Watch This Short Presentation To Discover how Solar Power Works
A Simple Guide to Going Solar
1
SURVEY
We want to make sure that what we have proposed will work. We will take some measurements, check out your roof, and do a shade analysis
2
PERMITTING
Depending on where you live, in most cases we will need to pull a permit since we are doing electrical work. We will handle all of this with our Master Electricians
3
INSTALLATION
In most circumstances, this is a 1 to 2 day process. We will install the panels, and tie it into the electrical system for the house
4
INSPECTION
5
INTERCONNECTION
When a permit is required, we will request a city or county inspection to ensure we have done everything to code. This typically occurs within 24 - 48 hrs after install
This is the Big Day! A representative from the utiity company will come to swap out your meter and turn it all on.
YOUR SYSTEM IS LIVE!
417-323-2300 NETMETERINGSERVICES.COM
Frequently Asked Questions
?
Can I get started with a few panels for a smaller sytem and then add more later?
Yes, you totally can. Having some solar is always better than having no solar at all, because solar will always be cheaper than the utiity companies. If for any reason we install a lesser system that only offsets your utility bill a certain percent, and then later down the road you decide that you want to add more panels; We will then install more panels at cost. Every client gets a 2 year price freeze the cost of the panels.
?
Do I need a permit to install solar panels on my house, or an electrical permit?
Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes the answer is no. It all depends on where you live. If you're inside city limits, more than likely yes, if you're outside city limits, sometimes you might actually need a county permit, but either way, the bottom line is you will never have to do any of this yourself. We take care of all of it for you. Our master electrician pulls the permit, and we do it all on the inside. You guys don't have to pay for it or worry about it at all. So it's super easy for us to process everything here for you.
?
Does it need to be mounted on my roof?
No it does not have to be on the roof. The Roof is definitely the most common place that we see solar panels mounted though. The biggest reason for that is the space constraints. Most people aren't equipped with huge amounts of land where they can fit a full array of panels on ground or pole mounts. The other advantage is that if it's on the roof, It's untouched, it's unbothered, and it does its job. Another benefit of having them on the roof is because there are additional costs for ground mounts. There's way more labor to it, You've got concrete involved, and you'd have way more racking needed to mount the panels. So there's several pieces there that change the financial economics of the deal. That's why the most common route is the roof, but it doesn't have to be that way. It can be a ground mount or a pole mount depending on the space that you have available. We recommend the roof just because it's the cheapest. It makes the most financial sense and it gives you the fastest return on your investment. It goes unbothered and untouched by anything that can have access to the ground.
?
How long does the install take?
Our average install takes about a day. A bigger system is going to take a day and a half to two days. But the average is about a day and that includes the installers installing the racking, the panels, the inverters, the electrician does the wiring, and for us getting everything ready for the utility to come out and swap out your meter with a net meter, so you can send your extra power back to the utility company & they can pay for it. So about a day. It's really easy.
?
How long is the warranty?
Industry standard for solar panel manufacturers is a 25 year warranty. All of the panels and equipment that we use have that same standard warranty. Our warranty is literally guaranteeing the efficiency of the panels over the course of 25 years. There's a degradation schedule aside that the panels will obviously lose some efficiency over time. But with that we outline exactly how much your system will produce on a monthly basis over the next 25 years and your warranty is literally something that is tied to the panel's not the homeowner. So if you end up moving down the road or whatever the case is, you don't have to worry about anything. It's literally with the panels and we monitor the system for the life of the panel. So if a panel ever stops producing the amount of energy that's supposed to based on the warranty at the time you purchase the system, then we will come and swap out the panels, no questions asked. We handle all the warranty claims if there are any. And we will literally come swap out the panels with the new panel on and handle everything with the manufacturer. There's literally zero maintenance or upkeep expected from the consumer for solar panels.
?
How many panels do I need?
This is one of the things that's unique about solar. There's not a standard system size, system layout, or system design for every single home. The way that your system size is determined has 100% to do with how much power you consume and how much roof space you have. What doesn't matter if the square footage of your home, how many people live in your home, or any of those factors... It really just comes down to how much power you use. You can have two homes that are the exact same size and one might have a family of six or the other has a family of two or three and each of those homes are going to consume a different amount of power. What we do with every single one of our customers; The first step is we look at the last 12 months and determine how much power you've used. We get copies of your electric bills or we have you give us the kilowatt hour amounts so that we can determine exactly how much power your home consumes. Once we know that, we can determine exactly how many solar panels you need. And then based on how much roof space you have, the shading around your roof, if it's East facing or west facing, then we can determine exactly how much sun those solar panels are going to receive. From there we can determine exactly how many panels you're going to need, what the system size is, and ultimately, what the cost of the project is. We can even show you the exact amount of savings that you're going to see over the next 5, 10, and 25 years.
?
Will I have to buy new appliances or is anything different about solar power?
No, nothing is going to be different from regular power that you get from the grid? It's the same AC power, or alternating current, that your home uses. The solar panels are producing direct current and each panel has a micro-inverter that converts it to AC current that your home uses for power. It's the same AC electrical current that you're pulling from the grid. Solar power doesn't look any different than grid power and so no everything stays the same for your appliances.
?
What is Net Metering?
Net metering is a term used in the solar industry, primarily by the utility companies. What's happening is once you have solar panels on your roof, you're going to have a different meter installed on your home than the one you currently use. The meter you currently use just turns one direction, and that's forward- that's the power that you're buying from the utility that they are then billing you for later. With Solar, the power you produce is going to literally turn the meter backwards- feeding the power back into the grid. Net metering is the way that the utility keeps track of how much you produce and how much you consume. Depending on the size of the system, this helps them determine how much to ether credit or bill you every month.
Need Something Else?
call 417-323-2300
