Why do some customers hate solar panels and why do some love their solar panels? The reason is because some solar installers simply don't do things correctly. Here are 3 reasons why some customers have a bad experience with solar panels.
1. Inaccurate estimates of the solar panel’s production. Inexperienced solar consultants may sometimes aggressively overestimate the annual amount of electricity that is to be generated by the solar panels. The 3 main factors that determine the efficiency of a solar system are:
· Azimuth: The direction the roof surface faces
· Pitch: The angle of the roof surface
· Shade: Any shade on that roof surface throughout the year will affect the solar panels. Shade is most caused by trees, chimneys, and other roof surfaces that may block the sun for a certain period of the day.
2. Installing solar panels on northern roof surfaces. Most solar installers in the tri-state area will refrain from installing solar panels on northern facing roof surfaces due to lower production numbers generated by the solar panels. However, there are instances when using a northern facing roof will suffice if the solar system’s annual production is estimated correctly. For example, northern facing roofs with a lower pitch (18 degrees or lower) would be an OK option if all other roof directions have been exhausted. Therefore, the efficiency ratio of the solar panels would be lower. Even under these circumstances, homeowners may still see a substantial savings by switching to solar, especially in regions of Orange & Rockland Utility, Con Edison Utility, and PSEG Utility.
3. Solar Installers do not property uphold maintenance, servicing, and warranty agreements. Going solar is a long-term relationship between a homeowner/business owner and the solar installation company of their choosing. Therefore, we highly recommend that homeowners choose a local company to their area. System’s can malfunction and the how responsive an installer can have the system back online is crucial to the experience of the customer. Additionally, locally owned, and operated installers typically have a great deal of experience with the local municipalities & utilities in understanding their application process and requirements.
Integrity Solar Solutions (New City, NY) designs and creates all shade analysis reports using Aurora Solar. Aurora Solar uses both Lidar & Irradiance Technologies to generate extremely accurate solar panel production numbers. Shade Reports are necessary to submit to the local utilities for interconnection approvals, as well as the State of New York (NYSERDA), and New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program for rebate applications and approvals on behalf of the homeowner/business owner.
To learn more about what causes some to have a great solar experience, vs some that have a poor experience please call our office at 845-584-3100 x1.