FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Common Questions for All Things Solar
During a cloudy or bad weather days, your system will get some sun exposure and still produce a small amount of energy. It just would not produce as much energy as a sunny day because of the reduction in solar energy. Your solar system will not produce electricity at night as your system needs sunlight to produce energy. However, grid-tied systems have the power grid as a backup energy source so you’re never without power. If you are concerned about being off-grid during the night, we would be happy to consult with you on possible battery backup solutions.
No, Solar Thermal systems always have backup heating. Typically this is your water heater, but systems with only a single tank have a backup heating element installed in the storage tank. So no matter how cloudy it gets, you will always have hot water! When the sun is not shining, the back-up system takes over seamlessly!
Yes, as long as the sun is shining, the system will produce hot water! The system won’t produce as much hot water as it does in the Summertime because the sun is lower on the horizon and there are fewer hours of daylight, but the system works year-round!
Homeowners can finance their solar energy installation with a loan through one of our lending partners or you may choose to pay for your solar system with a 203k home improvement loan. For those buying or building new homes, the cost of the solar system can be rolled into your mortgage using an FHA EEM loan. For commercial or business-owners, other financing options are available such as property secured loans, capital equipment loans, equipment secured loans, and third-party financing.
The amount of space you need and the specific location of the solar array will depend on several factors. Typically, we like to install solar systems on your roof, but they can also be ground mounted. Solar thermal systems produce about 4x as much energy per square foot than PV collectors. So, we tend to install these collectors in the sunniest spot on your roof. And since thermal collectors are so efficient at converting sunlight into usable energy, a typical family of 4 only requires 2 – 4’x8’ collectors! It takes a lot of PV collectors to offset the energy consumption of your home, so we typically will use all available roof space for installing PV panels. We can also make the system smaller to accommodate your budget, but we also try not to install systems larger than 10kW to avoid standby fees.
Sothern facing roofs are most desirable, but East/West facing roofs still work too. And if the roof pitch is low enough, we can sometimes even use North facing roofs! While PV and pool panels are not as affected by orientation, thermal panels for domestic water heating must face within 30° of South.
Solar modules are extremely durable: they typically come with a 25 year guarantee and are designed to withstand severe weather of all types. Most solar systems outlast their 25 year guarantee, even functioning beyond the 40 year mark. Typically, panels do not even need to be cleaned regularly; in most places it rains regularly enough to keep the panels functioning properly.
Photovoltaic panels are light-weight and can be supported by almost any type of roof. Solar thermal collectors weigh about 3x as much as PV panels, but their weight is distributed across the roof and the load applied is only about 4 PSF (pounds per square foot). Typically, a home’s roof in good condition will not need any additional support or reinforcement before a solar installation.
For PV, if your roof shingles have 10 years or less of life in them, then we recommend having your roof replaced before installing solar. For Thermal, that number changes to 5 years or less. The reason for this is because removing and reinstalling solar collectors can be very expensive. While thermal systems only cost about $800-1,000 to R&R, PV systems can run in the $1,000’s. While you may lose some money on the remaining value of your shingles, you will more than make up for it in the energy savings that the solar system will provide!
Net metering occurs when your solar electric panels are generating more energy than your home needs at any given moment. Excess energy is fed back into the power grid, which means that you are selling electricity to the utility company. The credit that you generate is then used to offset your power bill.
No, in Virginia you are not allowed to produce more energy than you consume. This is why we ask to see your last 12 months of energy usage so that we can properly size your system.
By adding a solar energy system, you will reduce demand for electricity from traditional, nonrenewable resources. With a solar energy system, you not only use clean energy, you put that power back on the electrical grid for others to use when your system is producing more energy than you are using!
A solar water heater uses the sun’s energy to pre-heat household water before it enters the conventional electric (or gas) water heater. In areas where an abundance of sunshine exists year round, a solar water heater can generate up to 80% of your annual water heating needs.
While temperatures inside a solar thermal collector can easily exceed 200°, the average operating temperature is about 150°. With safety equipment in place, the water temperature inside the solar storage tank will not exceed 160° and the water exiting the tank is tempered down to between 120°-140°.
No, you will actually have much more hot water than ever before. If the system is sized well for your family, you will no longer need to wait for the water heater to ‘recharge’ between showers. Solar water heaters are always installed in addition to your regular water heater. That means that even during bad weather you will still have hot water. To maximize your savings, you should attempt to use the most hot water in the late morning and early afternoon when the solar system is operating at its peak. Also, it helps to spread your cleaning load over the week. For example, instead of washing seven laundry loads all at once it would pay to do one a day. This will reduce the amount your regular water heater must operate.
The ROI (return on investment) of systems can vary based on multiple factors. Typically, the larger the system, the greater the savings and the faster the ROI. While individual results vary, PV systems typically have a 10-15 year ROI and thermal systems are about 5-10 years. Solar attic fans and solar pool heating systems typically have a 3 year ROI. It may be more useful to think of solar as an investment that yields an annual return, much as a bank savings account that provides interest. A solar system will generate savings that can equal a bank account generating a twenty percent (20%) annual return, and the savings are not taxed as income, as is the interest you earn at the bank. The truth is, if you want energy, you will be paying for it. You may prefer to pay the utility bill forever, or you may wish instead to go solar, and become your own utility. It is quite similar to the reason you once decided to buy your home and stop renting. Solar is simply the best investment available today because it guarantees a return on money that you will otherwise “burn” and helps you develop equity as you bank your savings.
Virginia law forbids ordinances, deed restrictions, covenants, or similar binding agreements from prohibiting solar equipment use. Under this law, a homeowner may not be denied permission from an HOA or similar entity to install a solar collector or other solar energy device. While your HOA does not have the right to prevent you from installing solar panels on your roof, they do have the right to impose reasonable restrictions on the placement of the equipment. Oftentimes they restrict homeowners from installing equipment on the front of their roof, with no regards to roof orientation. So, it is very important to obtain permission from your HOA before making any plans to install solar. You’ve convinced me – I want to install a solar system to power my home or business!
Additional Questions we Often Hear
No, Solar Thermal systems utilize a circulating pump to move fluid through the system to transfer heat from the solar collector to the storage tank. So, if the power is out, then the fluid doesn’t circulate and you water doesn’t get heated. However, if you have a hybrid Thermal-PV system with battery backup, then you can utilize the PV energy to run your thermal system and continue to produce hot water.
No, we use Propylene Glycol as our heat transfer fluid. This is a food grade safe, non-toxic antifreeze. Propylene Glycol is one of the inactive ingredients used in cough syrup. Look on the label!
Yes, solar thermal systems can be used in conjunction with any type of water heater (gas, electric, tankless, etc.) However, due to the cheap price of gas, your annual savings would be smaller and therefore your ROI would be longer.
A 2 panel solar hot water system can produce as much energy as about 16 PV panels, but in 25% of the space and for about 1/2 the cost. Now, the roof space you saved by installing a thermal system can be used to install extra PV panels to offset other household electrical needs.
There are many factors involved in determining savings such as utility rate, roof orientation, shading, available roof space for equipment, and energy usage habits. The amount of money that your solar electric system can save you depends on the size and number of your photovoltaic modules and the specific geographic conditions of your site. A properly sized solar thermal system can provide about 80% of your annual hot water needs. Considering that a water heater can account for up to 1/3 of your annual energy bill, a solar thermal system can reduce your annual bill by up to 25%
It was believed in the past that a solar collector must be oriented as close to optimal tilt and azimuth inorder to be effective. After decades of testing, it has been determined that tilting a collector off of the roof to gain optimal pitch & direction is no longer necessary. Only a minimal amount of energy is lost by flush-mounting to the roof. Although, this only applies to PV and pool systems as solar thermal collectors must face within 30° of South.
Average residential systems typically only take one to two days to install. Commercial solar systems often require more time to install given the size and complexity of the system.
Yes, there are significant government incentives for going solar that can help make solar more affordable for you! Through the end of 2019, there is a 30% federal tax credit on the fully installed price of any new solar system. This includes PV, thermal for domestic water heating and solar attic fans. Unfortunately, the tax credit does not apply to solar pool systems. Additionally, there are state grants, county property tax incentives, net metering, and Renewable Energy Credits. Commercial installations can also take advantage of accelerated depreciation (MACRS) to reduce the financial impact. Visit www.DSIREUSA.org for more details.
Do you have energy bills? Do you have an unshaded area of your roof? Then the time is right to install a solar electric system in your home or business: federal and state governments are providing significant incentives to those who do, and it’s a great way to avoid mounting utilities costs that are predicted to rise even further. Even a small solar system lowers your energy bill and your carbon footprint.
Between the tax credits, the energy savings provided, the increase in resale value of your home, and the green curb appeal, most solar installations become net positive on the day that they’re installed!
Quite the opposite! A study performed by ICF Consulting determined that for every $1,000 in energy savings you provide to your home, it increases the resale value by about $20,000! Another study on solar homes in California by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) concluded that homes with solar sold, on average, 20% faster and were 17% more likely to sell than homes without solar systems. This trend is being seen across the nation as energy costs are becoming increasingly important to prospective homebuyers.
Thermal collectors produce about 4x as much energy per square foot than PV collectors and can cost about 1/3 to 1/2 less than an equivalent sized PV system. So, if you combine the 2 technologies, you can produce the same amount of energy, but it will cost you less to do so! And unlike PV panels, thermal collectors never decrease their energy output as they age!
Sunlight generates electricity when it hits a photovoltaic cell. There is a “photoelectric” reaction in which light energy from the sun (photons) hits semi conducting materials that cause the photons to lose an electron. This creates a direct electric current (DC) which is converted by an inverter to an alternating current (AC) that can power your home.
No, they produce heat. Solar thermal systems create a greenhouse effect inside the collector by trapping sunlight (shortwave radiation) and converting it to heat (longwave radiation). That heat is then transferred from the collector to a storage tank inside your home. When domestic water enters your home, it comes in at groundwater temperatures of around 55°. Once inside your home, that cold water is sent to your water heater which typically uses electricity to heat an element and warm your water. For every degree that a solar thermal system pre-heats your water, that is less work your water heater has to do and subsequently less energy (gas or electricity) you have to use. See how it all happens on our How It Works video!
No, you will actually have much more hot water than ever before. If the system is sized well for your family, you will no longer need to wait for the water heater to ‘recharge’ between showers. Solar water heaters are always installed in addition to your regular water heater. That means that even during bad weather you will still have hot water. To maximize your savings, you should attempt to use the most hot water in the late morning and early afternoon when the solar system is operating at its peak. Also, it helps to spread your cleaning load over the week. For example, instead of washing seven laundry loads all at once it would pay to do one a day. This will reduce the amount your regular water heater must operate.
Yes. Since the water heater will operate far less frequently, solar will extend its life significantly. Some water heaters that were retrofitted with solar in the 1980’s are still in service today! The life of an ordinary water heater without solar is only between 10-15 years.
The cost may vary from $8,000 to $12,000 or more. It depends largely upon the following variables: Size of the family to be served (and therefore the amount of heat required) Size, type and brand of solar system Type of roof upon which the panels are mounted Building code requirements Local incentives
The ROI (return on investment) of systems can vary based on multiple factors. Typically, the larger the system, the greater the savings and the faster the ROI. While individual results vary, PV systems typically have a 10-15 year ROI and thermal systems are about 5-10 years. Solar attic fans and solar pool heating systems typically have a 3 year ROI. It may be more useful to think of solar as an investment that yields an annual return, much as a bank savings account that provides interest. A solar system will generate savings that can equal a bank account generating a twenty percent (20%) annual return, and the savings are not taxed as income, as is the interest you earn at the bank. The truth is, if you want energy, you will be paying for it. You may prefer to pay the utility bill forever, or you may wish instead to go solar, and become your own utility. It is quite similar to the reason you once decided to buy your home and stop renting. Solar is simply the best investment available today because it guarantees a return on money that you will otherwise “burn” and helps you develop equity as you bank your savings.
Virginia law forbids ordinances, deed restrictions, covenants, or similar binding agreements from prohibiting solar equipment use. Under this law, a homeowner may not be denied permission from an HOA or similar entity to install a solar collector or other solar energy device. While your HOA does not have the right to prevent you from installing solar panels on your roof, they do have the right to impose reasonable restrictions on the placement of the equipment. Oftentimes they restrict homeowners from installing equipment on the front of their roof, with no regards to roof orientation. So, it is very important to obtain permission from your HOA before making any plans to install solar. You’ve convinced me – I want to install a solar system to power my home or business!
Any Other Questions?
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