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Doing your due diligence on any home improvement is important, and solar panel installations are absolutely no exception. However, a solar panel installation may be a bit different than other types of modifications or projects. Here’s what we mean:

When it comes to solar panels, some of the most common discussions are about saving money on your electric bill and doing your part to help the environment. More often than not, these conversations revolve around residential buildings because… well, more people own a home than they do an office building. Are you looking to go solar for an office building? If you say yes, you’d be happy to know that you’ll receive the same advantages as going solar at a residential building.

When it comes to having rooftop solar panels, it’s not uncommon for people to assume that they’ll have electricity to power their home during a blackout. And at first blush, this makes sense. Solar panels make electricity. You have solar panels. Ergo, you should have electricity. Unfortunately, that isn’t quite the way it works. But that doesn’t mean that it isn’t possible!

Without a doubt, every single home improvement project is weighed with a variety of considerations - and one of the biggest is “how much will this cost?” That’s because - unfortunately - most of us aren’t so flush with cash that we can take on large projects without consulting our bank accounts. But, what about solar panels? We hear this question pretty often: “I thought it wasn’t going to cost me anything?” Well, it’s actually kind of true!

Let’s be real. Most people that are looking to go solar think about the financial benefits and incentives. These incentives consist of various federal and state rebates and credits. And although they are definitely enticing, they can also be a little confusing. Here are some common questions we get:

• Will I get a tax credit?
• Will I be able to deduct this on my taxes?
• Am I eligible for any state rebates or incentives?

Anytime a home or business owner makes a large investment in their property, they want to be assured that it’s a good one. No one wants to spend their hard-earned money on something only to find out after it’s been paid off that it needs to be replaced or that it’s reached end of life. And that goes double for something that’s semi-permanently attached to the exterior of their home like solar panels.

As you’re researching whether or not to invest in solar panels, you may find yourself wondering how the perfect system will be designed for your home. When it comes to solar panel arrays, one size definitely does not fit all. Even two homes with the exact same design and dimensions may require different array designs based on factors such as: 

• how much energy they use on a daily/monthly basis
• the direction the roof faces
• how much sun and shade they get during the day
• the climate they’re in

One of the biggest reasons that home and business owners choose to invest in solar panels is to save money on their electric bills. And that’s probably why you’re thinking of investing in going solar. But, you might have concerns about how this could affect your homeowner’s insurance. It’s important to note that if you’re purchasing your panels outright or investing in a solar loan then you’ll want to ensure that your homeowner’s insurance has coverage for panels. However, if you’re investing in a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), then your panels will be insured and maintained for 25 years by your solar panel provider.

Did you know that with your solar panel installation you can have not only active energy but extra stored energy? And this extra energy - that’s stored in a battery - can help you save even more money on your energy bill than solar panels alone. If it sounds too good to be true - it isn’t!

It’s no secret that one of the primary reasons people decide to invest in solar is because they want to save money on their energy bills. But can you really save money with solar panels? After all, there is a cost associated with installing the panels and then there’s maintenance to consider. The answer is fairly simple (yes!), although there are a couple of gray areas that will impact the savings you’ll recognize.