MASSIVE Problems with Solar in California

Make sure you know about these Massive problems you could run into with Solar in California. Going solar in the State of California has changed MASSIVELY over the past couple of years, so make sure you are educated on the changes before making any big moves!

[DSC]

NO ONE should lease solar or sign a power purchase agreement. If you can't buy it outright or get reasonable financing solar should not even be considered.

[linarod]

We almost bought solar panels years ago. We actually read through the whole contract and saw that they would add a lean on our house. We were told, initially, that there's no lien. We stopped the process immediately.

[bux]

Stupid is as stupid does, that's me. I assumed a solar lease on our new home. We wanted to downsize and purchased a single story home that had a 1 year old solar lease. The remainng lease had 19 years to go. The solar company placed a mechanics lein on our home. The warrenty on the solar was 6 years. On the 7th year we had heavy rains and our roof leaked under the solar panels. It took me 3 months to find a solar company to remove and reinstall the 28 panels as the original solar company dripped the mess in to my lap. The cost was $8000. The new roof was $37, 000. This included the interior repairs also. I also never know how much my lease will be month to month. I can't sale the house without the solar company approving the buyer and they assuming the lease. I figure I will loose $100, 000+ on the sale of my house. I figure I will pass away before the system is off lease and someone would want the house. Don't be a sucker like I was.

[specex]

The longevity of the Chinese solar panels they're all installing is seriously overstated. By the time all these solar panels start failing, most of the companies that are selling and installing them will be long gone and the homeowners will be left holding the bag.

[o.b.v.i.u.s]

never buy anything from someone who walks up to your front door uninvited... period.

[patrickcallahan]

We bought our system in SoCal during the time when they offered second tier net metering, and a 30% tax credit, making our system about $16, 000 in total, which we paid off in a year. Since then, we have not had an electric bill, nor a solar payment, and our panels produce about the same as our usage. However, this year, the CPUC approved a massive rate increase, and now we have seen our first bill in three + years. My advise to anyone considering going solar today;
Know that you are not getting the same deal as before. Understand what your needs are and how to reduce your consumption before adding a system to your home. And this young man has done a really good job of explaining the pros and cons. I am an electrician, and make it my task to maximize the productivity and minimize the consumption for the best benefit. Plus, you need to keep the panels clean in order to get the most out of them.

[FR-tbxh]

I’ve read another issue with leased solar panels is that thereafter, you can’t replace your roof as easily or cheaply. No roofing company will take on the project, because it’s not their expertise to remove the panels without damaging them. And you can’t remove the panels yourself without voiding the solar panel warranty. To have the solar company temporarily remove then reinstall the panels, if it will even do it, would cost even more money. And the minute you reinstall the panels, it will void the brand new roof warranty. I don’t think homeowner’s insurance will cover any loss along the way.

[clv]

From California and worked for Solar City for a little while (they went under and got bought out). When there was a big push for solar and the government was effectively “subsidizing” it, it was a worthy investment. After a lot of the tax credits were removed and utilities went up, it’s just not a reasonable investment unless you can buy it outright which I imagine many can’t. Also just an FYI, because I don’t here many people taking about this, the second you drill into the tiles on your roof it voids the warranty and replacing the roof with solar on it because more costly and complicated because many local roofers are not electricians and won’t cover reinstalling it the panels

[boblatkey]

I installed my own system for about $13, 000 and inflated the invoice cost to $24, 000 and took a 30% tax credit on that. The IRS will not audit you unless you do something dumb. Then I skipped on the permit and the interconnection agreement and put my system in zero export mode. You cannot see my equipment from the street and my return on investment is about three years. Screw em! Both the local jurisdiction and the electric utilities!

[theresaparker]

I live in Central Cal. We had 17 solar panels installed about 6 years ago. We got a nice chunk back for the tax credit and the first year we actually had a credit on our bill. However, by the third year, we owed around $50, and then after that it all went downhill. Thanks to PG&E drastically raising rates, my true-up last year was over $1, 000 and as of today, it has reached $1300! It is just me, my husband, and our two dogs and our house is small around 1400 sq ft. Our panels are paid off and now we are considering adding additional panels and batteries. I am now paying 34 cents a Kwh off peak hours and 52 cents a Kwh on peak. Solar is fine but something needs to be done about the power company!

[billruss]

I had a guy come by to sell me a solar system. I said okay just drop off a contract so I can read through it and I will let you know. He never came back.

[vivachristorey]

We had a solar system several years ago and what we didn’t like was that when they bought back electricity it was at the lowest rate.

[genehart]

Leasing anything is a sign that you can't afford it, Beware!

[gadgetroyster]

Everything you say is true. I looked into it 15 years ago and realized that it would take 20+ years to break even and I would lose my roof warranty, so I decided to simply pay the power company and conserve energy by installing double pane windows instead. I also open the windows when the outside temperature goes below the indoors temperature. Cooling the house at night saves using the Air conditioning during the day.

[zombieapocalypse]

If you get Solar Panels in California, you may or may not have an electric bill (don't forget about the natural gas bill for older houses), BUT you will have to pay the solar company $500 dollars to come out and inspect and OK your roof before they will install solar panels for a 25-year lease that would start at what seems a reasonably low monthly lease payment but every year would increase 3% year over year and at the end of 25 years your solar panels need replacing and proper disposal (more fees). At 65 years old, no thanks.

[m.newman]

My childhood friends son, bought a new spec home with mandatory leased solar panel pre-installed that he pays for every month in which he was not given the option to purchase outright, here in Southern California. The solar panels worked for several years, but about 2 years ago, his solar panels stopped functioning and he has to continue paying on the monthly lease yet receives no solar energy and has to pay in full for his electricity. The leasing company has yet to fix his leased equipment. This is a win-win for who? I have not been given an explantion as to why he has not sued.

[ChasingDifferentAdventures]

I met someone who got the Solar and even though, the Utility to Edison, bill dropped only 30%, and the payment to the Solar is twice as much as the Edison Bill was.. It was a compound payments... I will never invest in in Solar.. He said it's a Scam.

[Victic]

You need to do a off-grid system. Also, D.I.Y. that way when you need the warranty you can call on yourself. And you are always available.

[BigGuy]

There are a lot of scams involved with solar. Saw through the leasing problems right away. I also have enough electrical skills that I easily bought equipment and installed it myself with no problems. The most difficult part was digging the holes for my backyard ground-mount array. Solved by renting a mini-excavator for a day from Home Depot. Those things are fun! Drew my own plans and got a building permit after just a couple of visits to the permit office. Cost? $25 dollars for an engineer's stamp on my free manufacturer's array plan. I did have to pay a concrete pumper since my array is on a slope not accessible to concrete trucks. He ran his pump while I ran the hose end pumping into my forms. I did all the wiring and interconnect work, which is legal in California on your own house. Passed final inspection and went online immediately. Got the tax rebates and was on time for NEM 1. Never had an electric bill since. No more propane bills, either. It actually pays for our all-electric house including heat, AC, hot water, and cooking for two. Once the power company worms their way out of that, I expect fixed storage batteries to be cheap enough to just disconnect from the grid.

[tymartin]

I finally installed solar with the Tesla Powerwall battery. I have a 3500 sq foot house and had 25 massive 400 watt panels installed. The rep tried talking me into a lease (assuming more kick back). After running THOSE numbers I found that the leased solar panels would have costed over 85K and NO 30% fed rebate. I opted for the purchase. $46K including battery less the 14K from the rebate (note: if you didn't pay enough fed taxes YOU won't qualify for the entire rebate but you can roll in over to the next year). I've found that during winter months my system produced an anemic 16kwh during the day. Summertime was at 65kwh. So understand that you have to manage your solar. Don't just think now that you have solar you will NOT receive a bill. Untrue. Make sure you can afford both, the utility payment AND the solar doing the winter months. However, overall, I felt it was worth the investment. Good luck.