Residential Solar FAQ

Helpful Answers to the Most Common Home Solar Questions

Solar is full of acronyms and more technical jargon than an entire season of Star Trek. But we're here to help. We've compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions we receive here at Sun Valley Solar Solutions. If your question isn't on the list, just give us a call at 480-689-5000 or click here and use our Contact Us form to submit your query directly.

• What is photovoltaic, or PV?

  In general conversation, photovoltaic is often used to refer to solar energy technology. Specifically, photovoltaic technology uses silicon crystals and wire conductors to generate solar power. These crystals and wires are strung together into solar panels, which are then strung together to generate the desired amount of wattage. PV is the industry acronym.

• How much does solar cost?

  The price of solar varies greatly from customer to customer. This is because the number of solar panels you need directly relates to how much power your family uses. After all, a different family living in your home may have a dramatically different power bill than you do. They may prefer cooler temperatures or have more family members home at different times of the day than yours. Whatever your unique situation, going solar ensures you will buy less power from the utility, which means a lower bill. When we provide a quote, we evaluate all the variables, including your family's unique electrical usage, roof configuration, shading, and local utility pricing. We then customize a system to produce enough electricity to offset your usage or partly offset your most expensive electricity during peak time.
  
  We also offer multiple ways to pay for your solar energy system. These include a $0 down low monthly lease payment or numerous solar financing programs with extended terms and $0 down payment options. 
  
  Our consultations are free, and since our mission is to educate, you can look forward to a low-pressure experience. Call one of our solar integrators for pricing and information specific to you and your home 480-689-5000.

• What’s the average size of a solar electric system?

  Sizing a solar energy system requires much more than square footage alone. The number of solar panels needed is dictated by two main variables:  how much energy you use and how much money you want to save. In addition, energy use is unique to each household, with variables such as the number of family members living in the home, time spent at work vs. at home, or temperature preferences all contributing to a very personal energy profile. 

  Sun Valley Solar Solutions offers two types of systems: Pre-Engineered solar packages and custom-engineered systems. 

  With nearly 8,000 installations across Arizona, we have an intimate understanding of where size and maximum savings align for most Arizona homes. This is the foundation for our pre-engineered approach, allowing us to optimize four high-performance solar packages for performance and value in Arizona's most common sizes, complete with panels, racking, inverter, and basic installation. This approach allows us to pass tangible savings along to the buyer while offsetting a significant portion of their annual electric bill.

  Suppose you're looking for something more custom. In that case, we also offer fully engineered solutions that account for unique structural conditions, additional components such as batteries and EV chargers, custom equipment locations, and aesthetic requests. From there, we develop a detailed site plan and savings proposal unique to your home and family. 

• Will solar panels power my home when the grid is down?

  Unless you have a fully off-grid system, your solar panels are integrated with the utility grid and will not operate if the grid is down. The reasons for this are both technical and regulatory.

  From a technical perspective, as long as the sun is shining overhead, solar panels generate power regardless of how much electricity your home consumes. In a grid-connected system, excess solar power is sent back into the grid for a credit, and any additional power you need beyond what your panels are producing is pulled from the grid. It’s a constant push/pull. Panels reduce the energy you need to purchase, but their production changes as the sun moves across the sky, clouds roll in, or night falls. Since your appliances require constant/predictable energy, the grid/solar interconnect creates a leveled power delivery throughout the day and night.

  Safety regulations are the second reason. During outages, repair crews could be jeopardized if a local power generator (like a solar array) leaks power back into the grid lines. For this reason, utility rules mandate that solar arrays must automatically shut down during outages. Solar systems have devices that sense whether power is coming across the grid, and when that’s disrupted, the local solar array is automatically shut down for safety.

  The only way to avoid all these things is by completely disconnecting from the grid. A fully off-grid solar energy system generally requires numerous batteries, generators, and other ancillary devices to provide 24/7 power regardless of weather conditions.

• Will my system work at night or on cloudy days?

  Your system will function on cloudy days, but it will produce less electricity depending on the density and duration of the cloud cover. At night, your system will not have enough light to convert into electricity. During nighttime hours, your house will rely exclusively on grid energy.

• What is the difference between a kilowatt (kW) and a kilowatt-hour (kWh)?

  A kilowatt is a measure of power within an electrical system – specifically, the rate at which power is generated at a single point in time. When a solar system produces power during the day, the inverter will output a certain number of kilowatts at any moment. As a result, your system's kilowatt production fluctuates up and down depending on several factors throughout the day and at different times of the year. These factors include the sun's angle, weather patterns, ambient temperature, etc.

  A kilowatt-hour is the amount of power generated over some time. For example, if a solar system produced 1kW continually for an hour, it produced 1kWh. Kilowatt-hours are a more accurate representation of overall solar production, as they show value over time rather than in a single moment. For an easy comparison, kilowatt-hours are the same unit of energy the utility company uses to determine energy usage. So, if your utility is charging you 20 cents/kWh, every kWh of solar power produced is offsetting that 20 cents you would have otherwise paid to the utility.

• What is the best time of year to install solar?

  While there is no wrong time to install solar, waiting until summer can have a few disadvantages. First, as temperatures rise, so does the rush to install solar. This high seasonal demand can make installation times longer. This is critical because it can take several months to design your system, complete the installation, and wait for your utility company to switch the system on. If you wait until June to start shopping, you'll likely take advantage of the opportunity to reduce or eliminate your high summer electricity bills.

  In addition, many Arizona utilities allow you to earn energy credits when your solar energy system produces more electricity than your home uses. This excess energy is returned to the gird for a buyback credit from your utility. The best way to have enough credits to help offset your high summer bills is to have your solar energy system operational in winter when you use less electricity. 

• What if my homeowner’s association (HOA) won’t allow me to put solar panels up?

  By Arizona statute, a homeowner's association must allow a solar installation. Here is the statute itself signed into law in 2007: §33-1816
  
  When concerns arise, Sun Valley Solar Solutions makes every attempt to minimize the visibility of our solar arrays and design the most efficient solutions possible. We will work with your HOA to help them understand the law and be sensitive to their guidelines every step of the way.

• If I lease a solar electric system, what happens if I sell my home?

  1. You can easily transfer the lease to the new homeowner. (NOTE: They have to qualify with a good credit score.)
  2. You can purchase the system outright at the “remaining value” in your lease. It then becomes real property and part of the sale.

• If I lease a solar electric system, what happens if I pass away?

  Like any other financial arrangement, solar equipment obtained through a solar lease is subject to legal ramifications of property and debt passed to heirs through probate, will, or trust. Please have a look at your attorney or tax adviser for more information.

• If I wait, won’t the cost of solar go down?

  This is one of the most common myths that hold homeowners back from investing in solar energy. We did indeed see a reduction in panel pricing in the first few years after the technology became mainstream, but pricing has remained mostly stable since 2012. As for performance, engineers have improved the efficiency of the modern solar cell to the point where future advancements are likely to be mostly incremental. 

  But looking at pricing and efficiency alone is only part of the equation. Currently, very lucrative federal tax incentives will decrease in the coming years. Overlay this with the fact that local utilities are working to increase their grid access fees for new solar customers. The question becomes: how much money do you stand to lose while waiting for small changes in efficiency and price? 

  So, if you've been considering solar, it makes the most sense to take advantage of the current incentive programs and turn Arizona's most abundant resource into real savings today.

• What is “net-metering?”

  The electricity produced by your solar system is monitored by a dedicated (separate) solar meter. That meter is connected to the grid and monitored by the utility company's electric meter (also on your home). When you're producing more electricity than you're using, the utility's electric meter spins "backward" because you're feeding your excess energy back into the grid.
  
  The utilities credit you for every kilowatt hour you produce more power than you use. Conversely, when you need more power than your solar system produces at night or on cloudy days, you can cash in your energy credits and avoid purchasing that needed power directly.
  
  Thanks to net metering, you're credited or charged for the difference between what you produce and what you use at the end of each month. At the end of each year, depending on your utility company, you may receive either a check or a credit for any extra credits remaining on your account.

  Different utilities have different net metering policies, fiscal periods, and payback plans. Our solar integrators are fully versed in the varying plans and can easily explain the net metering program in your area.

• Do I have to buy insurance for a solar array?

  The answer to this depends on whether you lease or purchase your system. If you lease, insurance is included. If you purchase, you must add the system to your homeowner's insurance policy. Typically, any premium increase is put in place to cover the replacement cost because you've increased the home's value rather than the system being viewed as a liability.

• Who takes care of service?

  This depends on whether you lease or purchase. All service issues are handled for the 20-year lease term when you lease. If you purchase your system, the panels are covered by the manufacturer (typically for 25 - 30 years), inverters (typically ten years), and Sun Valley Solar Solutions warrant installation artistry for ten years. 

• Aren’t there big federal and state incentives for solar?

  If you purchase a solar electric system, the federal government will give you a 30% tax credit on the total paid, which can be taken in one year or spread out over five years. Check with your accountant for tax specifics. The state of Arizona offers a $1,000 tax credit for solar. Additionally, solar purchases are not subject to sales tax.

• Are permits and inspections required?

  Yes. Sun Valley Solar Solutions handles all the necessary paperwork for permits. We are also on-site for all city inspections. Throughout the process, we take care of as much as possible to make things easy for you, and we’ll walk you through the entire process – as much or as little as you want to know.

• Do the panels have to be cleaned?

  We recommend yearly cleanings to keep your panels dust and debris-free and operating efficiently. Every once in a while, such as after a bad dust storm, you may need to augment that yearly cleaning schedule. It is also important to inspect your panels for bird infestations. Occasionally, birds will nest in the shaded area under the array. This can cause problems with proper water shedding, which can, in turn, damage roof underlayment. 

• Do trees impact solar production?

  A solar panel achieves maximum energy production when the entire surface of the panel receives direct sunlight. If any portion of the panel is shaded, the entire panel’s electrical output will be diminished. For this reason, it is critical to reduce shading from tress with regular trimming. 

• What do the lights on my SolarEdge inverter mean?

  Blue light: Your inverter is communicating with your monitoring system.

  Greenlight: Your system is producing and operating normally.

  Flashing green light: Your solar energy system is connected to the grid but is not producing energy.

  Red light: There is a system error. We recommend power cycling your inverter or calling our service department at 480-689-5050.

  Visit the SolarEdge Inverter Status and System Performance Indications for more information.

  You can also visit our Customer Support page for more service-related resources.

• How do I power cycle my SolarEdge inverter?

  Turning your SolarEdge inverter on and off can help resolve issues. To turn off your system, follow this video from SolarEdge's Learning Lab.

  Turn your SolarEdge inverter back on to complete its power cycle, and turn your AC disconnect back. You'll then want to reverse the steps in the video above. Check your system after about 5 minutes of the inverter powering up again. You should hear a? faint clicking noise indicating that your solar panels are producing power.

  You can also visit our Customer Support page for more service-related resources.

• What do I do if I have a solar emergency?

  We run a full in-house service team consisting of field technicians, two project coordinators, and three dedicated case managers. We are available M-F, 7 AM-4 PM at 480-689-5050 or via email at service@sunvalleysolar.com. Limited after-hours and weekend emergency services are available by calling our main line, 480-689-5000, extension #4.