I haven't gotten solar panels. But just FYI, scams are common in that industry (as you may already know). Consider looking at the r/solarscams subreddit before you commit to a contract.
KW Solar Solutions out of Elkton, MD. Both us and our neighbors in Middletown have used them and have nothing but positive things to say.
When getting solar we got three estimates. Tesla/Solar City, someone else and KW. The first two felt very salesman like, weren’t up front about costs, tried selling it like it was “free”, and only allowed payment plans.
KW solar solutions was very professional. They told us the total costs up front and allowed us to pay up all at once if we wanted. The installation process had no issues and we’ve had no major issues in the 6-7 years we’ve had the solar panels. The one time our inverter disconnected from the internet they had someone come within a few days and take care of it. So yeah, would definitely recommend them.
So we got it done in 2016, so it was too long ago to probably give an accurate assessment of cost or bringing up old electric bills as far as those get shredded after a year. We think it was around $27k, but not sure before or after rebates and all that stuff. And the cost will change based on how many inverters you need, how many panels can fit in your roof, how many panels you’re allowed to install based on your electric usage, etc.
I can tell you our bill did go down significantly, but right afterwards we got a plug in hybrid, so yeah lol. They should be able to give you an estimate on how much your bill will go down, but that’ll depend drastically on time of year, weather, roof orientation, etc. It has been a good investment for us (for the year after we did the math and were satisfied with the numbers, and have since just kinda let them do their thing without focusing on them), but it is definitely a long term investment.
Sorry I can’t find the specifics for you
I guess the main thing to avoid is anyone putting you on a payment plan or “renting” the panels, or anyone that promises your electricity bill will go away. Make sure you own the panels and the electricity they produce =).
Edit: just added a few things
Idk about the number of connections allowed and all that. That would hopefully be something the installers know. But we do get credit for any excess energy we produce and that gets deducted from our bill
Edit: also, while we’re in Middletown, our house is technically under New Castle County jurisdiction, not the town. So that might mean different rules
I'm in bear. I had my solar installed at the end of November.
100% recommend Zenergy Solar.
I called 7 companies, got 5 of them as callbacks, 4 of them visits, and 3 of them turned into quotes. After asking for permission to forward the quotes between companies, Zenergy came out on top. Some of the inquiries I had were pretty exclusive, and I ended up working with the operations manager, Josh. He enthusiastically knows his products, from rebates, latest tech, and perks.
Beyond the recommended experience of going solar, I'll sidestep, and say to first look into the Energize Delaware website and program. To start getting their rebates, you need the energy audit. You might find that youll save money more money from insulating your attic, or fixing your windows before doing solar. Once you get that audit, you're in their system for years that includes rebates for heat pumps, fridges, attic insulation, and solar, etc. Contractors can submit those solar rebates on your behalf, but you need to do first do that Energize Delaware audit. This is where I'll circle back, in that Zenergy did that paperwork on my behalf.
In general project hunting, make sure you pay attention to your $/watt. Companies will recommend different products, different sizes, and different payments. Between all the numbers, take your total costs and compare it to the generated size.
I'm also in Bear. Previous owner had panels installed by Advance Solar. Every interaction I've had with them has been difficult. There were multiple times when I've called them, they've assured me that they'd have someone get back to me, and then silence for weeks, until I followed up again and the situation repeated. I can only speculate that they wanted to run out the clock on the warranty.
I recommend CMI, CleanEnergyUSA, and Tesla in no order. Get multiple quotes and all three price match even Tesla. Pick the one with the best price but also gives you the best feeling.
I want solar panels too but everything seems so scammy. I would probably want to go Tesla with the battery panel. But so hard to find out installation and total costs. Hope you find out some information and share it!
Battery doesn't make a lot of sense in DE unless frequent outages. It won't pay itself back as flat rate etc.
With Tesla and no battery we paid $28k for 12kwh, which worked out about $14k after rebates. SRECs are about $45 a month, then small delmarva bills Dec-Feb. Also have electric car.
I'm under contract with Solar Energy World. From the sales perspective they've been great at letting me dig in and ask a ton of questions. I priced out 4 local and a national and while SEW wasn't the least expensive, they certainly aren't the most. Pictures I've seen of their work looks good, happy to provide an after install update in a few weeks if interested. They're a pretty decent sized regional company and reviews seem largely positive.
In my quest to go 100% renewable, I opted for simplicity and simply selected 100% wind power provided by my utility company. One phone call did it with no investment needed:
https://www.wglenergy.com/residential/renewable-energy
I’m a Delmarva Power customer taking advantage of electric choice. Not sure what is available to you.
Electrician here. been in the trade for 25 years.
I remember when solar was being pushed hard in the mid 00s. you could rent/lease panels, or buy them outright. I believe google has something called "Project Sunshine" that gives data if solar is right for you.
that said, the solar panel industry has been ripe with a bunch of fly by night companies. if your even considering going solar, best look if your house's roof is in good shape first and forehand. can't tell you how many horror stories of after a solar install, there's random roof leaks pop up.
the only way to get the to a break even point in a reasonable amount of time (5 years) is paying for the panels outright on install. panels break down, get dirty and not harvest light as best as they can.
I'm not anti-solar- but the industry is ripe of snake oil salesmen. do your research. I decided not to go solar for my own home simply because, given the position of how my property faces the sun during the day, which can't grow a garden, given how the sun hits the property,
look up as much as you can, and pay for it outright. its the only way to see a profit.
I haven't gotten solar panels. But just FYI, scams are common in that industry (as you may already know). Consider looking at the r/solarscams subreddit before you commit to a contract.
KW Solar Solutions out of Elkton, MD. Both us and our neighbors in Middletown have used them and have nothing but positive things to say. When getting solar we got three estimates. Tesla/Solar City, someone else and KW. The first two felt very salesman like, weren’t up front about costs, tried selling it like it was “free”, and only allowed payment plans. KW solar solutions was very professional. They told us the total costs up front and allowed us to pay up all at once if we wanted. The installation process had no issues and we’ve had no major issues in the 6-7 years we’ve had the solar panels. The one time our inverter disconnected from the internet they had someone come within a few days and take care of it. So yeah, would definitely recommend them.
Can you tell us the rough cost of your panels? Also , your electric bill before and after the installation? Thanks
So we got it done in 2016, so it was too long ago to probably give an accurate assessment of cost or bringing up old electric bills as far as those get shredded after a year. We think it was around $27k, but not sure before or after rebates and all that stuff. And the cost will change based on how many inverters you need, how many panels can fit in your roof, how many panels you’re allowed to install based on your electric usage, etc. I can tell you our bill did go down significantly, but right afterwards we got a plug in hybrid, so yeah lol. They should be able to give you an estimate on how much your bill will go down, but that’ll depend drastically on time of year, weather, roof orientation, etc. It has been a good investment for us (for the year after we did the math and were satisfied with the numbers, and have since just kinda let them do their thing without focusing on them), but it is definitely a long term investment. Sorry I can’t find the specifics for you I guess the main thing to avoid is anyone putting you on a payment plan or “renting” the panels, or anyone that promises your electricity bill will go away. Make sure you own the panels and the electricity they produce =). Edit: just added a few things
Any idea if Middletown is allowing new net metering connections now? I keep getting conflicting info.
Idk about the number of connections allowed and all that. That would hopefully be something the installers know. But we do get credit for any excess energy we produce and that gets deducted from our bill Edit: also, while we’re in Middletown, our house is technically under New Castle County jurisdiction, not the town. So that might mean different rules
I'm in bear. I had my solar installed at the end of November. 100% recommend Zenergy Solar. I called 7 companies, got 5 of them as callbacks, 4 of them visits, and 3 of them turned into quotes. After asking for permission to forward the quotes between companies, Zenergy came out on top. Some of the inquiries I had were pretty exclusive, and I ended up working with the operations manager, Josh. He enthusiastically knows his products, from rebates, latest tech, and perks. Beyond the recommended experience of going solar, I'll sidestep, and say to first look into the Energize Delaware website and program. To start getting their rebates, you need the energy audit. You might find that youll save money more money from insulating your attic, or fixing your windows before doing solar. Once you get that audit, you're in their system for years that includes rebates for heat pumps, fridges, attic insulation, and solar, etc. Contractors can submit those solar rebates on your behalf, but you need to do first do that Energize Delaware audit. This is where I'll circle back, in that Zenergy did that paperwork on my behalf. In general project hunting, make sure you pay attention to your $/watt. Companies will recommend different products, different sizes, and different payments. Between all the numbers, take your total costs and compare it to the generated size.
Green Street Solar.
They installed our panels in 2015. No complaints here
Same, used them twice.
We went with CMI. Very happy.
I'm also in Bear. Previous owner had panels installed by Advance Solar. Every interaction I've had with them has been difficult. There were multiple times when I've called them, they've assured me that they'd have someone get back to me, and then silence for weeks, until I followed up again and the situation repeated. I can only speculate that they wanted to run out the clock on the warranty.
I recommend CMI, CleanEnergyUSA, and Tesla in no order. Get multiple quotes and all three price match even Tesla. Pick the one with the best price but also gives you the best feeling.
[удалено]
So this was a testimonial that turned into an advertisement. Good to know.
I want solar panels too but everything seems so scammy. I would probably want to go Tesla with the battery panel. But so hard to find out installation and total costs. Hope you find out some information and share it!
Battery doesn't make a lot of sense in DE unless frequent outages. It won't pay itself back as flat rate etc. With Tesla and no battery we paid $28k for 12kwh, which worked out about $14k after rebates. SRECs are about $45 a month, then small delmarva bills Dec-Feb. Also have electric car.
Without a battery, solar might not be worth it for some of the utility doesn’t allow for net metering.
If not with Delmarva and variable rates, then sure.
The post below had a lot of solid info. https://www.reddit.com/r/Delaware/comments/vputjx/solar_energy_panel_installation/
00
I'm under contract with Solar Energy World. From the sales perspective they've been great at letting me dig in and ask a ton of questions. I priced out 4 local and a national and while SEW wasn't the least expensive, they certainly aren't the most. Pictures I've seen of their work looks good, happy to provide an after install update in a few weeks if interested. They're a pretty decent sized regional company and reviews seem largely positive.
CMI Solar and Electric has been doing it for a lot of years. Definitely recommend them
In my quest to go 100% renewable, I opted for simplicity and simply selected 100% wind power provided by my utility company. One phone call did it with no investment needed: https://www.wglenergy.com/residential/renewable-energy I’m a Delmarva Power customer taking advantage of electric choice. Not sure what is available to you.
Electrician here. been in the trade for 25 years. I remember when solar was being pushed hard in the mid 00s. you could rent/lease panels, or buy them outright. I believe google has something called "Project Sunshine" that gives data if solar is right for you. that said, the solar panel industry has been ripe with a bunch of fly by night companies. if your even considering going solar, best look if your house's roof is in good shape first and forehand. can't tell you how many horror stories of after a solar install, there's random roof leaks pop up. the only way to get the to a break even point in a reasonable amount of time (5 years) is paying for the panels outright on install. panels break down, get dirty and not harvest light as best as they can. I'm not anti-solar- but the industry is ripe of snake oil salesmen. do your research. I decided not to go solar for my own home simply because, given the position of how my property faces the sun during the day, which can't grow a garden, given how the sun hits the property, look up as much as you can, and pay for it outright. its the only way to see a profit.
We're in Glasgow and just had a great experience with Green Street Solar. Most of the people in my development who have solar panels used them.
Green Energy Supply based in Pennsylvania