FAQ's:
Advanced Solar Power is dedicated to helping you make the best educated and informed decision when purchasing a Solar Electric or Solar Hot water system. Since the solar industry is still new and solar programs vary from state to state there are many misconceptions. The following are some concepts every solar customer will want to know.
How long before my investment is paid off? What's the payback?
This is the most common question. In other words what am I getting for my money? Solar is viable and has never been more affordable. See the Lets Go Green page to view all the benefits that come with owning a solar system. Now lets take a closer look at the matter of payback...
Below is a graph showing a cash flow analysis for a 5000 watt PV system. In order to properly determine a PV systems payback you have to compare it to the cost of doing nothing or simply paying your utility bills. The blue line is the cost of owning a PV system, the red line is the cost of paying your bills. As you would expect at the end of the first year, the blue line is lower than the red line indicating it's more expensive to purchase a PV system than to simply pay your utility bill. The blue line trends upward to show your savings and the red line trends downward to show your spending. At 3.2 years the lines intersect indicating your break even point. At this point, the cost of purchasing a PV system is the same as paying your electric bills. At about 6.5 years the blue line crosses the x-axis indicating your initial investment has been paid off. Many people confuse this with the break even point. It's not. If you had not purchased a PV system you would be almost $10,000 in the hole at this point. 20 years from now you will either be $28,000 richer and the proud owner of a solar electric system or $35,000 poorer with nothing to show for it. Advanced Solar Power PV systems can last 30-40 years. If utility rates go up faster than 3% per year your savings will be even greater.
NOT getting a PV system is costing you money every day.
Always remember to look at system payback in relation to paying your electric bills.
Is my home suitable for a solar system?
Not all homes are good for solar because too many trees exist on the property or the roof is pitched too steeply in an east west direction. When you speak to one of our solar representatives, the first thing he will do is look at a satellite picture of your home to prequalify you. Then he will answer any questions you have and possibly give you a rough price estimate all by phone. A southern facing roof is optimal because it receives direct solar radiation all day long. Trees on the property have to be far enough away from the roof that in the winter, when the sun is lower in the sky your roof is not shaded. As a general rule of thumb, you want your roof to receive sun from 9am to 3pm all year round. A roof that is pitched East-West and not very steep can still be good for solar provided there is no tree cover.
What is NET metering?
In order to understand how the solar program works in Long Island it is important to understand Net Metering. NET metering is the process by which a customer produces electricity from solar and sends it on the utility grid to LIPA. This eliminates the need for batteries to store excess electricity. As the electricity leaves your home, it rolls your meter backward and LIPA issues you a credit. For every Kilowatt hour of electricity you send to LIPA you get a Kilowatt hour later for free. It’s an even exchange, thereby reducing or eliminating your electric bill and saving you money. At the end of the year if you produced more electricity than you consumed, then LIPA will send you a check.
Can I heat my home with solar in the winter?
If you have existing radiant floor heating you may be able to supplement your winter heating with a solar hot water system. This method does not work with radiant base board heat because the water temperatures are too high. Passive solar heating is to design a home with large southern facing windows that bring in the suns rays in the winter and are well insulated to minimize heat loss. Even this will still be supplemental and require another heating source for cold winter nights. A solar PV system produces electricity there by reducing your electric bill. If you heat your home with electricity it would reduce that bill. A solar hot water system heats an 80 gallon tank of hot water for domestic purposes such as showers, baths, dishes and laundry. This will reduce your oil, gas or electric bill depending on what you currently use to heat your water.