What to ask before going solar?

Congratulations on making a commitment to a more sustainable future by reducing your electricity consumption with solar electricity.

Here are a list of questions to consider before purchasing solar panels.

What to ask for purchasing solar panels?
1. How do the APS rebates work/ how do the SRP rebates work?
2. How do the state and federal rebates work?
3. Who is the ideal homeowner to purchase solar panels?
4. Who is the ideal homeowner to lease solar panels?




What to ask for a solar lease?
1. Is it a one time payment or monthly payment?
2. Who takes over the lease if I sell the house?
3. How is the lease transferred if I sell the house?




General questions to ask before going solar
1. How long do the solar panels last?
2. How long do the inverters last?
3. What is the warranty for the solar panels and the inverter?
4. What happens if your company goes out of business?
5. What is the timeline for installation of solar?
6. How much does the efficiency of the panel really matter?
7. Why is a southern orientation the best for my western facing roof?
8. Will I be able to monitor my power output?
9. Where the solar panels manufactured?
10. How long has the manufacturer been in business?
10. Do you suggest having a BPI energy audit done on my home?

Solar leasing has become popular, how about leasing an electric car battery?

The average costs for electricity from APS or SRP is around $0.12 per kWh.  Imagine paying $450 per kWh for electricity.  That’s what most of today’s electric vehicle (EV) owners are paying for a battery to power their cars.  To put this into perspective, the Chevy Volt will cost owners 2 cents per mile to drive compared to the 12 cents per mile on gasoline at a price of $3.60 a gallon.  Or a trip from Phoenix to Tucson would run a measly $1.98 on electricity or almost 6 times that at $11.88 on gas.

 Shocking as the $450 per kWh may be, a decrease to $300 per kWh is considered the tipping point to mass market uptake.  An article published by webtech company, GigaOm, sites that leasing the battery is one solution to bring down the battery costs.  If you have thought about installing solar panels for your home, you’ve probably heard about solar leasing programs or PPA’s for larger solar applications, some groups are applying this concept to the electric car market.  It will be interesting to watch if and how automakers and startup companies adopt the electric vehicle lease; and also how the EV infrastructure is built-up to meet demand.