Back to home pageBuying solar is like no other home improvement or investment.
With the state and federal incentives solar electricity is no longer a burden, in fact it is actually profitable.
First of all there is no doubt we have to take better care of our planet.
Solar electricity is an investment and a way to help the ecology.
Solar power can give you a sense of pride and you may save a little money or you may save a whole lot.
What is it? In the 1980’s solar water heating was big, this is not the same. Solar electricity is produce with no fluids and no moving parts. The solar electric panels are much thinner and better looking then the water heater panels. They don’t leak or need maintenance.
Althoug the solar cells require state of the are tecnolagy to produce they are extermly accualy very simple. The material that produces the electricity is Silicon Crystals. These crystals react to the irradiance of the sun. The crystals are sliced into thin wafers and conductors are imbeded into the face. The sun shines on them; molecules in the crystals move and send electicity trhourg the conductors to a inverter.
The power from the array of solar panels is produced in direct current. The DC electricity needs to be converted to alternating current so you can use it. This requires an inverter. Basically an inverter is the same as the little transforms we all use to plug in our lap tops and charge our cell phones. The difference is transformers change ac to dc and the inverter changes dc to ac. The inverters handle a lot of electricity and eventually need to be replaced. They last about half as long as the solar panels. The ones we use have slide out components so you just replace the part that wears out. The inverter also has a cool LED screen that shows you how much power you have generated. This information and other information is sent through the internet and is monitored by a company we use.
The power that the whole Photovoltaic system creates is connected to your house on your side of the utility company’s meter. When the PV system generates more electricity then you are using it runs your meter backwards. The sight of this always deserves a smile. Can you imagine if your fuel efficient car could run a gas pump backwards?
When you need more power then your pv system is producing, like at night, the electricity you use was already paid for when the meter was running backwards.
The cost of the system obviously is the determining factor of weather to put a system on your roof. The perfect candidate would be someone who has a bill over $150 a month, has a south facing roof with no shade and has investment cash. If that person took the money to buy the system and spread it out over the life of the system they would see $100 in power for every $46 they spend.
If you finance it you still do very well even if you have to pay 8% interest.
What about leasing solar? Leasing solar has become very popular. There usually is no down payment and your monthly payments are often less then what you would have paid to the utility companies.
It is very good if you stay in your home for 15 years, it is like buying a system with a 15 year loan at 8% apr. This isn’t as bad as it sounds since you saved more then that in electricity. Unfortunately unlike a loan if you want to pay it off early you still owe for the whole 15 years of lease payments as well as the 3.9% annual compounding of your payments. With a lease the longer you use it the better, with a loan the sooner you pay it off the better. If you sell your house soon after signing the lease you may be in for a surprise.
What is the investment value? If you can invest your money in a way that benefits the ecology would you like that? If it turns out to be the best investment you ever made would you like it even more? Buying the system for your home is a great investment. If you buy a pv system for your home the return is often 9% per year plus the value of the system.
What is the best way to buy a pv system?
At DP Door’s Energy Store we have several ways you can pay for your power, all are better then paying the utilities companies. The method can make a large difference in how much you save. A person staying in their home for 10 to 15 years; a regular lease may be fine.
For a person staying 5 to 11 years we have a modified lease that helps you.
If you’re staying in your home for less then 5 years a secured equipment loan may be best using the solar panels as collateral.
Of course if you have investment cash or a tax deductable home improvement loan use it, unless you are positive you can beat this virtually risk free 9% investment.
If you like the trill of trying to make 100% profit in one year just hope right after you buy your pv system the rebates and tax incentives end, electricity price increase and you sell your house with this solar gold mine on your roof.
Before you buy you can get a print out part of which is used for the State rebate, this shows details such as projected use and power generated. In addition our proposal shows return on investment and how much ecological impact it will make, how many tons of pollution you prevent and other helpful information. The power output reports are often audited by the state, it has to be accurate or our company would be penalized by the state.
Another way to invest in solar. If that’s not enough of a good thing you can go all out and use your 401k to be a solar lease landlord. You buy a system for one of our customers, they pay you a steady lease payment, you get incredible tax incentives, more then a home owner gets. Each 8kwh system could let you live without paying income tax for a least a year. This is not something to try without our help since there are very stick laws on how to do this.
Owner D.P. Door Company and DP Energy Store Inc.
Claremont and Rancho Cucamonga 909 625-6000 License #562348
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