Solar panels or photovoltaic panels (PV) collect freed electrons from the sun’s rays that hit the panels’ semiconductor material and internal positive and negative grid. Those electrons form a DC power current that is then converted into AC power via an inverter. The AC power is fed to your electric meter and used either to power your home or business, charge on site batteries or fed back to the grid. If you are producing more power than you are using, the excess power is fed back to the grid. Your electric meter, which without solar only registers usage, actually turns backwards when your solar feeds the grid. One of the key design components of a solar system is balancing usage and excess production. Our goal at Active is to maximize the rate of return which is a balance between when you use power, how much power you use, and need to use, and how much solar can fit on your roof.

What is Net Metering?
Net metering is the type of billing that solar customers are required to use with the power company. It allows for the meter to add and subtract for solar production and electric usage respectively. As a home can over produce on a given hour, day or month, the billing will be calculated on the annual net result. So while the power company bills every month, they are also tracking usage on an annual basis and will submit a final annual bill or check, should you produce more power in a year than you consume.

What is Time Of Use Billing?
Time of use billing is basically what it sounds like. The rate you pay per kilowatt hour is not solely based on how much power you use, but rather on the time of day you use the power.

How Does Solar Save Me Money?
Solar saves you money by being cheaper than grid power. Whether you pay cash, lease, or finance solar, the cost per kilowatt hour produced by your solar system remains less than grid power – and that is from day one.
A sample 2000SF home in Orange County that uses 15,000 kilowatt hours of power a year, will pay roughly 26 cents per kilowatt hour or $3900 per year. Taking the cost of an Active rooftop solar system and factoring the energy it produces by the cost to buy equates to the energy costing 8 cents per kilowatt hour. So the same 15,000 annual kilowatt hours will cost $1200 per year, with annual year one saving of $2700.
Every proposal we provide is catered to maximize your savings, and details when the system will pay itself off and how much you will save in electricity over its warranted lifetime.

How Much Does Solar Cost?
Solar has costs for the equipment: the panels, the inverters, the racking and wiring, and of course the labor for design and installation. This cost be paid for in cash, a loan, or via a lease.
Cash: While installation costs vary based on roof type and scale, in 2020 one should expect to pay between 3.20 and 3.75 per kilowatt depending on size and complexity of the installation.
Loans and Leases are designed to save between 25% and 35% in year one with no out of pocket expense.
The term year one is used because savings from solar increases each year as your cost for power via your solar is fixed while the cost to buy electricity increases every year, thus your savings increase as you have offset the rising cost.

How do I pick a solar contractor?
The simple answer is track record. As with any industry, do your homework. The best indicator of the work that will be done for you as a customer is the work that has been done in the past by the solar contractor. Check references, training and certifications.

Will solar energy work on my roof?
A solar energy system can be installed on a variety of roof surfaces including metal, composite, shingle, membrane and a variety of others. Solar panels are mounted in a southern orientation to gain the most solar energy production. East and west facing roofs will produce less energy; however, west facing roofs produce more energy during “peak” times when the power can be worth more money and might be advantageous to utility customers with time of use charges. Active Solar recommends clients with older roofs redo their roofs in conjunction with the solar installation.

How much does a solar energy system weigh?
Solar panels and the associated piping or wiring add very little weight to a roofing structure. A solar electric panel (photovoltaic) will add only about 4.5 pounds per square foot to a roof structure.

What if there are clouds or no sun?
All solar energy systems and their energy outputs are based upon long term weather data for the area in which the system is being installed. Peaks and valleys in production are anticipated in the production calculations.

How does solar energy help the environment?
Your system will reduce the demand on existing fossil-fuel power plants and help reduce the need to build new facilities. Solar electricity greatly reduces the CO2 emissions that individual homes or companies produce. Whether your concern is reducing asthma producing particulates in your local town or reducing CO2 emissions globally, solar represents one of the cleanest and most abundant forms of energy available.

What is the 26% Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC)?
The Federal residential solar energy credit is a tax credit that can be claimed on federal income taxes for a percentage of the cost of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system. The percentage available decreases each year and is determined by the year that the system is installed.  A solar system installed before December 31, 2020, can claim a 26% credit, and 22% for those installed in 2021.  The residential tax credit expires December 31,2021… There is no maximum amount that can be claimed. Commercial solar tax credit will continue at 10% indefinitely. 

How much maintenance does a solar energy system require?
Solar electric systems are, for the most part, maintenance free. We do recommend a yearly check to ensure the system is operating properly and, depending on the area, a periodic cleaning of the panels can be beneficial. A solar electric system should still be producing 80% of the panel’s rated power after 25 years and can last 40 to 50 years.

Active Solar designs and installs industry leading Point of Use Power Technologies enabling homeowners to use less grid power, save money and live in smarter, more valuable and self-sustaining homes. COPYRIGHT 2020 ACTIVESOLAR.COM