3 reasons why people think they can’t go solar.
It costs too much
This is a huge myth that people believe. They feel as if they have to pay cash or have a large lump sum payment to install. This is not true. Most companies offer little to no money out of pocket to get started. Why did I say little, I thought there was nothing out of pocket? Well it can be depending on your situation. If you have a bad roof and it needs repairing, some companies will offer to do it for you out of their pocket but some will charge you. Same with main panel upgrades. If you only have a 100amp breaker for your home but you need a 200amp breaker, some companies charge you to upgrade that.
How are companies able to afford doing that? Companies get investors or financiers who supply them with enough capital to cover the costs. The company will make their money back over time with the monthly payments that you make every month with the Lease or PPA. They might not start making money off your system till after 10+ years. So the companies are taking a big risk installing on your roof with hopes you pay for the whole term and they can make their money back and then some.
Gone are the days of forking out $20,000 for a solar system and waiting 15+ years for an roi. You can go solar today, no money out of pocket, and start saving from day one. With that said, if you want to pay cash over a lease, you can do that as well. Obviously you will save quite a bit of money over the 20 years doing it that way but most people don’t have thousands of dollars just laying around for a solar system. But for those of us who don’t have the extra cash laying around, don’t think you can’t go solar because of the huge upfront investment. Schedule a consultation today and see if you qualify.
My bill is not high enough
I have talked to many home owners who believe solar is not feasible for them since they have such low bills. And their low bills are an average of $150 per month. You can still save money today will average bills lower than that. Maybe around an average of $80 a month you might get a bill swap. Bill swap means you will be paying the exact same to the solar company as you are paying to the utility right now. Instead of paying for dirty power that pollutes your air, you are now paying the exact same price for clean sustainable energy straight from your roof. How cool is that!?
But why would I do that? A lot of people don’t keep track of their utility rates. Did you know that SCE tier 4 rate went up 100% in 10 years? It was .16 cents 10 years ago and in 2014 it was .32 cents. That’s a HUGE jump in just 10 years! That was just tier 4, there are 3 others. What solar does for you is it locks in your rate for 20+ years. So if you have a utility that has their rates increase 8% or more a year and you are in a lease that has a maximum increase of 2.9%, do you think you would be saving money in 5–10–15 years?
Another thing to consider is SCE rate structure is changing over the next few years. They are currently at a 4 tier billing system. That will soon drop to 3 tiers and a year or so later down to 2 tiers. What does that mean for you? It means your higher tier is going to come down a few cents, but that also means your lower tier ( Tier 1 ) is going to go up. So your $80 a month bill will now be going up. Even if you use the exact same amount of power as you did before, you will now be paying more for it. Solar is making more sense now right?
Utilities are unpredictable. You don’t know what they are going to do 5, 10, 15 years from now. Solar gives you peace of mind with fixed rates and increases so you will know what your bill will be for 20+ years. Amazing, I know.
I’m going to move soon and won’t be able to sell me home.
This is actually quite easy, you just transfer it to the new owner. Done! Depending on your financier will vary on your options. With most leases/ppa, you can transfer them to the next owner of the home. Some deals the new home-owner can even purchase the system when they move in so they don’t have payments. HERO is an awesome deal where you can just roll the remaining balance on the system into the home and pay it through escrow. So the transfer process is simple and easy. Good portion of my job is educating Real Estate agents on selling solar so it makes it easier on them.
What if the person looking at my home doesn’t want the solar panels? Then they won’t even look at your house. When you list your home for sale, one of the features you list is that you have a solar home. The same way you say you have a pool, jacuzzi and other sweet features. So when someone is coming to look at your home, they know that you have the solar. There are many articles online stating that homes sell 20–30% faster as well with solar. Another perk is the value of your home can go up. It’s not always guaranteed but more times than not the homes sold for more due to the solar panels.
Most, if not all, of the new housing tracks being built will have solar panels built into them. When you buy a brand new home, you get the option of what size system you want, not do you want them. So to sum it all up, selling your home will be a breeze and will benefit you and the new home-owner for many years.
Conclusion
As you can see, many people have these same concerns. Solar is still a very new market and there are a lot of homeowners out there that don’t fully understand it. And it’s not their fault. There is a lot of false information out there about solar. Either they hate solar for one reason or another or are just simply uneducated on the subject. Set up a consultation with me today and I will answer any and all your questions on solar. I never pressure anyone into doing it. I give them all the information they are looking for then let them decide. You might have a consultation and decide that it’s not right for you. That is perfectly fine with me. But at least I know you are educated and understand how it all works.
If would like more information, you can always contact me and I will help you with anything you need. If you would like to jump right into a consultation, you can schedule one with me that works with your schedule. I do in home, over the phone and live video consultations to make it most convenient for you. I appreciate you taking the time to read this and I look forward you talking to you.
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Email — info@justinosmer.com
