How much does it cost to go solar? That is the question that I am getting from my neighbors now that they are seeing the Fresh Homes trucks coming and going from my house.
Well, my answer as of right now is nothing. It is a win-win proposition. Because this is what I am contracting for with this solar installation broker. They coordinate the whole thing and take care of all the red tape like permits, inspections, sub-contracting with roofing and panel installers, the financing, and everything else. And it all comes with a 25-year protection guarantee.
The Protection Guarantee assures that the system will produce the power promised, or they will fix it to meet the requirements. In my case, they are promising to produce 65% of my power needs, This is based upon my current electrical usage needs. And balances my need vs. my pocketbook. They compute the cost of the roof and panels vs what I am now paying for electricity to break even or be less.
Solar cost vs Utility Bill
So it may not be cheaper to go solar, but it won’t cost more and I am helping the environment. And I am not installing costly batteries to store the excess. I will continue to pay the electric company for my electricity at night.
So how does the whole process work?
They started with the free home consultation, which was a no-pressure meeting with a solar expert to assess my needs. The consultant computed the size of the system I would need based upon my current electrical usage. The size will determine the cost and whether it is cost-effective to go solar. So every situation will be a different cost potentially, but the process will be the same.
So if it is cost-effective, the house will be evaluated to determine if the size of the required system is possible. And my credit was evaluated to determine if I will be reliable in paying for the cost of the system. Since it is a breakeven situation, that was not as scary as it seems. It pays the electrical utility company a totally out-of-pocket expense, or pays the solar system people to own my own solar power source.
Next Inspections
There are two inspections that come next. The first one is for the roof. And in my case, there was considerable damage from storms to my 19-year old roof. A roofer was sub-contracted to replace the roof. The cost will be rolled into the solar loan.
The second inspection is for a site inspection. This is to determine if the structure of the roof and the electrical system to the house can handle the demands of the solar system. The inspection results are then passed on to the structural engineers for a final determination of whether the installation is still possible and cost-effective. And the Engineers will design the system. They determine the type of panels and design them to produce the needed results.
When the design is complete, I get one last final approval to go forward. Then they will begin the process of obtaining the necessary building permits. Not having to deal with the County offices is wonderful.
Permits Issued – Installation Begins
Once we have the needed permits, the actual construction of the new roof and the solar system will begin. The actual installation should only take one or two days maximum. Then they have to call for a final inspection by the County permit issuers. This final inspector will give us the go-ahead to call the utility company for their inspection. The utility company must then issue a PTO – a Permission To Operate. At that point, they walk through the steps to turn the system on, We will then be generating some of our own power.
And We Have Gone Solar
If after reading all this, there are still any do-it-yourselfers here that think they want to tackle this whole process themselves, here is some information to do that.
Response Magic