FAQs

Homeowners who install solar power systems can receive numerous benefits: lower electric bills, lower carbon footprints, and potentially higher home values. But these benefits typically come with significant installation and maintenance costs and the magnitude of the gains can vary widely from one house to another.

Solar Cons

• Standard home solar does not “work” at night.
• Home solar panels are not attractive.
• DIY solar installation is difficult (if not impossible) for most homeowners.
• Not every roof configuration is ideal for maximum solar power generation.

With a modern solar energy system, including power storage, you can definitely run a whole house completely on solar power. Today's high-efficiency solar panels and solar batteries make it cheaper than ever before to power an entire home exclusively using solar energy. 

You may not see an increase in your homeowners insurance premium after installing solar panels on your roof. However, you'll likely need to raise your coverage limits to account for the replacement cost of your solar panels, which will likely result in some increase to your premium. 

There are other reasons why 2022 is an especially good year to invest in a solar panel system. Electricity rates across the country are rising and even doubling in some states. As those rates rise, the savings that come from installing solar only increase. 

In virtually all cases, the answer is no. Roof leaks after solar panels are extremely rare. 

The most common estimate of the average payback period for solar panels is six to ten years. This is a pretty wide range because there are many factors that will influence the number of years it can take to pay off your panels and the monthly savings you can expect. 

Most solar batteries come with power output ratings of about 5 kW, which means they can provide enough power to run a refrigerator, clothes dryer, and an electric stovetop at once. 

According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, homes with solar panels sell 20% faster and for 17% more than homes without solar. 

A few studies have shown that solar installations increase a home's resale value by up to $6,000 for each kilowatt of solar panels installed, or by about 4.1% of the home's value. However, this can vary quite a bit from one geographic location to the next, even for comparable homes with similar solar panel systems. 

Even in below-freezing weather, solar panels turn sunlight into electricity. That's because solar panels absorb energy from our sun's abundant light, not the sun's heat. In fact, cold climates are actually optimal for solar panel efficiency. So long as sunlight is hitting a solar panel, it will generate electricity.