garage. All LED bulbs etc. It amazes me though that some people in this area pay as much as $800 a month for electric bill, I remember when my first morg payment with taxes was about $500 and I thought that was high!
I appreciate the honesty. I do have one comment regarding increasing the value of your home. My wife is a realtor here in Florida and she has spoken directly to the real estate appraisers in SW Florida and they ALL say that they put no value to solar being on a house. In other words, it does not increase the value of the house. Several said they subtract value in some cases i.e. if it is older etc.... So maybe in California it increases value, but that is not the case everywhere.
I wonder if it depends on the homes appearance. I’ve seen homes with a sloping roof that faces the street and the panels look HORRIBLE. I have a flat roof, no one can see the panels. It’s great.
Yes it depends on the market economics of each individual area and utility. In solar friendly sates and utilities, home values will rise with solar because of the real benefit. In some places it may not
Solar panels generate electricity…. electricity costs money. It’s really that simple. Would you prefer to buy a house where you don’t have to pay an electric bill … or to purchase a home where you have to pay an increasing electric bill forever? It doesn’t take a very high level of intelligence to understand which scenario would have more monetary value.
Great info. I just bought a house in the winter mountains of Utah and I plan to replace my roof and add a solar array next summer. This is the kind of information I need to make good choices about it.
Microinverters have several advantages over conventional inverters. The main advantage is that they electrically isolate the panels from one another, so small amounts of shading, debris or snow lines on any one solar module, or even a complete module failure, do not disproportionately reduce the output of the entire array. Each microinverter harvests optimum power by performing maximum power point tracking (MPPT) for its connected module.[1] Simplicity in system design, lower amperage wires, simplified stock management, and added safety are other factors introduced with the microinverter solution. The primary disadvantages of a microinverter include a higher initial equipment cost per peak watt than the equivalent power of a central inverter since each inverter needs to be installed adjacent to a panel (usually on a roof). This also makes them harder to maintain and more costly to remove and replace. Some manufacturers have addressed these issues with panels with built-in microinverters.[2] A microinverter has often a longer lifespan than a central inverter, which will need replacement during the lifespan of the solar panels. Therefore, the financial disadvantage at first may become an advantage in the long term. A power optimizer is a type of technology similar to a microinverter and also does panel-level maximum power point tracking, but does not convert to AC per module. This is the info that should have been clearly stated. 18 minutes could have boiled down to this instead. But thx for info
What we need is you on a show with these two gentleman and you all can have a solid Q&A and see what comes out of it. I appreciate what you wrote, but in order to make improvements in the comments section, reach out to these individuals and make a full “in-depth” breakdown over the course of a series of videos. This would be a massive win for consumers and also help us to lessen the damage to Mother Earth while being able to put food on everyone’s table. This business should ALWAYS be a win-win-win for everyone. If all business worked this way, so much nonsense would be removed from everyday life.
I learned a lot. Thank you! BTW, on the whole topic of selling a home while a system is leased or being financed ... in my state (probably in most and possibly all states) a home must be free and clear of all liens in order to transfer ownership. This is the whole point of having a Title company do a Title search to make sure the Title is "free and clear of all liens". This law protects new owners from buying property ... thinking it is now "their" property ... and then having a party show up and claim you owe them money and they have a lien on your property.
Actually, liens don't always show up in title searches. This is the reason to use an experienced gent who should know how to sell homes with any type of solar. Liens may not show up and neither will UCC filings, unless they specifically search for them. An experienced agent is a must to make sure these sales are processed accurately. Most solar loans also have UCC filings, making them personal property, not owned as solar companies will tell you. Solar companies will file a UCC filing as collateral for the solar panels, which immediately turns this asset into personal property. A homeowners must review their finance documents to reflect the UCC filing. I'm an instructor on this topic and a full time residential realtor specializing in sustainability.
When selling--If the new homie owner takes over the existing finance agreement then the UCC lien will be subordinated to the new mortgage. Thus, No need to pay off the panels when selling
@@JanGreen Great advice! Especially in California where the State is pushing hard to get rid of fossil fuel. I expect new homes beginning in 2023 will not have natural gas systems installed. The public will need to learn from knowledgeable people like you. If your Solar system produces over what you use, SCE buys it from you at a terribly low rate. We won’t talk about EVs. Lol.
Yeah as long as the seller keeps making his payments, no lien is filed. After the sale of the home the seller stops making payments, the lien is filed on the new owner
When the sales person tells you the system size is XX KW, ask the sales person what you can realistically expect in system production. XX KW is the theoritical maximum the system can produce. But their are built in losses to the system efficiency, in addition to tilt, azimuth, latitude and longitude, and shading mean a lot in solar system production losses. My 11.6 KW system max production during peak hours (11 am to 2 pm) in the summer months is 9.2 KW.
Five years in CA if you are paying exorbitant electric pricing, but here in northern PA it is more like 8-15 years for grid-tied solar and batteries take you past 20 years in most cases. It all depends on where you are at (solar irradiance) and what your electric rates are (CA is about the worst so the payback is faster).
I just signed a solar contract. I got four bids and had four very unique sales experiences. One of the four came from a company that does lots of very good TH-cam videos so they had a lot of credibility with me. They were honest, but they were the company that were the most like a old-style car salesman. One guy represented the traditionally highest efficiency brand. He didn’t even try to sell me. He seemed to think that the brand sold itself. Another guy came by took a quick look and sent me a bid. He didn’t put much thought into it. The fourth company did a very thorough job, gave me a bit that was a bit high but brought it down via negotiations, and did a lot of other things that made me feel good about what I was buying and about having them support me in the years to come. My suggestion is to get at least three bids, don’t talk to the first person you run into that has a good-sounding sales pitch.
I researched this years ago and concluded that - at the time - the only way it works financially is to buy and install the equipment myself - I haven't looked into it recently. As others suggested, the first thing to do is see if you can decrease overall power consumption. A few additional comments: One point about microconverters that's often not mentioned is that some generate a lot of RFI (radio interference). If you have radios of any type, they "may" be interfered with during the day. Most people assume that once they get solar, they can be all smug knowing that they'll have the only house with the lights on if there's a power outage... no. 99% of all solar systems shut off the power if the grid goes down. While there are systems that continue to run if the grid goes down, they're few and far between. Another thing people don't realize is that if ANY shade falls on ANY part of the panels, it shuts down that ENTIRE circuit. Some installations have more than one circuit, but the point is, solar generation numbers are almost always far lower than the salesman promises. Be aware that power companies are quietly working to undo some of the advantages of going solar. For example, our local power company is trying to implement a monthly $60 solar fee. That very much dilutes the payoff period, so be sure to look into that. I'm in the San Diego as well.
Fronius recently did a test on Shading and broken panels aswell. If the inverter is good enough there’s only a 2-3% drop of efficiency if the panel is shaded heavily. Search Fronius shading in TH-cam. I think it’s 17 minutes long or something
There are actually a series of enphase microinverters so that even if one panel goes down the rest of the system works. It is very important to go with a company that cares about you
Your paragraph about shading is wrong. Different arrays with different shades values is very common on most roofs. You say you researched it several years ago, So now your electric bill has gone up several times but if you finance the panels and get an honest company your bill would be less than several years ago and solar would not have gone up at all. . Of course DIY - if you have the time and knowledge, always is better Good luck
Ooo! Thanks for all of this helpful info. I'm a Costco customer in Los Angeles, and I'm having a salesman come in and give me info/a quote some time next week. I'm taking all of this info in as I consider making a purchase.
I would like you to bring this guy back and see what he has to say about Solar solutions for RV’s, nomads, skoolies. These people are the ones buying whole solar packages and creating their own packages.
Thank you, I just purchased a home that came with solar panels. The previous owner was forced to pay it off. I wasn't familiar with solar components, so this was informative.
It’s a better investment to foam insulate your home, add solar screens, upgrade your widows and doors, insulate your garage door. Just about anything is a better investment. Ever wondered why every AC system doesn’t come solar powered
We do a small system, the ROI is around 200 days. It doesn't meet all the power needs, but it works, our KW prices here are higher than most places. We source are are hardware so we can hammer down the prices on the hardware but charge a set day rate to install, but it still works out cheaper. Micro inverters work so do dual MPPT. It this depends on where it's being installed. A 100% none shaded good bunch of panels will work just fine and you save on buying the additional micro inverters. Optimisers are okay, but the main market ones are over priced for what they factually are and do, I think they are worth 20usd tops.
Very informative. I started out with 200 watt panels in 2007, changed them out for 400 watt panels last year when installing a new roof. Loving solar 👏🏻
When I think of solar I think of holes in my roof; what happens when I have to replace my roof (who removes the panels and at what cost); does wind make roof leaks more likely; and what impact will it have on resale in say 10 years.
@@Superiorsolarconsulting hi....I live in Texas...Solar Inc wants to charge 71500 with montly payment of 233.00 for 25 yrs...Its sound like crazy....what is your opinion?
Just go slow with solar. Your ac and heating bills are most of your electric needs. Just start small. Purchase a 1 ton mini split 48 volt dc system and 4 solar panels with 48 volts out each. Just start in a part of the house thats mostly used. And as you get more money, add more systems.
We bought a house with leased panels and I have to say we didn’t know a lot about it but our bill is not bad at all. We were paying more on our rental so I guess we don’t see it as a bad thing. We just don’t own then and that’s pretty much it.
Someone should do a video about California new construction solar requirements. New homes are mandated to have solar installed but the builders really take advantage of the home buyer. You buy your home, then as part of the buying process you are then forced to buy the solar system through a company the builder owns and at rates over $5/watt. Since the solar is part of the new construction it is the easiest install and should be well under $3. California needs to modify the requirement and allow new buyers to use any licensed contractor.
I never listen to people who call every other salesperson and company, consultant snd contractor a scammer. This is an approach that creates fear and doubt of others to establish themselves as an expert to drive leads and make sales.
Gosh, lots of people make micro inverters, not just Enphase! For reliability, My brother had 3 out of 24(I think, maybe 28) Enphase fail. Enphase was great, gave him replacement inverters and a little cash $75 each(I think 2014). NO CONTRACTOR would give him a quote on replacement! That's BEFORE learning he had a 2 1/2 story 50 degree roof. He had to do it himself. A central inverter would be at ground level and take less than an hour to replace. I have no problem with micro inverters, but there is a place for central inverters. As you have said and I would gladly recognize, solar panels are very reliable, why put inverters where they are not accessible!
Same story here, my inverter is easy accesible. The cost of getting individual inverters on the pannels are way higher than just replacing the central one, not to mention the extra costs for a reacher or scaffolding.
Thank you so much for this video. We recently spoke with a Vivint consultant who quoted us $67,000 for a solar system with a 25 year payoff timeframe. We are already retired and will probably not live to see that. I know more questions to ask of the next consultant.
Hey Susan, I currently am a solar specialist with LGCY Power! I’d love to get you a quote as well as answer any questions you have about renewable energy with LGCY!
So a question I have is the one pushing his marketing scheme has been doing this for like 3 years. How is he stating that panels last 30 years easy when the industry has been around for less than 15 years. I mean yeah you can replace the panels if they go out(at a cost of 3K per panel plus 500 for install etc.), but how is that economical in the least? Yeah so I replaced my power bill of 100 bucks with a 250 bill a month for solar panels on a 25 year loan and when after 15 years they start failing I need to reup? This sounds great for the seller and not so much for the user. So then for using 100 dollar a month means my solar should be around 6K in cost. Maybe it is just me but most of the ones I am checking are in the 40-60K range. How is that ever a 5 year plan?
Good info on micro inverters. Living in a SNOW area adds the issue of heavy tons of snow coming down fast, destroying the eaves troughs, and injuries to people, animals. With the current political aim of increasing costs of everything there are some unknowns. One is how long you can afford your home or to stay in it. Then, the costs of it when panels and inverters will update likely rapidly making your own system less than up to par in some cases. I think snow or high rain places have more issues. But both of you are fine people trying to help others and the earth.
The ROI in Switzerland is between 20-24 years. I wonder how it can be so much lower in the States… This does include a battery… The system including the battery 12.45 kW / 10 kW battery, will cost CHF 54 k (a bit more in USD). After tax benefits you are looking at net 42 k. So it’s about twice as expensive as in the US. Crazy!
I think average ROI is about 10yrs for turn-key 5kw grid connected systems. (cost $15k. electric 15cents/kwh) As electric costs go up then it helps with the ROI. Some states have peak additional charges, so it helps ROI. With 10yr warranty on batteries, its take expensive electricity or other needs to justify it. imho
If you have some type of battery storage system (like PowerWall) can you still use microinverters? Doesn't seem to me that microinverters would make sense in this case because you would have to convert the power back to DC at the batteries.
A battery only makes sense if your utility doesn’t offer some kind of net metering or payback for excess production, so make sure you check on that before deciding. Battery systems cost a ton and may be essentially useless if your utility is like mine and will pay you the same amount they charge per kwh
@Mas-ud Al-hassan "Ultimate freedom" that I'll never need because I live in a developed country with a reliable power grid isn't worth $15,000 of battery backup to me. If the power grid goes down for an indefinite period of time, it likely means everyone is going to have a lot more problems than just no power because it probably means the end of life as we know it, and some solar power isn't going to fix that. Better also brush up on your bow hunting and general survival skills.
There is a slight issue with Micro Inverters. A current IQ8+ is rated 300VA but a modern LG Neon panel is rated at 370VA, so in the peak of summer there is going to be some clipping of power an hour or two either side of midday. This means for example a system with 20 x 370VA panels produces a maximum of 6000VA and not the 7400VA some people might expect. However you will have that 6000VA for a fair amount of the day in ideal conditions, so essentially over-sizing the panel isn't a bad thing. The big attraction of Micro Inverters for me is not having 400-500 DC volts in the roof space which you get with string inverters, 230 VAC or around that is much safer. I would have micro inverters any time over a big inverter and lots of DC, I take the point about sealing holes in the roof (I have a metal tile roof), that bit always seems to get skipped over when you watch installation videos.
Good point! Multi string systems as most common used around here do not require micro inverters or optimizers and will normaly have about 8 pannels per string, wich limmits the voltage to just over~300 Vdc. My system is overdimensioned as well and indeed there is some clipping at the best days of the year. Still, the loss in that small ammount of time is compensated any other hour. This solution for maximum production costed me just 1 extra pannel. The costs for optimizers would have been equal to 4 extra pannels and only boost efficiency by 3~5%. Easy choice ;)
how come there are no videos of solar systems and people raving about how much they save after 10yrs since solar has been so big for over 20yrs? why is it that no one ever mentions the very expensive cost of replacing a roof when the entire system has to be taken down. what about the really expensive batteries that need to be replaced every 5yrs, or the inverter or other components that need to be replaced, and all those companies that guarantee their solar panels for 20yrs or more that all seem to go out of business around 10yrs. funny how there are so many extra costs that are never mentioned. what is up with all of that?
We all say that “I’m not like other reps” a lot of solar reps are actually trying to be honest. I try to be, I hit 7 expectations on every single sale. 1 roof age get that checked first before slamming panels on a roof that needs to be replaced 2. My labor warranty doesn’t cover acts of god put it in your home owners insurance 3. Explain the tax credits honestly, it’s a credit and refer them to an accountant 4. Battery expectations (I only sell battery and certain ones can back up more loads and what it can and can’t power in an outage 5. They will still have a small power bill! 6. Time line of our installs 7. Make sure hoa doesn’t own their roof We only sell owner ship here in utah and we are partners with the power company. Batterys all day
Wait…. Real estate agents typically like the PPA, because it doesn’t obligate the current homeowner with a lien that has to be negotiated during the real estate transaction. It typically becomes a simple sign off from one homeowner to the next, during the home sale. And, there’s an option to buy on many PPA plans, a few years in, for significantly less than initial market value …through many solar companies, like Sunrun. I don’t see a problem with the PPA at all. This was a good but limited video. The PPA is a great option.
Sub’d & liked. I appreciate the honesty. I would love to see a business rise up that is purely independent and acquires the power to have massive oversight to protect consumers and provide the information needed to not get screwed in life.
Where you live makes all the difference as to how long the payback will be. Your bill cost is not your savings. There are still base charges even if you have net export every month. Of course, California energy cost is so high that payback might be faster than my experience. I'm in Louisiana. I have 8kW STC (5.9kW NOCT) of solar since November 2019. I have all production, consumption, import, and export data with 15-minute resolution for that entire time. My average saving per month for the past year is $74.09 (at $0.14948 per kWh total cost). I don't have batteries, but my system installed cost after rebates and tax breaks was $23,000. For my situation, even with 0% financing it would still take me over 25 years to break even. I am grandfathered into NEM 1 net metering until 2034. After that I am forced onto NEM 3 and my economics get even worse.
Here's the one big question to ask about solar: Since Germany has invested more per capita than any other country in solar, and since Germany is now suffering power shortages and is turning back on its nuclear and coal-fired power plants, hasn't the ugly truth been exposed about solar energy? I lived in a solar house in the late 1970s. After that experience, I became anti-solar. We had two windmills in our yard back then. They didn't work either. I moved out.
Its probably due to data centers.. they use massive amount of electricity 24/6 and it will continue to grow because meta world needs storages and servers
How do panels hold up to hail, ice storms, blizzards etc? I have an awkward roof angle with a narrow angle of daytime sun thanks to trees. It would cost me $50K to remove the trees before I could benefit from solar. I have land so I could do panels on stands. If I were do to solar/battery system I would want to have it exclusive with a generator back up and cut the cord from the electric co.. But, I have heard nightmare stories from so many people about the promises that aren't kept in regards to needing to remove the panels to replace a roof, selling the house, equipment failures etc. I have an average electric bill under $50 a month except for summer when I have a dehumidifier running. I was considering just a couple panels and an inverter for the dehumidifier. It will do it's job running 8-10 hours a day.
Solar sounds great and I've done a bit of casual research. Some things no one ever mentions is that panel efficiency degrades over time. All of the analysis I've seen assumes 100% over the life of the panel. Another point missing is reroofing costs when panels are installed. It must add some cost to putting on a new roof but I never see that in any analysis. Another added cost I never see is homeowners insurance. Putting a 20k system on your home must raise your insurance rates. I never see that in ROI spreadsheets. An alternative to some of that which also sidesteps putting a bunch of holes in your roof is to put panels in a field array. I have two acres and would consider doing that in a heartbeat. Never see anything about that though either.
@@DP-sh3nk I added a 5 K system to my house, same price and the rider for my solar panels is $47 a year. No big deal! Just make sure to research what it covers.
Actual work of attaching panels to a roof is pretty simple. Just bolt the brackets to the underlying joists. It will probably add a little cost to pull them down and put them back up when a new roof is put on, but not that much and you may be able to do it yourself. Even with that cost you’re only doing it once over the life of the whole system that will pay you back much more than the cost of reinstalling with a new roof.
@@johndoe6032 yes, I understand it's not complicated. But your point makes assumptions, like panels go on a new roof to start with, or that the lowest bidder on a new roof can be trusted to handle thousands of dollars worth of panels. How many roofers deal with solar? I'm guessing not many. It's not hard. I've roofed before. But getting to an age where not only do I not want to, won't be long and I won't be able to lol. In any case, I was just making a point that any cost analysis should consider this as well as increased insurance costs to be accurate.
@@vkrgfan Solar companies will tell you that you don't need to clean them. And if you do - maybe once a year. I'm in the desert southwest and have never cleaned my panels in the year I've owned them. Rain rinses all of the dusty desert residue off. Solar companies may also advise NOT to hire a company to clean them. If they damage the panels from cleaning, the warranty may not cover that damage. -
Great info/video and Julian’s explanations is very helpful. For Americans; Just lacking any mention of solar panels & related equipment is or should be mfg in the USA? Especially if those are focused on the “Green” mind-set; production in house (in our Country) vs renewable energy shows there is a real commitment; and common sense too.
1 - Before going solar, make sure you have made your home or commercial facility as energy efficient as possible, and do an energy audit. 2 - if the customers heating and cooling equipment or process is more than 10-12 years old, replacing that equipment to save energy is going to be important, the condition of the building lighting, insulation and windows should also be looked at (That's why the audit first is important), putting hard start kits on large draw equipment such as air conditioners or compressors and replacing electric motors with higher efficiency units or adding VFDs commercially. 3 - PPA's are better for commercial projects than homes, also, commercially if I do a roof-mounted system, the solar installer carries a warrant for the contract life, we also upgrade the roof for roofs over 10 years old, housing contractors are not going to do that, so the owner should have the roof checked before installation. 4 - Ground-mounted solar is always the cheapest if you can plan space and have the ground do that. 5 - Microinverters are one of the best deals for home or commercial solar projects as the cost to replace an inverter is a lot less than a single large system, and then information supplied for view system output is more accurate and real-time. 6 - Commercial owners have a number of resources for payback that homeowners don't have, they get the standard Federal rebate, ut also can get if they are in a small community REAP grants for farm areas, State business energy reduction grants, IRS has and energy program, plus accelerated asset depreciation can be applied, your contractor should know these things and be educating the client on all the options available for his system. 7 - There are a lot of other things that can be said, but each client has a price range and variables that the contract has to work to fit a system, commercially energy efficiency and solar are applied as a multi-phased process of energy reduction where systems may include batteries, residentially its generally about finding the contractor that can provide the solar for a rate usually a 100-200 a month for 20 years replacing a large part of the electric companies charge rate, however in most cases the electric company charges are based on demand and the highest demand in most cases is what the customer pays. Energy efficiency is about reducing demand this is what you are after, so you have t look at whole systems.
Hi Carter I liked the way you presented your points. I am considering going for solar and would like to communicate with you. Is it ok to get your email? Thank you
As an electrician i like how you address the over looked issues. There is a lot to check out before running for a glass package. PS fire departments won't help you if they see that solar installation, too many fire fighters got cooked as things go wrong in a fire , thousands of volts running everywhere back up the truck out the water....
DEFINITELY reduce your energy usage before adding solar panels. I reduced my energy bill by 71% before adding solar. I started with an energy audit to know everything about my home first. I own a 1979 block house in Arizona. Pretty sure it has vermiculite in the block walls so did not add insulation in the walls. I added spray foam under the roof deck (R49), sealed my ducts and registers, swapped a 21 yr old Goettl for a 16 SEER Trane, LED''s, windows were already installed, added sun screens to block sun from west windows, new appliances - total spent $17,000. Added a 5K system that also powers my EV. This year I have paid $210 in electricity and once I swap out my 10 yr old water heat to a heat pump, I'll be in the positive category. I teach this stuff to realtors and am always available for questions. It's great not buying gas, or paying much (and soon nothing) for electricity. Old homes can be energy efficient!
Try he state of appliance and HVAC shouldn’t be a factor in deciding to buy solar because those are things that need to be replaced over time regardless. People should definitely make sure their home is running energy efficient to get save on cost whether going solar or not but doesn’t have to be a this or that, or one of the other first situation. Even a financed solar setup will pay off over time.
I agree with the reliability of solar panels. The micro inverters are another thing. The more Inverters you have, the likelier you will have a failure, and the problem with micro Inverters is that it is difficult to determine when and which micro inverter has failed. The other huge, pink elephant in the room is the cost of installation. It is way too high. What we really need is a UL approved, inexpensive, plug and play system that anyone can install.
@@Fackletard yes, it could, but the problem is accessing the micro inverter under each panel. One would have to disassemble the entire array. It is so much work that no one does it until most of the micro Inverters have failed.
San Diego has some of the most expensive electricity in the country. If your electricity is $0.10 / KWH or less, your payback will be much longer. Microinverters - how do you integrate them with battery back-up? The ideal is a system with 3 parts, the battery, the solar panel and the box that contains the inverter, charger, and transfer switch switched from grid power to inverter power automatically).
Ok I'll take a step above here to help. Yes I'm a electrician and have watched what is going on . Im in Massachusetts and am self employed. I put my name on indeed just to see what was out there. At least half are for doing solar. Now the programs mass has everyone pays for this in your electric bill.So these companies will hire labor cheap to do most of the work especially roof stuff. Sure you can lease it for 20 to 30 years and not pay a dime. That's what I did with sunrun. But I knew I was going to sell my house in a few years. So my regular bill national grid 200 to 300 per month. when the solar was installed about 4 months national grid bill was zero but had to pay sunrun 130 then there increase 144. I only had it about 5 years. Yes it saved some money. Now if you have your own house and some land. You can get away with erecting a system for around 2 to 4 k depending on what you need. Depending on where you live you might not even need battery's. Net metering. Find out from your electric co what they do. So your asking how. Simple these labor guys get the damaged solar panels and resell them. I just bought 10 - 350 watt panels 10 x 350= 3500 watts for $300.00 . The panels are spidered but a plastic film can be put on them. And there are other ways to increase there output. Batteries are still expensive but are coming down. Inverters have come down a lot. There is one for $1400.00 6kw and is pretty simple. So under 2k at this point. Yes wire disconnects few other things. Try not to put the panels on the roof..just dumb.. Better where you can get to them easily. Easiest line em up secure them. Or put the on a rack where you can tilt and turn. There are multiple ways. Aven ways you don't even have to move them. This is a smaller system but you could easily double it for even less. You could even get a cheap 500 watt windmill to supplement. I could tell you how to get free heat also but this is getting to long. F the electric co F the government your being robbed in so many ways . Tesla got F by all of them 😮
Re: the 5 year pay-back Julian mentions. I live up in the PNW and electricity costs are just under 13 cents/kWh. I'm assuming that compared to CA's power prices, my payback would be significantly longer. A 5 year payback would be attractive, a 13 year payback simply to recover my upfront costs and only at the 13 year mark to start savings money would not be very attractive. Great information. Doesn't sound like Powerwalls are a good investment which is what I decided when I started looking at the upfront cost and the energy capacity they hold.
My electric bill shows that the actual electric used is only around 1/3 of the total. A recent $180 monthly bill showed only $53 was the electric. The rest was transmission fees, various other fees and tax. It might be a good place to start, by reading and understanding your electric bill.
As a 20yr financial advisor i have to mention… Of course cash/buying saves money. But try to sell your house 5yrs later if it’s not paid off. Sunrun is easy to assume and work with. Maybe it was ain’t when this video was made however. The payback is 10yrs if purchased and now rates are 10%. Leasing is a far better option today for most people. From production guarantees to ease of transferring and cash out of pocket. Leasing makes the most sense for most people.
Everything in your home may use AC, but your bateries don't... if you have an issue with a micro inverter, you would need to get up on the roof to fix it. There's tradeoffs there. Those inverters are going to be hot and exposed to the elements up there, too, and probably won't last as long. I don't know if those tradeoffs are worth it. I think it's better to run the panels straight to the solar charge controller, then hook the batteries to either one or two inverters. That way, you're only converting the energy once. The most cost-effective is an all-in-one system that has the solar charge controller and inverter in one system. If you buy all the components yourself and pay someone to hook it up, you still have the manufacturers' warranty. This way, they can't overcharge you for the components either. I'd do the research and look at reviews for what you want. I certainly wouldn't buy a system from an installer. I have hooked up a small mobile system for myself, and I didn't have any issues. I was running 400w to 700ah 12v batteries. I was able to run my mobile fridge 24/7 in my van. I didn't have to worry about inverters, though, as everything ran on DC. If you use mobile appliances, there's no need for an inverter. I wish there were more options for DC devices for use with solar systems. AC isn't necessary for short distances.
I live in a place with relatively low electricity cost....10.5 cents per kWh...and my system is still one of the best investments I have ever made. Own the system...don't lease it. I sized it to cover my domestic supply and enough to power two EV's (which I have added since installing solar). You can't compare this to a traditional investment ROI. It has a guaranteed return. No risk. Safer than stocks, bonds, real estate. If you judge it against the stock market you don't get it. Go with a reputable local dealer.
Anyone who claims that any investment doesn't involve risk, is not to be trusted. I can mention at least 20 risks involved in investing in a PV system. This is confimed by your own following advice: "Go with a reputable local dealer." to mitigate risk.
I understand that you are going to base advice on your local conditions, but San Diego is a lot sunnier than many parts of the country, so a disclaimer would be appropriate. One KEY point that I did not hear covered... Tesla Powerwalls (battery storage) were mentioned. I have a Tesla solar system (no micro-inverters) with two Powerwalls and it took me far too long to recognize down deep in my head that the Powerwalls DON'T SAVE ME ANY MONEY off my electric bill. I have net metering, with electrical rates that do not vary by time of day. All that goes into the equation about saving money are two numbers: total power produced by the panels (as measured on the output side of the inverter) and total consumption by my house. The Powerwalls give me security from outages, but they themselves have no every day payback.
I have 45 solar panels on the roof of my garage and shed. They service both my house and garage. I know nothing about solar because I acquired the house after a divorce. How do I tell if my solar panels are working efficiently? And, what do you recommend for getting a battery back up? I think the company my ex went through was PEG alternative in Virginia. They’re no longer in business
As far as panel life, I tell most of my customers two things, firstly have you an old Casio Solar Calculator & solar panels are still working on satellites 🛰 50 yrs and still go strong. The micro inverters work well when shading is an issue, that’s it. Panels still in today’s market can only achieve mathematical maximum of 25% efficiency. Mine are 2011 panels with about 16% efficient. But losses are minuscule, it’s manly about area of roof covered.
Hello Julian, Great Video! Thank you. I am very worry and hope you can help: I am in a contract and scheduled for my 8.265kW solar System to be install this week on a solar system with19 panels LG NeON R 435W, SolarEdge DC/DC Optimizer P505 and SolarEdge Inverter 7600H. However, LG is out of business, no longer in the Solar Panel industry starting April 2022. I am worry that LG is not holding the 25 years warranty (Product/Performance/Labor). I know that LG panels is one of the best with minimal failure rate. Should I be worry about the LG panels even if LG is going out of business the Spring 2022 (April-May 2022)? Thank you.
Micro inverter vs main unit….there is a negative to micro….they care harder to get to as they are on the roof, therefore to change one I would need scaffolding where’s as my inverter is on the wall in my garden. Accessibility is harder for fixing or replacing
I have had a solar powered well for a few years, and I have a question no one seems to address. When it is partly cloudy, or the sun is shining through a thin overcast, does the solar panel put out a reduced flow of energy, or is it an all-or-nothing output? Thanks.
I'm trying to figure out why solar now my light bill is $75/mo and I use 416 kwh a month talked to sun run and sun power and they quoted me 145 a month and it increases every year....how is this saving me money?
Julian coming right out the gate with the hard truths. Money dictates everything and these companies don't give a single shit about making things better. That is one of the biggest problems with the world. :(
Regarding the micro-inverter advice. If a micro-inverter goes out, you're climbing up on top of your roof, to fix it. So, climbing onto the roof, unmounting the panel, and then swapping out the inverter. If your main inverter, in your garage goes out, it's much easier to replace. I'll pass on the micro-inverters.... particularly so since my system will be grid-tied. I lose the main inverter?? no problem, i still have power.
And where are the Enphase micro inverters that can support 450, 500, 550 watt panels? For Enphase you will need to install more panels, use more surface area (roof or ground mount) and more mounting hardware all increasing costs. Like any product, their are String Inverters that are very reliable as compared to others. Curious to know what brand(s) of inverters he was installing. And what the actual failure rate was.
Be careful about when you put solar panels on your roof I have a new metal roof on my house and the builder told me the warranty would be void if I put anything on that metal roof that requires drilling holes
Anyone have a contractor recommendation for Norwalk, CA? My neighbor has enphase micro inverters and says they keep failing, and his installer is bailing on their promise to do the servicing for free anymore
I was thinking about calling someone. I dont know if I want the phone ringing off the hook all day, twenty four seven, they will call on weekends, late night , holidays, I had one salesman call me on the fourth of July. I need information not a sales pitch. From what I have been gathering they are all crooks. They have been really pushing it here, huge expense, is it worth it?.
Great info but I'm against Micro inverters because they are mounted in the worst location in the heat. A large sma inverter in the shade will do better long term
I noticed they didn't even mention power optimizers. But he explains that perfectly at the end of the video when he reveals his share ownership in enphase...
I understand the benefits of microinverters (and love the data collection), but I want full independence from the electrical grid and have the batteries for that (24 KWH). Microinverters (I've seen) shut down without the grid (or a substitute) leading the way.
@@Green__one could you provide a link to more good info on that? I have already designed and bought, but not built, my off-grid system. I started off realizing that I do not know how much I do not know, and would likely evolve my system anyway.
@@PeterLawton mostly you're looking at solaredge systems, normally they're designed to be on grid, but with their backup interface you can now do an off-grid system with them. I believe there are some other power optimizer manufacturers out there, I just don't know enough about them to really inform you.
I was confused when he talked about microinverters. The part about reliability at 9 min. Sure if a central inverter goes out the whole system will be out. But then he starts talking about holes in the roof. Regardless of the inverter, the panels are there with the same holes. From a service call standpoint a central inverter is often easier to replace because you don’t need to get up on the roof. That can be huge if you have a clay tile roof for instance.
Questions: A) how do you then reroof your home down the road with a massive solar array installed over it? B) the financial calculation of approximately $3 per watt hour - does this INCLUDE the costs of installation and maintenance over the next 25 years? C) does EVERYONE value solar on the roof when looking at a home? I don't think so. It's like the question of a swimming pool - some see the value of enjoyment, other just see the costs and maintenance.
so if I'm in tucson and I can do 100% offset there bill how much will the bill for utility company be ? had mixed answers my coach stated if they are 100% offset. that customer will only see service fee for utility bill some customers iv set up seen service fee plus some eletric use . just learned that at night they are pulling from the grid so how can we present the solar payment with utility bill correctly without getting into a legal pickle
@@AsadAli-hm2vx Wich makes perfect sense since they have to maintain the grid and cater distribution. We have net-metring and a compensation for the surplus. This used to be 50% of the peakrate but with the current price hike it's less than 10%. Still, we receive money at the end of each year instead of paying. Also, the grid is my back-up for winter since it is not reasonable possible to cover that with batteries.
Im intetested in going solar, but the light Company i have is Magic valley electric and thats literally the only option i have. And even if i go solar this company does not credit the extra energy the panels would produce. And i will still have to pay fees out of pocket every month to this company. Not sure which route to take
I am informed that the solar companies sell you more panels than you need so that the electric companies can actually benefit by obtaining more power for them to sell at a high rate to those who do not have solar power. Is this factual? I would also think that the sizes of the panels by now should have reduced in size? Please disclose facts not the myths to the aforementioned disclosures. After listening to this video I am certain that this adviser is very honest. Thank you for sharing. A quote just came in at $32,000.00 and we just live in 1900 sq foot home.
Question when you are talking about mini inverters for each solar panel do you mean controllers??? I know that the controller usually managers the D.C. output from the solar panels to the storage batteries in an off grid system and the actual inverter takes that D.C. electrical current and converts it to A.C... Sorry bit confused maybe with Ingrid systems things are different and the solar panel energy is converted diffrently?
When you purchase solar equipment for your home and have tax liability, you generally can claim a solar tax credit to lower your tax bill. The Residential Clean Energy Credit is non-refundable meaning that it can offset your income tax liability dollar-for-dollar, but any excess credit won’t be refunded. If the credit exceeds your tax liability for the year, you can “roll over” the unused portion to future years so long as the credit remains in effect.The tax credits and refunds are they refunds
I am a retired engineer (66 years old). I did all my own solar and it works great (San Diego). The first thing I learned about "solar" was that most of the people selling it did not understand it. Now that I have designed a couple systems and experimented with them before safely putting them to work, I am ready for my next system. I was so fortunate to find Julian's TH-cams and did a binge session learning from him. Once I get my schematic drawings done I am going to pay him to advise me on my next system. I will definitely be using Enphase IQ 8(X) micro inverters as I learned how great they are during my studies. Anyway, he is a great science-based and well-educated young man that I look forward to working with on my project. If I were considering paying someone to do my solar there is not a person I would contact except Julian.
You hit the nail on the head…..you gotta be an electrical guru because unless you are, you are gonna get ripped off over and over and over…like my sister.
The guy across the street just bought into one of these systems. He was very excited by the whole sales pitch and took it hook line and sinker. He sent them to my place after they finished with him. I ignored them...He called and said let them in...he said that he would get a $300.00 "credit" if I buy a system too...? Anyway...I asked my neighbor "how many KwH output? his reply was, "Huh"? How many panels will you get? Ummm...30 something? when do they install the new system? Oh, there is a 60 to 90 day waiting period due to supply issues. When is your first payment? I had to start paying as soon as I signed the contract. Can I see the contract? they didn't leave a copy for me....but I can get online and see it. What did you sign? a summary!! but I don't have a copy of that either. LAST question....did they bring the Vaseline? or did you pay for that too?
should be 3 day cooling off period to cancel by register mail
Not sure if you’re trolling or not but:
1.How many panels your home needs is based on your needs, not your neighbors.
2.The 30 to 90 day process involves having site survey on your home(to make sure your conduit is to code, and they don’t burn your house down ),city and county permitting etc. most of which has nothing to do with the Solar Company.
3. Contracts are two forms. One is Loan Docs, soft credit check to make sure you are north of 650. Also HIA which gives the project management to ask for permitting on your behalf.
Loans don’t fund until install.
It’s really you that needs the KY jelly since your Buddy will own his power when your still renting. Solar is a financial no brainer, a hedge on inflation, if you even understand that terminology
Almost everybody in my neighborhood had them installed. I felt pressured. We will be here in 4 days to inspect then set up install. I said I can't that day. It has to be done ASAP! It has to be done ASAP? Why? Is there an expiration date on the panels? Total BS! We calculated per month for the year and we pay $80 a month. They said you will pay $80 a month. I'm not saving at all. My neighbors have tri-level homes they pay $80.00/ month. Plus I also have to pay $13.00/m to Comed. I have a raised ranch 1 level! There is no reason I should pay that much! My husband said the next day just cancel it. Don't bully me to do it on the spot. There's no immediate rush to put them on my damn roof.
Yeah 25 year lock in! I'm glad I was freaking out about it and canceled the next morning by text. Get your point across and save yourself. Get it in text - Email...whatever. I've been trying to move out of Illinois for 14 years. Only stayed to help with grandkids. There is no way I could have paid outright that charge without taking out a loan.
@@kathleenbrown1395
From the perspective of a solar engineer, solar designer, master electrician, and electrical contractor:
-I’m glad to see a solar sales person who cares about learning and sharing knowledge
-it’s nice to hear MORE truths than not
From this young man
-I realize this video scratches the surface and shared generalities, however for one to desire to be fully honest about products and what’s being shared with potential customers,
It sounds like more learning is needed or the fullness needs to be presented even when speaking generalities
-when speaking about energy usage in the USA, there is a whole other 1/2 of the conversation still needed to be presented with regards to be generally presented, residential storage, power from residential wind, etc.
Keeping this short,
I’m glad to see one who is working to be knowledgeable and disclosing truths.
I have been doing solar sales for 4 years now and I sell the exact same way you do. Honesty is always the best policy.
Right on, brotha
@@Superiorsolarconsulting I'm considering purchasing solar panels. I've not come across anyone mention putting the panels on a roof that is 20 years old. Have any of you had to have your roofs replaced AFTER you've purchased solar panels? It seems like replacing your roof with the panels would a pricey NIGHTMARE. Thoughts? Thanks!
Tile roofs typically last 40-45 yrs from what I’m aware. I’m not sure what other company’s services/guarantees are but we offer 25yr Roof Penetration “Leak” Guarantee on the areas that are worked on or affected by the solar installation…and if your roof need to be replaced before installation or any repairs the gross costs should be included in the 30% tax credit
@@reneebrooks2722 ^
@@christianvillanueva6063 Thanks for the info
Before going solar make sure you do an energy audit of your home, it might be cheaper to replace windows, upgrade your heating and cooling, add insulation so that when you do go solar you will have the right sized system and not too large. Don't trust the salesmen they will up sell you on a system you don't need. I agree on the micro inverters, when I put in my system at my last home micro inverters weren't an option and when my whole system inverter went down so did the system, even when covered under warranty it still took months to replace under warranty. Even when going with a good contractor they may not be in business in the future, so make sure you know how your system is warranted from the manufacturer and how to get repairs under warranty. Make sure you have some option to use solar when the grid goes down, a grid tied system leaves you in the dark when the power goes out. Last of all not all homes are good for solar, I have seen people put solar on homes that are shaded most of the day and even on north facing roofs.
Yes this dude time so many lies !
Thank you for sharing your advice I got talked into allowing a salesman come and explain to me why solar will be a good option without me really doing my own research
@@alexb.6772 I understand totally !
I been trying to spread the word as much as I can but you would be surprised at how many people believe a con man rather than doing research or listening to someone trying to save them !
There is a huge solar company that just changed their name to ( link solar ) or something but they had so many people complain they had to close the business and start all over !
They errr selling to people located in places where the snow would never allow the solar to work !
I’m a fan of solar , but there is a time and place for it and it sure is not going to replace grid electric at any time soon
That’s funny you mentioned where it snows is where they are trying to sell themselves I live in a snowy state. Thanks again.
@@alexb.6772 th-cam.com/video/Lq1LlDMizc4/w-d-xo.html
The number 1 thing is to make your home interior as energy efficient as possible. Insulation, appliances, heat pump water heater, highest seer HVAC you can afford, and seal as many home air gaps to outside you can. 2nd, do not undersize your solar panel system!
I just seen a horror story, a family was short twenty panels I believe. Their utility bills before solar, under two hundred, with solar reaching three hundred, and the cost of the loan for the panels, company gave them a huge runaround. They were also told when they let the salesman know that they were planning on replacing their roof, it would be no cost, one time deal, wrong four thousand dollars. I am interested but not interested in being lied to and scammed.
Completely agree with your first point, but the second one doesn't apply to everyone depending on their utility. If you oversize a system and end up paying more for the system then it cost to pay the difference to the utility then it's a bad idea. For example, my utility will provide 1:1 net metering during the billing cycle, but any excess at the end of it is purchased at 5% of what it cost to buy it from them. Therefore, oversizing would have lost me money 6 months out of the year.
This is an awesome video and thank you so much for putting this out there. Everything you guys covered is exactly what I have had to find out on my own. Breath of fresh air! One thing I would say is for everyone is to first update their windows, A/C, insulation first before going solar. Normally the number one power consumer in any home is going to be A/C and the water heater. Poor insulation also forces your A/C to work harder so good insulation and good windows also go along way. Once you have all these done I suspect you will really have a good idea of what your true power consumption is on average per month.
Sizing a system when you have a very old A/C, old water heater, poor insulation and poor windows will lead to sizing a system that may be larger than what you really need. Important to note that power consumption is a very personal thing. If one persons wants to run their A/C at 70 degrees all day long will be very different than someone that keeps their A/C at 76-78 degrees. Everyone is different; however, if you take some of these variables out of the equation it will give you a more realistic idea of what your power consumption is.
All these upgrades will increase the equity in your home and end up saving you money when you decide to go Solar. For a friend of mine this was the difference in installing a 42 panel system versus a 58 panel system. Hope this helps and my humble .02 cents everyone!
Very good advice- power consumption needs are and should be based on your electrical bill… I am doing my homework on the feasibility of solar panels for our home and our needs…each home is different and for the size of home we have and the amount of windows and our north facing house with a 3 foot engineered roof overhang- it changes everything… so really do your homework and maybe remodeling your home where you can favorably get back your investment on a resell… or negotiate as low as possible, for a cash price which I am trying to do… I wonder what sales commission are on the sale?… that and quality of install, service and quality of product is what your paying for…
Solar is just another green energy scam.
Endless thanks for putting time into making this video! I was just manipulated into a solar contract yesterday from the door to door salesman and am ready to make the call to cancel it immediately-after this valuable information. Wow!-was almost sucked into a major $64k mistake!! I have got to be more careful.
At least u found out! Good for u!
Damn man, $64k system is expensive! What was included in that one?
Buying anything from a door salesman is a major mistake
@@alejandro3485- long gone are the days of the Kirby salesman and his compelling demonstrations! Oh well
64k certainly is no small amount of change. I'd be interested in more of the specifics as to what you were saying you were getting ripped off for. Cause systems do cost that much.
1) Avoid PPAs - absolutely!
2) Love microinverters - absolutely - Enphase forever!
3) Roof leaks! Need folks who seal penetrations correctly!
4) Delaying? Nope - the sooner you go forward, the sooner you are saving with your system paid off!
5) Payback periods - depend on your utility rates. In SCE or SDG&E a 5-7 year payback sounds right for solar only. Adding storage extends that quite a bit.
6) $3.00/Watt? Not really, expect more like $3.50, and more depending on other work that needs to be done, at least here in SoCal.
7) Julian - get NABCEP certified!
Number 1 is ignorance.
There is a solar panel company in NL, that has 30+ different brands of panels, all are installed on their building for show-case purposes. You can see the power output of each panel live and over time. Each of them works good, no matter if it's some big name brand or some cheap rip-off, they all work without fail and the power differents they give is about 1,8% max between all the panels, last time I checked. That's why some honest installers around here would say, you can buy expensive panels or get some cheap ones from some wholesale, they will both be perfectly fine. But, make sure you get a good invertor, like the enphase, because those actually really matter. Great video, thanks.
I’m more worried about degrading over time and toughness in a hail storm.
Never buy right away. Most these door to door salespeople want you to buy right away, which is nuts. Always look at the details and at least do a comparison with a competitor. Here in Florida I had two solar people come to my door and pitch me a 9.6 Kilowatt system for around $45,000. That’s a lot to potentially save my $160 electric bill. I compared that online with a similar Tesla system and that came out to around $21,000! That’s a huge difference. I’m probably not going to get that either because I’m only going to be in this house for a few years but at least it’s reasonable.
Funny thing is,. that 21k (not Tesla, but other high quality parts (I have put these together on my own) includes the batteries which would allow you to cut out the grid almost completely (depending on your sun hours throughout the year). That 45k I bet had zero batteries. Most people don't understand the most expensive part of any solar system is the batteries which is what can truely make you energy independent if you have enough capacity. At a minimum, you can offset and add to it over time depending on the size of the array.
I run my own solar company and your number #1 is exactly how I believe about solar. I have seen fellow companies fall for the beauty of profits and start selling leases or ppa. Second point; you are right that these big companies have great contracts BUT these companies are too large to fulfill everything in the contract. So get them to breach their own contract. Create lots of service tickets until you are not a profitable customer... look into the contract for the hard to maintain statements
@Abdul Ishaq then you can move to sue them for not upholding their end of the contract and you want them to remove the system.
@Abdul Ishaq what's the company name?
@@josephsalazar6428 u probably can't sue only go to arbitration.
I have to say that this was a very informative video, not just a slick way to try and convince people to go solar. Interesting fact about having to take over contract if you buy a house that has already been converted to solar, I never even thought about that. For me though, my electric bill from Oct-May average about $62 a month, Jun-Sept $115, so it does not make sense for me. Single guy, small house, big garage. All LED bulbs etc. It amazes me though that some people in this area pay as much as $800 a month for electric bill, I remember when my first morg payment with taxes was about $500 and I thought that was high!
if your utility company allows you to go completely 120% plus offset. It actually will make sense even if your bills are that low.
I appreciate the honesty. I do have one comment regarding increasing the value of your home. My wife is a realtor here in Florida and she has spoken directly to the real estate appraisers in SW Florida and they ALL say that they put no value to solar being on a house. In other words, it does not increase the value of the house. Several said they subtract value in some cases i.e. if it is older etc.... So maybe in California it increases value, but that is not the case everywhere.
I wonder if it depends on the homes appearance. I’ve seen homes with a sloping roof that faces the street and the panels look HORRIBLE. I have a flat roof, no one can see the panels. It’s great.
Yes it depends on the market economics of each individual area and utility. In solar friendly sates and utilities, home values will rise with solar because of the real benefit. In some places it may not
Solar panels generate electricity…. electricity costs money. It’s really that simple. Would you prefer to buy a house where you don’t have to pay an electric bill … or to purchase a home where you have to pay an increasing electric bill forever? It doesn’t take a very high level of intelligence to understand which scenario would have more monetary value.
Great info. I just bought a house in the winter mountains of Utah and I plan to replace my roof and add a solar array next summer. This is the kind of information I need to make good choices about it.
Microinverters have several advantages over conventional inverters. The main advantage is that they electrically isolate the panels from one another, so small amounts of shading, debris or snow lines on any one solar module, or even a complete module failure, do not disproportionately reduce the output of the entire array. Each microinverter harvests optimum power by performing maximum power point tracking (MPPT) for its connected module.[1] Simplicity in system design, lower amperage wires, simplified stock management, and added safety are other factors introduced with the microinverter solution.
The primary disadvantages of a microinverter include a higher initial equipment cost per peak watt than the equivalent power of a central inverter since each inverter needs to be installed adjacent to a panel (usually on a roof). This also makes them harder to maintain and more costly to remove and replace. Some manufacturers have addressed these issues with panels with built-in microinverters.[2] A microinverter has often a longer lifespan than a central inverter, which will need replacement during the lifespan of the solar panels. Therefore, the financial disadvantage at first may become an advantage in the long term.
A power optimizer is a type of technology similar to a microinverter and also does panel-level maximum power point tracking, but does not convert to AC per module.
This is the info that should have been clearly stated.
18 minutes could have boiled down to this instead.
But thx for info
What we need is you on a show with these two gentleman and you all can have a solid Q&A and see what comes out of it. I appreciate what you wrote, but in order to make improvements in the comments section, reach out to these individuals and make a full “in-depth” breakdown over the course of a series of videos. This would be a massive win for consumers and also help us to lessen the damage to Mother Earth while being able to put food on everyone’s table. This business should ALWAYS be a win-win-win for everyone. If all business worked this way, so much nonsense would be removed from everyday life.
I learned a lot. Thank you! BTW, on the whole topic of selling a home while a system is leased or being financed ... in my state (probably in most and possibly all states) a home must be free and clear of all liens in order to transfer ownership. This is the whole point of having a Title company do a Title search to make sure the Title is "free and clear of all liens". This law protects new owners from buying property ... thinking it is now "their" property ... and then having a party show up and claim you owe them money and they have a lien on your property.
Actually, liens don't always show up in title searches. This is the reason to use an experienced gent who should know how to sell homes with any type of solar. Liens may not show up and neither will UCC filings, unless they specifically search for them. An experienced agent is a must to make sure these sales are processed accurately. Most solar loans also have UCC filings, making them personal property, not owned as solar companies will tell you. Solar companies will file a UCC filing as collateral for the solar panels, which immediately turns this asset into personal property. A homeowners must review their finance documents to reflect the UCC filing. I'm an instructor on this topic and a full time residential realtor specializing in sustainability.
When selling--If the new homie owner takes over the existing finance agreement then the UCC lien will be subordinated to the new mortgage. Thus, No need to pay off the panels when selling
The homes I sell either the buyer will qualify to take over the loan or lease payments. It's that easy.
@@JanGreen Great advice! Especially in California where the State is pushing hard to get rid of fossil fuel. I expect new homes beginning in 2023 will not have natural gas systems installed. The public will need to learn from knowledgeable people like you. If your Solar system produces over what you use, SCE buys it from you at a terribly low rate. We won’t talk about EVs. Lol.
Yeah as long as the seller keeps making his payments, no lien is filed. After the sale of the home the seller stops making payments, the lien is filed on the new owner
When the sales person tells you the system size is XX KW, ask the sales person what you can realistically expect in system production. XX KW is the theoritical maximum the system can produce. But their are built in losses to the system efficiency, in addition to tilt, azimuth, latitude and longitude, and shading mean a lot in solar system production losses. My 11.6 KW system max production during peak hours (11 am to 2 pm) in the summer months is 9.2 KW.
@JimoTex22 PTSD um, "everyone"? I didn't, so I appreciated their comment. I guess that's 2 of us dolts in the world. :)
Five years in CA if you are paying exorbitant electric pricing, but here in northern PA it is more like 8-15 years for grid-tied solar and batteries take you past 20 years in most cases. It all depends on where you are at (solar irradiance) and what your electric rates are (CA is about the worst so the payback is faster).
From an American solar installer in Mexico, GREAT info, I concur 100%!
where are you in Mexico? i’m in Oaxaca on the coast and currently planning my system. Need a good consult 😅
I just signed a solar contract. I got four bids and had four very unique sales experiences. One of the four came from a company that does lots of very good TH-cam videos so they had a lot of credibility with me. They were honest, but they were the company that were the most like a old-style car salesman. One guy represented the traditionally highest efficiency brand. He didn’t even try to sell me. He seemed to think that the brand sold itself. Another guy came by took a quick look and sent me a bid. He didn’t put much thought into it. The fourth company did a very thorough job, gave me a bit that was a bit high but brought it down via negotiations, and did a lot of other things that made me feel good about what I was buying and about having them support me in the years to come. My suggestion is to get at least three bids, don’t talk to the first person you run into that has a good-sounding sales pitch.
@JimoTex22 PTSD My rule of thumb is that anyone who says "man up" to someone else has masculine issues of his own to deal with.
Which company did you choose .
@@facehappyable Simmitri in San Jose CA.
Nice when you meet someone who’s conscience is what guides them. God Bless you for honesty.
I researched this years ago and concluded that - at the time - the only way it works financially is to buy and install the equipment myself - I haven't looked into it recently. As others suggested, the first thing to do is see if you can decrease overall power consumption. A few additional comments:
One point about microconverters that's often not mentioned is that some generate a lot of RFI (radio interference). If you have radios of any type, they "may" be interfered with during the day.
Most people assume that once they get solar, they can be all smug knowing that they'll have the only house with the lights on if there's a power outage... no. 99% of all solar systems shut off the power if the grid goes down. While there are systems that continue to run if the grid goes down, they're few and far between.
Another thing people don't realize is that if ANY shade falls on ANY part of the panels, it shuts down that ENTIRE circuit. Some installations have more than one circuit, but the point is, solar generation numbers are almost always far lower than the salesman promises.
Be aware that power companies are quietly working to undo some of the advantages of going solar. For example, our local power company is trying to implement a monthly $60 solar fee. That very much dilutes the payoff period, so be sure to look into that.
I'm in the San Diego as well.
The real point of going solar os grid failures and Brownouts.
Fronius recently did a test on Shading and broken panels aswell. If the inverter is good enough there’s only a 2-3% drop of efficiency if the panel is shaded heavily. Search Fronius shading in TH-cam. I think it’s 17 minutes long or something
There are actually a series of enphase microinverters so that even if one panel goes down the rest of the system works. It is very important to go with a company that cares about you
Your paragraph about shading is wrong. Different arrays with different shades values is very common on most roofs.
You say you researched it several years ago, So now your electric bill has gone up several times but if you finance the panels and get an honest company your bill would be less than several years ago and solar would not have gone up at all. . Of course DIY - if you have the time and knowledge, always is better Good luck
Ooo! Thanks for all of this helpful info. I'm a Costco customer in Los Angeles, and I'm having a salesman come in and give me info/a quote some time next week. I'm taking all of this info in as I consider making a purchase.
I would like you to bring this guy back and see what he has to say about Solar solutions for RV’s, nomads, skoolies. These people are the ones buying whole solar packages and creating their own packages.
Thank you, I just purchased a home that came with solar panels. The previous owner was forced to pay it off. I wasn't familiar with solar components, so this was informative.
Do you know what company they got there solar panels from
I am in the same predicament. I have closed on the house yet.
The company for me was Sunrun. They are a nightmare.
I like how this kid rolls. Nice thx for sharing👍 we all should get on board so we can get the world together faster with clean, safe energy
1:58 BINGO!!! You hit the nail on the head.
Great video, thank you, it is helping me make my decision which contractor I am going with
It’s a better investment to foam insulate your home, add solar screens, upgrade your widows and doors, insulate your garage door. Just about anything is a better investment. Ever wondered why every AC system doesn’t come solar powered
We do a small system, the ROI is around 200 days. It doesn't meet all the power needs, but it works, our KW prices here are higher than most places.
We source are are hardware so we can hammer down the prices on the hardware but charge a set day rate to install, but it still works out cheaper.
Micro inverters work so do dual MPPT. It this depends on where it's being installed. A 100% none shaded good bunch of panels will work just fine and you save on buying the additional micro inverters.
Optimisers are okay, but the main market ones are over priced for what they factually are and do, I think they are worth 20usd tops.
Very informative. I started out with 200 watt panels in 2007, changed them out for 400 watt panels last year when installing a new roof. Loving solar 👏🏻
When I think of solar I think of holes in my roof; what happens when I have to replace my roof (who removes the panels and at what cost); does wind make roof leaks more likely; and what impact will it have on resale in say 10 years.
Wow crazy I'm getting a solar evaluation this week! Great information 👍
What city do you live in?
@@Superiorsolarconsulting sent you an email with more information and contact.
@@Superiorsolarconsulting hi....I live in Texas...Solar Inc wants to charge 71500 with montly payment of 233.00 for 25 yrs...Its sound like crazy....what is your opinion?
ME TOO!!! Thank you ALL!
Which one did you pick ?
Just go slow with solar. Your ac and heating bills are most of your electric needs. Just start small. Purchase a 1 ton mini split 48 volt dc system and 4 solar panels with 48 volts out each. Just start in a part of the house thats mostly used. And as you get more money, add more systems.
This is a great video. Required Viewing for all who wish to get into solar power.
We bought a house with leased panels and I have to say we didn’t know a lot about it but our bill is not bad at all. We were paying more on our rental so I guess we don’t see it as a bad thing. We just don’t own then and that’s pretty much it.
Someone should do a video about California new construction solar requirements. New homes are mandated to have solar installed but the builders really take advantage of the home buyer. You buy your home, then as part of the buying process you are then forced to buy the solar system through a company the builder owns and at rates over $5/watt. Since the solar is part of the new construction it is the easiest install and should be well under $3. California needs to modify the requirement and allow new buyers to use any licensed contractor.
I never listen to people who call every other salesperson and company, consultant snd contractor a scammer.
This is an approach that creates fear and doubt of others to establish themselves as an expert to drive leads and make sales.
Gosh, lots of people make micro inverters, not just Enphase!
For reliability, My brother had 3 out of 24(I think, maybe 28) Enphase fail. Enphase was great, gave him replacement inverters and a little cash $75 each(I think 2014). NO CONTRACTOR would give him a quote on replacement! That's BEFORE learning he had a 2 1/2 story 50 degree roof. He had to do it himself. A central inverter would be at ground level and take less than an hour to replace.
I have no problem with micro inverters, but there is a place for central inverters. As you have said and I would gladly recognize, solar panels are very reliable, why put inverters where they are not accessible!
Same story here, my inverter is easy accesible. The cost of getting individual inverters on the pannels are way higher than just replacing the central one, not to mention the extra costs for a reacher or scaffolding.
Thank you so much for this video. We recently spoke with a Vivint consultant who quoted us $67,000 for a solar system with a 25 year payoff timeframe. We are already retired and will probably not live to see that. I know more questions to ask of the next consultant.
Go with sigora solar or Lgcy Power
I'm looking to get solar too. Tesla by far has the best prices.
Hey Susan, I currently am a solar specialist with LGCY Power! I’d love to get you a quote as well as answer any questions you have about renewable energy with LGCY!
So a question I have is the one pushing his marketing scheme has been doing this for like 3 years. How is he stating that panels last 30 years easy when the industry has been around for less than 15 years. I mean yeah you can replace the panels if they go out(at a cost of 3K per panel plus 500 for install etc.), but how is that economical in the least? Yeah so I replaced my power bill of 100 bucks with a 250 bill a month for solar panels on a 25 year loan and when after 15 years they start failing I need to reup? This sounds great for the seller and not so much for the user. So then for using 100 dollar a month means my solar should be around 6K in cost. Maybe it is just me but most of the ones I am checking are in the 40-60K range. How is that ever a 5 year plan?
Good info on micro inverters. Living in a SNOW area adds the issue of heavy tons of snow coming down fast, destroying the eaves troughs, and injuries to people, animals. With the current political aim of increasing costs of everything there are some unknowns. One is how long you can afford your home or to stay in it. Then, the costs of it when panels and inverters will update likely rapidly making your own system less than up to par in some cases. I think snow or high rain places have more issues. But both of you are fine people trying to help others and the earth.
The ROI in Switzerland is between 20-24 years. I wonder how it can be so much lower in the States…
This does include a battery…
The system including the battery 12.45 kW / 10 kW battery, will cost CHF 54 k (a bit more in USD). After tax benefits you are looking at net 42 k. So it’s about twice as expensive as in the US. Crazy!
I think average ROI is about 10yrs for turn-key 5kw grid connected systems. (cost $15k. electric 15cents/kwh) As electric costs go up then it helps with the ROI. Some states have peak additional charges, so it helps ROI. With 10yr warranty on batteries, its take expensive electricity or other needs to justify it. imho
If you have some type of battery storage system (like PowerWall) can you still use microinverters? Doesn't seem to me that microinverters would make sense in this case because you would have to convert the power back to DC at the batteries.
A battery only makes sense if your utility doesn’t offer some kind of net metering or payback for excess production, so make sure you check on that before deciding. Battery systems cost a ton and may be essentially useless if your utility is like mine and will pay you the same amount they charge per kwh
@Mas-ud Al-hassan "Ultimate freedom" that I'll never need because I live in a developed country with a reliable power grid isn't worth $15,000 of battery backup to me. If the power grid goes down for an indefinite period of time, it likely means everyone is going to have a lot more problems than just no power because it probably means the end of life as we know it, and some solar power isn't going to fix that. Better also brush up on your bow hunting and general survival skills.
This man sounds genuine. Wish he was in MO. I would use him
Larry I live in Kansas, looking into a solar system. Did you find a company that you liked in MO? Thanks for the help!
There is a slight issue with Micro Inverters. A current IQ8+ is rated 300VA but a modern LG Neon panel is rated at 370VA, so in the peak of summer there is going to be some clipping of power an hour or two either side of midday. This means for example a system with 20 x 370VA panels produces a maximum of 6000VA and not the 7400VA some people might expect. However you will have that 6000VA for a fair amount of the day in ideal conditions, so essentially over-sizing the panel isn't a bad thing. The big attraction of Micro Inverters for me is not having 400-500 DC volts in the roof space which you get with string inverters, 230 VAC or around that is much safer.
I would have micro inverters any time over a big inverter and lots of DC, I take the point about sealing holes in the roof (I have a metal tile roof), that bit always seems to get skipped over when you watch installation videos.
Good point!
Multi string systems as most common used around here do not require micro inverters or optimizers and will normaly have about 8 pannels per string, wich limmits the voltage to just over~300 Vdc.
My system is overdimensioned as well and indeed there is some clipping at the best days of the year. Still, the loss in that small ammount of time is compensated any other hour. This solution for maximum production costed me just 1 extra pannel. The costs for optimizers would have been equal to 4 extra pannels and only boost efficiency by 3~5%. Easy choice ;)
micro inverters are great if some panels are in the shade or fail, the rest of the system will continue to function
how come there are no videos of solar systems and people raving about how much they save after 10yrs since solar has been so big for over 20yrs? why is it that no one ever mentions the very expensive cost of replacing a roof when the entire system has to be taken down. what about the really expensive batteries that need to be replaced every 5yrs, or the inverter or other components that need to be replaced, and all those companies that guarantee their solar panels for 20yrs or more that all seem to go out of business around 10yrs. funny how there are so many extra costs that are never mentioned. what is up with all of that?
Another lie Warranty comes with mine for the next 25 years anything goes wrong they fix it for free,
hard to leave everything alone for 20yrs. lol. (I clean them from time to time due to pollen) You can find videos that have multi-year results.
We all say that “I’m not like other reps” a lot of solar reps are actually trying to be honest. I try to be, I hit 7 expectations on every single sale.
1 roof age get that checked first before slamming panels on a roof that needs to be replaced
2. My labor warranty doesn’t cover acts of god put it in your home owners insurance
3. Explain the tax credits honestly, it’s a credit and refer them to an accountant
4. Battery expectations (I only sell battery and certain ones can back up more loads and what it can and can’t power in an outage
5. They will still have a small power bill!
6. Time line of our installs
7. Make sure hoa doesn’t own their roof
We only sell owner ship here in utah and we are partners with the power company.
Batterys all day
Usually when someone says "I'm a little different " with air quotes, it's not a compliment 🤪. But this guy seems legit.
I want more information abiut getting set up with receiving energy from a solar farm
Wait…. Real estate agents typically like the PPA, because it doesn’t obligate the current homeowner with a lien that has to be negotiated during the real estate transaction. It typically becomes a simple sign off from one homeowner to the next, during the home sale. And, there’s an option to buy on many PPA plans, a few years in, for significantly less than initial market value …through many solar companies, like Sunrun.
I don’t see a problem with the PPA at all. This was a good but limited video. The PPA is a great option.
Thanks, Ben and Julian. Lots of good points to think about.
Sub’d & liked. I appreciate the honesty. I would love to see a business rise up that is purely independent and acquires the power to have massive oversight to protect consumers and provide the information needed to not get screwed in life.
Where you live makes all the difference as to how long the payback will be. Your bill cost is not your savings. There are still base charges even if you have net export every month. Of course, California energy cost is so high that payback might be faster than my experience.
I'm in Louisiana. I have 8kW STC (5.9kW NOCT) of solar since November 2019. I have all production, consumption, import, and export data with 15-minute resolution for that entire time. My average saving per month for the past year is $74.09 (at $0.14948 per kWh total cost). I don't have batteries, but my system installed cost after rebates and tax breaks was $23,000. For my situation, even with 0% financing it would still take me over 25 years to break even. I am grandfathered into NEM 1 net metering until 2034. After that I am forced onto NEM 3 and my economics get even worse.
Here's the one big question to ask about solar: Since Germany has invested more per capita than any other country in solar, and since Germany is now suffering power shortages and is turning back on its nuclear and coal-fired power plants, hasn't the ugly truth been exposed about solar energy?
I lived in a solar house in the late 1970s. After that experience, I became anti-solar. We had two windmills in our yard back then. They didn't work either. I moved out.
Its probably due to data centers.. they use massive amount of electricity 24/6 and it will continue to grow because meta world needs storages and servers
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Peace.. Shalom.. Salam.. La Paz.. Namaste ..
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How do panels hold up to hail, ice storms, blizzards etc? I have an awkward roof angle with a narrow angle of daytime sun thanks to trees. It would cost me $50K to remove the trees before I could benefit from solar. I have land so I could do panels on stands. If I were do to solar/battery system I would want to have it exclusive with a generator back up and cut the cord from the electric co.. But, I have heard nightmare stories from so many people about the promises that aren't kept in regards to needing to remove the panels to replace a roof, selling the house, equipment failures etc. I have an average electric bill under $50 a month except for summer when I have a dehumidifier running. I was considering just a couple panels and an inverter for the dehumidifier. It will do it's job running 8-10 hours a day.
Solar sounds great and I've done a bit of casual research. Some things no one ever mentions is that panel efficiency degrades over time. All of the analysis I've seen assumes 100% over the life of the panel. Another point missing is reroofing costs when panels are installed. It must add some cost to putting on a new roof but I never see that in any analysis. Another added cost I never see is homeowners insurance. Putting a 20k system on your home must raise your insurance rates. I never see that in ROI spreadsheets. An alternative to some of that which also sidesteps putting a bunch of holes in your roof is to put panels in a field array. I have two acres and would consider doing that in a heartbeat. Never see anything about that though either.
@@DP-sh3nk I added a 5 K system to my house, same price and the rider for my solar panels is $47 a year. No big deal! Just make sure to research what it covers.
Actual work of attaching panels to a roof is pretty simple. Just bolt the brackets to the underlying joists. It will probably add a little cost to pull them down and put them back up when a new roof is put on, but not that much and you may be able to do it yourself. Even with that cost you’re only doing it once over the life of the whole system that will pay you back much more than the cost of reinstalling with a new roof.
@@johndoe6032 yes, I understand it's not complicated. But your point makes assumptions, like panels go on a new roof to start with, or that the lowest bidder on a new roof can be trusted to handle thousands of dollars worth of panels. How many roofers deal with solar? I'm guessing not many. It's not hard. I've roofed before. But getting to an age where not only do I not want to, won't be long and I won't be able to lol. In any case, I was just making a point that any cost analysis should consider this as well as increased insurance costs to be accurate.
What about professional cleaning of Solar panels? Hiring a company to clean them adds up.
@@vkrgfan Solar companies will tell you that you don't need to clean them. And if you do - maybe once a year. I'm in the desert southwest and have never cleaned my panels in the year I've owned them. Rain rinses all of the dusty desert residue off. Solar companies may also advise NOT to hire a company to clean them. If they damage the panels from cleaning, the warranty may not cover that damage.
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The $3 per kilowatt target, is that before or after tax credits?
I sure hope it's before, because it's almost double what I paid after credits! (in fact it's higher than I paid BEFORE credits!)
Great info/video and Julian’s explanations is very helpful. For Americans; Just lacking any mention of solar panels & related equipment is or should be mfg in the USA? Especially if those are focused on the “Green” mind-set; production in house (in our Country) vs renewable energy shows there is a real commitment; and common sense too.
1 - Before going solar, make sure you have made your home or commercial facility as energy efficient as possible, and do an energy audit. 2 - if the customers heating and cooling equipment or process is more than 10-12 years old, replacing that equipment to save energy is going to be important, the condition of the building lighting, insulation and windows should also be looked at (That's why the audit first is important), putting hard start kits on large draw equipment such as air conditioners or compressors and replacing electric motors with higher efficiency units or adding VFDs commercially. 3 - PPA's are better for commercial projects than homes, also, commercially if I do a roof-mounted system, the solar installer carries a warrant for the contract life, we also upgrade the roof for roofs over 10 years old, housing contractors are not going to do that, so the owner should have the roof checked before installation. 4 - Ground-mounted solar is always the cheapest if you can plan space and have the ground do that. 5 - Microinverters are one of the best deals for home or commercial solar projects as the cost to replace an inverter is a lot less than a single large system, and then information supplied for view system output is more accurate and real-time. 6 - Commercial owners have a number of resources for payback that homeowners don't have, they get the standard Federal rebate, ut also can get if they are in a small community REAP grants for farm areas, State business energy reduction grants, IRS has and energy program, plus accelerated asset depreciation can be applied, your contractor should know these things and be educating the client on all the options available for his system. 7 - There are a lot of other things that can be said, but each client has a price range and variables that the contract has to work to fit a system, commercially energy efficiency and solar are applied as a multi-phased process of energy reduction where systems may include batteries, residentially its generally about finding the contractor that can provide the solar for a rate usually a 100-200 a month for 20 years replacing a large part of the electric companies charge rate, however in most cases the electric company charges are based on demand and the highest demand in most cases is what the customer pays. Energy efficiency is about reducing demand this is what you are after, so you have t look at whole systems.
Hi Carter I liked the way you presented your points. I am considering going for solar and would like to communicate with you. Is it ok to get your email? Thank you
As an electrician i like how you address the over looked issues.
There is a lot to check out before running for a glass package.
PS fire departments won't help you if they see that solar installation, too many fire fighters got cooked as things go wrong in a fire , thousands of volts running everywhere back up the truck out the water....
DEFINITELY reduce your energy usage before adding solar panels. I reduced my energy bill by 71% before adding solar. I started with an energy audit to know everything about my home first. I own a 1979 block house in Arizona. Pretty sure it has vermiculite in the block walls so did not add insulation in the walls. I added spray foam under the roof deck (R49), sealed my ducts and registers, swapped a 21 yr old Goettl for a 16 SEER Trane, LED''s, windows were already installed, added sun screens to block sun from west windows, new appliances - total spent $17,000. Added a 5K system that also powers my EV. This year I have paid $210 in electricity and once I swap out my 10 yr old water heat to a heat pump, I'll be in the positive category. I teach this stuff to realtors and am always available for questions. It's great not buying gas, or paying much (and soon nothing) for electricity. Old homes can be energy efficient!
@@JanGreen Great job!
Try he state of appliance and HVAC shouldn’t be a factor in deciding to buy solar because those are things that need to be replaced over time regardless. People should definitely make sure their home is running energy efficient to get save on cost whether going solar or not but doesn’t have to be a this or that, or one of the other first situation. Even a financed solar setup will pay off over time.
I agree with the reliability of solar panels. The micro inverters are another thing. The more Inverters you have, the likelier you will have a failure, and the problem with micro Inverters is that it is difficult to determine when and which micro inverter has failed. The other huge, pink elephant in the room is the cost of installation. It is way too high. What we really need is a UL approved, inexpensive, plug and play system that anyone can install.
i feel your comment is right on point.
So a simple multi-meter can't tell you if the meter has failed or properly working?
@@Fackletard yes, it could, but the problem is accessing the micro inverter under each panel. One would have to disassemble the entire array. It is so much work that no one does it until most of the micro Inverters have failed.
@@JR-kk6ce How sad. But I get it. Especially in this day and age.
Thank You so much. I am going solar this year and I have been doing research.
San Diego has some of the most expensive electricity in the country. If your electricity is $0.10 / KWH or less, your payback will be much longer.
Microinverters - how do you integrate them with battery back-up? The ideal is a system with 3 parts, the battery, the solar panel and the box that contains the inverter, charger, and transfer switch switched from grid power to inverter power automatically).
Yes indeed, little knowledge is dangerous.
KNOWLEDGE is POWER.
I DO NOT entertain any solicitor, period
Ok I'll take a step above here to help. Yes I'm a electrician and have watched what is going on . Im in Massachusetts and am self employed. I put my name on indeed just to see what was out there. At least half are for doing solar. Now the programs mass has everyone pays for this in your electric bill.So these companies will hire labor cheap to do most of the work especially roof stuff. Sure you can lease it for 20 to 30 years and not pay a dime. That's what I did with sunrun. But I knew I was going to sell my house in a few years. So my regular bill national grid 200 to 300 per month. when the solar was installed about 4 months national grid bill was zero but had to pay sunrun 130 then there increase 144. I only had it about 5 years. Yes it saved some money. Now if you have your own house and some land. You can get away with erecting a system for around 2 to 4 k depending on what you need. Depending on where you live you might not even need battery's. Net metering. Find out from your electric co what they do. So your asking how. Simple these labor guys get the damaged solar panels and resell them. I just bought 10 - 350 watt panels 10 x 350= 3500 watts for $300.00 . The panels are spidered but a plastic film can be put on them. And there are other ways to increase there output. Batteries are still expensive but are coming down. Inverters have come down a lot. There is one for $1400.00 6kw and is pretty simple. So under 2k at this point. Yes wire disconnects few other things. Try not to put the panels on the roof..just dumb.. Better where you can get to them easily. Easiest line em up secure them. Or put the on a rack where you can tilt and turn. There are multiple ways. Aven ways you don't even have to move them. This is a smaller system but you could easily double it for even less. You could even get a cheap 500 watt windmill to supplement. I could tell you how to get free heat also but this is getting to long. F the electric co F the government your being robbed in so many ways . Tesla got F by all of them 😮
16:53 Now the shilling for microinverters without even mentioning power optimizers makes perfect sense!
Re: the 5 year pay-back Julian mentions. I live up in the PNW and electricity costs are just under 13 cents/kWh. I'm assuming that compared to CA's power prices, my payback would be significantly longer. A 5 year payback would be attractive, a 13 year payback simply to recover my upfront costs and only at the 13 year mark to start savings money would not be very attractive. Great information. Doesn't sound like Powerwalls are a good investment which is what I decided when I started looking at the upfront cost and the energy capacity they hold.
My electric bill shows that the actual electric used is only around 1/3 of the total. A recent $180 monthly bill showed only $53 was the electric. The rest was transmission fees, various other fees and tax. It might be a good place to start, by reading and understanding your electric bill.
As a 20yr financial advisor i have to mention… Of course cash/buying saves money. But try to sell your house 5yrs later if it’s not paid off. Sunrun is easy to assume and work with. Maybe it was ain’t when this video was made however. The payback is 10yrs if purchased and now rates are 10%. Leasing is a far better option today for most people. From production guarantees to ease of transferring and cash out of pocket. Leasing makes the most sense for most people.
you get absolutely no tax benefits if you lease.
Im doing a lot of research before I say yes to solar panels. I thought they were free. Why they have to make payments.
Everything in your home may use AC, but your bateries don't... if you have an issue with a micro inverter, you would need to get up on the roof to fix it. There's tradeoffs there. Those inverters are going to be hot and exposed to the elements up there, too, and probably won't last as long. I don't know if those tradeoffs are worth it. I think it's better to run the panels straight to the solar charge controller, then hook the batteries to either one or two inverters. That way, you're only converting the energy once. The most cost-effective is an all-in-one system that has the solar charge controller and inverter in one system.
If you buy all the components yourself and pay someone to hook it up, you still have the manufacturers' warranty. This way, they can't overcharge you for the components either. I'd do the research and look at reviews for what you want. I certainly wouldn't buy a system from an installer.
I have hooked up a small mobile system for myself, and I didn't have any issues. I was running 400w to 700ah 12v batteries. I was able to run my mobile fridge 24/7 in my van. I didn't have to worry about inverters, though, as everything ran on DC. If you use mobile appliances, there's no need for an inverter. I wish there were more options for DC devices for use with solar systems. AC isn't necessary for short distances.
I live in a place with relatively low electricity cost....10.5 cents per kWh...and my system is still one of the best investments I have ever made. Own the system...don't lease it. I sized it to cover my domestic supply and enough to power two EV's (which I have added since installing solar). You can't compare this to a traditional investment ROI. It has a guaranteed return. No risk. Safer than stocks, bonds, real estate. If you judge it against the stock market you don't get it. Go with a reputable local dealer.
Anyone who claims that any investment doesn't involve risk, is not to be trusted. I can mention at least 20 risks involved in investing in a PV system. This is confimed by your own following advice: "Go with a reputable local dealer." to mitigate risk.
@@rolandfrerichs5625 I was giving people the credit for having an ounce of common sense. But, clearly you are an expert,
I understand that you are going to base advice on your local conditions, but San Diego is a lot sunnier than many parts of the country, so a disclaimer would be appropriate.
One KEY point that I did not hear covered... Tesla Powerwalls (battery storage) were mentioned. I have a Tesla solar system (no micro-inverters) with two Powerwalls and it took me far too long to recognize down deep in my head that the Powerwalls DON'T SAVE ME ANY MONEY off my electric bill. I have net metering, with electrical rates that do not vary by time of day. All that goes into the equation about saving money are two numbers: total power produced by the panels (as measured on the output side of the inverter) and total consumption by my house. The Powerwalls give me security from outages, but they themselves have no every day payback.
I have 45 solar panels on the roof of my garage and shed. They service both my house and garage. I know nothing about solar because I acquired the house after a divorce. How do I tell if my solar panels are working efficiently? And, what do you recommend for getting a battery back up? I think the company my ex went through was PEG alternative in Virginia. They’re no longer in business
As far as panel life, I tell most of my customers two things, firstly have you an old Casio Solar Calculator & solar panels are still working on satellites 🛰 50 yrs and still go strong. The micro inverters work well when shading is an issue, that’s it. Panels still in today’s market can only achieve mathematical maximum of 25% efficiency. Mine are 2011 panels with about 16% efficient. But losses are minuscule, it’s manly about area of roof covered.
Moron 😂
Space is a vacuum.
@@adamwpatterson what the hell has your statement got to do with solar panels.
This was a great video and helped me realize I've been on the right path.
This is a great video and the comments are worth reading also.
Absolutely. Thank you for watching and commenting
Hello Julian, Great Video! Thank you. I am very worry and hope you can help: I am in a contract and scheduled for my 8.265kW solar System to be install this week on a solar system with19 panels LG NeON R 435W, SolarEdge DC/DC Optimizer P505 and SolarEdge Inverter 7600H. However, LG is out of business, no longer in the Solar Panel industry starting April 2022. I am worry that LG is not holding the 25 years warranty (Product/Performance/Labor). I know that LG panels is one of the best with minimal failure rate. Should I be worry about the LG panels even if LG is going out of business the Spring 2022 (April-May 2022)? Thank you.
Micro inverter vs main unit….there is a negative to micro….they care harder to get to as they are on the roof, therefore to change one I would need scaffolding where’s as my inverter is on the wall in my garden. Accessibility is harder for fixing or replacing
I have had a solar powered well for a few years, and I have a question no one seems to address. When it is partly cloudy, or the sun is shining through a thin overcast, does the solar panel put out a reduced flow of energy, or is it an all-or-nothing output? Thanks.
A partly cloudy day would result in reduced energy production compared to a sunny day
Very minimal production on a cloudy day. You need good sun light to get good watts. You should also clean your panels too :/
I'm trying to figure out why solar now my light bill is $75/mo and I use 416 kwh a month talked to sun run and sun power and they quoted me 145 a month and it increases every year....how is this saving me money?
Nothing makes you feel all warm and fuzzy like a self-anointed hero. Some useful information, some not so much.
yet he wants people to buy his stuff
Julian coming right out the gate with the hard truths. Money dictates everything and these companies don't give a single shit about making things better. That is one of the biggest problems with the world. :(
Regarding the micro-inverter advice. If a micro-inverter goes out, you're climbing up on top of your roof, to fix it. So, climbing onto the roof, unmounting the panel, and then swapping out the inverter. If your main inverter, in your garage goes out, it's much easier to replace. I'll pass on the micro-inverters.... particularly so since my system will be grid-tied. I lose the main inverter?? no problem, i still have power.
And where are the Enphase micro inverters that can support 450, 500, 550 watt panels? For Enphase you will need to install more panels, use more surface area (roof or ground mount) and more mounting hardware all increasing costs. Like any product, their are String Inverters that are very reliable as compared to others. Curious to know what brand(s) of inverters he was installing. And what the actual failure rate was.
Be careful about when you put solar panels on your roof I have a new metal roof on my house and the builder told me the warranty would be void if I put anything on that metal roof that requires drilling holes
Metal roofs can actually be the best with solar because many of them don’t need to be drilled at all and can simply be clamped.
Anyone have a contractor recommendation for Norwalk, CA? My neighbor has enphase micro inverters and says they keep failing, and his installer is bailing on their promise to do the servicing for free anymore
He needs to talk about the clipping problem with micros.
I was thinking about calling someone. I dont know if I want the phone ringing off the hook all day, twenty four seven, they will call on weekends, late night , holidays, I had one salesman call me on the fourth of July. I need information not a sales pitch. From what I have been gathering they are all crooks. They have been really pushing it here, huge expense, is it worth it?.
For the micro inverters-would it not be inneficient to make the power ac then back to dc for battery storage?
Great info but I'm against Micro inverters because they are mounted in the worst location in the heat. A large sma inverter in the shade will do better long term
I noticed they didn't even mention power optimizers. But he explains that perfectly at the end of the video when he reveals his share ownership in enphase...
I understand the benefits of microinverters (and love the data collection), but I want full independence from the electrical grid and have the batteries for that (24 KWH). Microinverters (I've seen) shut down without the grid (or a substitute) leading the way.
@@PeterLawton sounds to me like you want a power optimizer setup, all of the advantages of micro inverters, with none of the disadvantages.
@@Green__one could you provide a link to more good info on that? I have already designed and bought, but not built, my off-grid system. I started off realizing that I do not know how much I do not know, and would likely evolve my system anyway.
@@PeterLawton mostly you're looking at solaredge systems, normally they're designed to be on grid, but with their backup interface you can now do an off-grid system with them. I believe there are some other power optimizer manufacturers out there, I just don't know enough about them to really inform you.
I was confused when he talked about microinverters. The part about reliability at 9 min. Sure if a central inverter goes out the whole system will be out. But then he starts talking about holes in the roof. Regardless of the inverter, the panels are there with the same holes. From a service call standpoint a central inverter is often easier to replace because you don’t need to get up on the roof. That can be huge if you have a clay tile roof for instance.
Questions: A) how do you then reroof your home down the road with a massive solar array installed over it?
B) the financial calculation of approximately $3 per watt hour - does this INCLUDE the costs of installation and maintenance over the next 25 years?
C) does EVERYONE value solar on the roof when looking at a home? I don't think so. It's like the question of a swimming pool - some see the value of enjoyment, other just see the costs and maintenance.
so if I'm in tucson and I can do 100% offset there bill how much will the bill for utility company be ? had mixed answers my coach stated if they are 100% offset. that customer will only see service fee for utility bill some customers iv set up seen service fee plus some eletric use . just learned that at night they are pulling from the grid so how can we present the solar payment with utility bill correctly without getting into a legal pickle
This is the part glossed over, buying from the grid at night. They also buy your energy cheaper than they sell it
@@AsadAli-hm2vx Wich makes perfect sense since they have to maintain the grid and cater distribution. We have net-metring and a compensation for the surplus. This used to be 50% of the peakrate but with the current price hike it's less than 10%. Still, we receive money at the end of each year instead of paying.
Also, the grid is my back-up for winter since it is not reasonable possible to cover that with batteries.
Im intetested in going solar, but the light Company i have is Magic valley electric and thats literally the only option i have. And even if i go solar this company does not credit the extra energy the panels would produce. And i will still have to pay fees out of pocket every month to this company. Not sure which route to take
I am informed that the solar companies sell you more panels than you need so that the electric companies can actually benefit by obtaining more power for them to sell at a high rate to those who do not have solar power. Is this factual? I would also think that the sizes of the panels by now should have reduced in size? Please disclose facts not the myths to the aforementioned disclosures. After listening to this video I am certain that this adviser is very honest. Thank you for sharing. A quote just came in at $32,000.00 and we just live in 1900 sq foot home.
Honest and open, got your drift man DIY thanks
Julian, thank you for your hosnesty.
Thank you for the information. I am about to install a system at my property and I will make sure the contractor install micro inverters.👍🤘
Question when you are talking about mini inverters for each solar panel do you mean controllers??? I know that the controller usually managers the D.C. output from the solar panels to the storage batteries in an off grid system and the actual inverter takes that D.C. electrical current and converts it to A.C... Sorry bit confused maybe with Ingrid systems things are different and the solar panel energy is converted diffrently?
When you purchase solar equipment for your home and have tax liability, you generally can claim a solar tax credit to lower your tax bill. The Residential Clean Energy Credit is non-refundable meaning that it can offset your income tax liability dollar-for-dollar, but any excess credit won’t be refunded. If the credit exceeds your tax liability for the year, you can “roll over” the unused portion to future years so long as the credit remains in effect.The tax credits and refunds are they refunds
Yes atleast here in Missouri and Illinois it is actually 5 years you are allotted to roll over the tax refund credit!