Thoughts from a sales rep
I have been in Solar for a couple years. I am moving on to another job and thought I’d share some thoughts on the solar industry on my way out.
I believe in the long term viability of solar as an energy source moving forward.
There are a lot of people that want to do good in the solar industry, but I feel they are overshadowed by the greedy, quick talking, predatory sales people and companies.
There needs to be some regulation to the sales side of solar. It can be as simple as having a license to sell solar through a test and some guidelines that need to be followed to keep the license. There are to many people that see money and straight up lie to people to make a buck. There needs to be real consequences to these predatory people.
Both string and micro inverters have there pros and cons and times when they should be used. There is no one size fits all where one is better in every situation.
I believe ownership to be a better option than leasing in most but not all situations. There are situations when done correctly where a lease can be the best options for someone’s home. You can’t keep responding to every post about a lease with “make the seller buyout the lease before you buy the house.” It is more complicated than that. Current price vs electric rates, warranties and contract escalators need to be looked at and understood to make an honest decision on whether it is good or bad. That doesn’t mean it is always going to be a terrible deal.
When purchasing a system with a loan you must understand what a dealer fee is and how much it effects your loan. That low rate is not always the best option, and right now it rarely is!
Solar should be thought of as an investment in the home not as a way to save money on an electric bill right away. That can lead to a bad long term decision. E.g. a lease that starts lower but has a high escalator, or a loan with a low interest rate but high dealer fee that will kill the value if the loan is paid off earlier than the 25 year loan period.
Do some simple research on the company, product and warranty before making the decision. People do get taken advantage of but for god sake so much could be avoided with even minimal effort in the buyers part.
Waiting for better technology isn’t a great strategy at this point. The one exception I’d say to this is if you are significantly limited on roof space. In that situation waiting for more efficient and less space consuming panels makes sense. Outside of that by the time you wait 5 years for the “new technology” you could’ve already almost paid for an entire system with the electric rates you’ll pay in those five years.
Understand how the tax credit works. If you make 40k a year your not seeing that 20k tax credit year one and unless you start making more money you won’t see all of it in the five years you have to claim it. This is also a situation where a lease can be the better option…
Look forward to hearing other opinions and thoughts.
All the best,
Ex Solar Sales Rep