San Diego Solar Rebates: Are They Real?

You’ve probably seen the ads. They read like: “San Diego Solar Program” or “San Diego Solar Rebates”, or “No-cost solar Program in San Diego”. If you’ve been in the market for solar, they’ve likely shown up in your Facebook feed, as banner ads, everywhere you go on the internet. These types of programs seem official, so as a consumer, you may ask yourself: are these types of solar rebates in San Diego real?  The truth is, that no “San Diego Solar Rebates” exist, and the claims that there are such rebates and programs are false. They are typically marketing scams meant to collect your information by lead generation companies, that then sell your info to solar companies for compensation. What Government Solar Programs Actually Exist The Federal Solar Tax Credit There are just a few ways that a government agency will give you some money back when you buy solar, which makes solar even more affordable. The main one is the 30% Federal Solar Tax Credit, which is the main government incentive for installing solar, where if you install solar, you can receive a tax credit worth 30% of the cost of your solar installation. Unfortunately, that Tax Credit is phasing out after this year, by 4% over the next three years before it goes away completely for residential installations in three years. It will stay around at 10% for commercial installations. California Solar Initiatives (CSI) There are a number of solar initiatives through the state of California that are available to low-income households. Specifically, there is the SASH program that provides upfront rebates for single-family, low income homes to help more low income families go solar. The program was scheduled to be sunsetted in 2015, but was recently extended to 2021. The program, which is executed by Grid Alternatives, has already installed systems on over 5,200 homes in California.  Another solar initiative at play in California is the Multifamily Affordable Solar Housing (MASH) program, which provides incentives to offset the initial cost of installing solar on multi tenant housing projects in California. Since its inception it aided in completing 358 solar projects throughout the state, equaling out to around 23.6 megawatts of electricity. Unfortunately, the funds allocated through this program for SDG&E are exhausted, but still exist for PGE and SCE territories. So those are the only programs that exist: you have the 30% Federal Solar Tax Credit, and you have the California Solar Initiatives, and that’s it. No other programs exist, and no other are planned for the future. There is the California mandate that every new home built after 2020 must have solar, but other than that, there are no city specific solar programs or rebates, and any advertisement that claims to have a signup for such a program is false. Deceptive Advertising So now that you know what the actual rebates are in California, you can spot the often used deceptive advertising used in solar marketing. Many ads that you see on Facebook, or in banner ads on websites, will often be designed and worded to look like they are paid for by the government. The ad will say something like: “San Diego Solar Rebates Expiring Soon: Claim Yours Today”. Often times, the landing page or website itself will be designed in a way that makes it look like an official government website - or some form of awareness program. This often leads consumers to believe that they are signing up for something that is an actual government program - when in reality they are likely submitting their information to a solar lead generation company that will distribute their information to several solar companies in exchange for money.  Let’s look at some examples of these kinds of ads and landing pages to see what techniques they are using to lure people in.  “2019 Zero Down Solar Program” This is deceptive with its use of the word “program”. This implies that it is a government funded or instituted program, when no such program exists. Zero down solar is a common way that solar companies finance systems, where the customer does not have to pay anything upfront when financing the system.  “2019 $0 Solar Program” Similar instance here. This goes even further though, implying that the solar literally costs $0.  “Solar Program Finder” Again, this emphasis on “program” makes it sound like this is a government mandated program - it’s just another way to get you to fill out a form.   Here’s a good example of what some of these ads may look like:The common thread, as you can see, amongst all of these, is that the advertisers’ use language that makes it seem like they are not advertising to you, but they are informing you of a program. While there are certain state programs, as we have explained about the California Solar Initiative, they are mostly only for low income homes, and are in the form of rebates. There is no government zero down solar program, no matter how official the ads look.  Other Warning Signs of a Bad Solar Company Like we said before, it is typically solar lead generation companies that are creating these deceptive ads about fake government solar programs. When they get your information, they will then distribute it out to several companies, who will all bombard you via calls and emails. Often homeowners who submit their information to these types of companies aren’t even aware that it is being distributed, and are often deceived into believing they are signing up for a government program. That’s why it is extremely important to research whatever company you are submitting info to. Here’s a couple of things to look for and validate before submitting information to any solar company or solar “program” Scammy Company Names: Companies with very generic names are typically ones to look out for. “San Diego Solar Company” or “San Diego Solar Program” are examples - you should be skeptical of any company that has an overly generic name. While not always true, it's generally a good indicator that you should at least do more research about the company. Skimpy Social Media Profiles: A good indicator of the legitimacy of a company is their social media presence. If they’ve got little to no followers or posts on their Facebook page, or don’t have one at all, you should probably be skeptical. Skimpy Websites: Before you fill out a form anywhere, make sure you check out the website of the company asking for your information. If it is a one page website that is extremely generic, or you can’t find information about the history of the company or anyone who works there, you should be skeptical. Bad or No Reviews: This is an obvious one, but you should check out Yelp and Google Reviews to make sure that the company is legitimate and doesn’t have a ton of bad reviews. If they’re not on these platforms, or have overly bad reviews, you should probably steer clear.  No other presence online: If you Google the company and they don’t have at least 10 listings on local directory sites, you should be skeptical. Any real and respectful company will have a presence online larger than just their website and social media.  So if you’ve been wondering about advertisements you’ve been seeing regarding “San Diego Solar Programs” or “San Diego Solar Rebates”, know that these are deceptive claims - and that no such programs exist. These are simply ads designed to get your information and distribute it to as many companies as possible. It cannot be stressed enough that, before submitting your information to any company or “program”, that you should do your due diligence and know that you are submitting your information to a real, legitimate company.

The post San Diego Solar Rebates: Are They Real? appeared first on SunPower by Stellar Solar.

from SunPower by Stellar Solar https://ift.tt/2NXwifA

Solaria Vs. SunPower Solar Panels (2019)

When doing your solar research, you may come across Solaria solar panels. Founded in New Mexico in 2000, this company has been around for awhile and as a result many local solar companies install their panels. When comparing solar panels, you may consider installing Solaria panels as a cheaper alternative to a premium panel. Is this a wise decision? Well, if you’re looking for a higher efficiency panel that produces more power for longer, with a better warranty and backed by a solid company, SunPower panels are for you. Let’s look at the details of these facets to see just how much better SunPower panels actually are. Solaria Solar Panels Efficiencies Solaria has a variety of both commercial and residential solar panel models, but for the sake of this blog we will look at just the residential models.So there efficiencies range from 19.4% for their 350 watt models, up to 19.9% for their 360 watt models. Let’s see how these compare with the top SunPower solar panel models. SunPower Solar Panel Efficiencies SunPower has a wide variety of solar panels options that range from 335 watts up to 425 watts. Let’s take a look at some of the more popular X and A Series SunPower Modules to see how they stack up against Solaria.So as you can see, the SunPower solar panels X and A series solar panels, even the lower wattage ones, have a higher efficiency than the most efficient Solaria panel. Even their 360 watt panel only comes in at 19.9% efficiency, compared to SunPower’s lower-wattage 335 model. Since these panels have a higher efficiency, they can produce more power with less roof space, so if you’re trying to maximize your roof space to produce the most power possible, you’ll want to choose SunPower panels. To visualize the difference between SunPower efficiencies, and Solaria efficiencies, see the chart below:Power Guarantees Every solar panel naturally produces less power over time. This occurs for a number of reasons, but how much efficiency a panel loses a year is a big part of what determines its overall quality. Most solar companies have a power guarantee that is included in their product warranties, which guarantees that the panel will not lose more power production than a certain percentage over a 25-year period. Let’s look at the power guarantees of both Solaria and SunPower panels to see which warrants more production over time. Solaria Power Power Guarantee If you look at Solaria’s product warranty, you’ll find that they warrant that power degradation will not exceed 2% in the first year, and .5% every year after, ending with 86% in the 25th year after shipment. So that’s about a 14% power degradation over 25 years. That means that in the last few years of the warranty, the solar panel will be creating at least 10% less power than when they were originally bought. SunPower Power Guarantee If you take a look at SunPower’s product warranty, you’ll see that they warrant that their panels will not lose more than 0.25% efficiency every year. So that means at the end of 25 year warranty period, they panels will only lose 8% of their initial efficiency compared to Solaria’s 14%. So that means that SunPower panels lose 6% less efficiency than Solaria panels, and therefore will create a lot more power in the later years of the warranty. You can see here the difference:So if you’re looking to get the most power out of your system, SunPower panels clearly produce more power for longer, especially the A-series, which produce almost 60% more energy at year 25 of operation than conventional panels. Solaria Vs. SunPower Warranty A warranty on your solar panels is extremely important as it determines how much you will be able to rely on your solar company to keep your system up and producing. One thing to be noted when talking about warranties is that with most solar companies, every part of the system - the panels, racking, monitoring, are under different warranties as most of the time, each of these elements are made by different companies. Installing Solaria would get you that. Yes, you would have a warranty on your Solaria panels, but not on any other elements of the system. With SunPower, every part of the system is warranted under one warranty. That’s because all the elements SunPower systems are made by SunPower - from the racking to the panels. So if any part of the system goes wrong, SunPower has your back.  The Solaria Warranty Let’s take a look at Solaria’s warranty to see what is included. Their product warranty is for 25 years from the date of shipment. That only includes the panels, and basically warrants that production will not decrease by more than 2% in the first year, and 0.5% in the years after.  If the efficiency drops below that, the company will come out and replace the panels. This warranty only covers the solar panels, and does not include the racking, microinverters, or any other part of the system. So if anything other than the panels malfunction, then it will not be covered under the warranty.The SunPower Warranty As we have said, with the SunPower warranty, every aspect of the panels is covered by the warranty. For 25 years, the panels, microinverters, racking and power production are all covered. For 10 years, the monitoring hardware is covered. This coverage is among the most comprehensive in the industry, with a record breaking .25% a year power loss warranty, so if power degradation goes above that, SunPower will replace your panels. SunPower will also ship any new parts needed for replacing any damaged parts to this system for free.Company Health The other aspect of a warranty that needs to be considered when researching solar is the health of the company you are buying from - as a solar manufacturer that goes out of business cannot fulfill the stipulations of the warranty they sell. What we know about the solar business is that many companies, both manufacturers and installers, have come and gone since the beginning, and with the ups and downs in the industry that come with government incentives coming and going, there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight for that pattern. So choosing a manufacturer that will be in business that is financially healthy, and therefore will be in business for the long run, is now as important as ever. When you look at SunPower’s financial health, they have been on solid ground for quite a while. SunPower is a public company and its present market cap (value) is $1.9 billion with 6,600 employees. Also, while the company’s stock did bottom out around 2017, it has gone up over 100% in 2019 alone. So clearly, professional investors are optimistic about SunPower, and with their brand being internationally associated with quality and high efficiency, you can rest assured that they will be around for the long run. While it is hard to find financial information on Solaria as they are a private company, they did publish a press release recently that states that they are now subcontracting out the production of about half their panels to a Chinese company called Shingsung E&G’s. So Solaria as a manufacturer is now not even producing half of their panels. That is an indication that the company can not handle the scale of production required to keep up with the demand, which is an indicator of unhealthy financials and management. So as you can see, when comparing SunPower and Solaria solar panel systems, SunPower panels have better efficiency, less power degradation, and a better warranty that is backed by a healthier company. So homeowners who are looking to get the most power out of their roof for longer, and a system that has all elements of it warranted by a financially stable company, should choose SunPower. Contact us today if you’d like a quote on aSunPower system for your home.  

The post Solaria Vs. SunPower Solar Panels (2019) appeared first on SunPower by Stellar Solar.

from SunPower by Stellar Solar https://ift.tt/2Q0pS25