With a home solar system, you have two major components that convert sunlight into usable energy for all your appliances at home.

Solar Panels consist of many photovoltaic cells that absorb the sunlight and convert it into (DC Electricity) short for Direct Current Electricity. As long as these cells are in the path of the sunlight it will convert the light into DC energy. Even with cloudy conditions, you can still expect the solar panels to be generating electricity. Although, the energy the solar panels produce isn’t usable for your house so that’s when Inverters come into play.

Inverters transform the DC electricity generated by the Solar Panels into (AC Electricity) short for Alternating Current electricity which is then used in your house. Inverters can either be found by your main panel or they can be on the backside of each solar panel which is known as Micro-Inverters.

System offset is based on your previous 12 months of electric usage. It’s how much the solar system is offsetting your electric usage. So, for example, if you have a system that is 100% offset that means that the solar system is producing 100% of the previous 12 months of your personal electricity usage in your home. If you had a system offset of 90% that means that the solar system is producing 90% of the energy you're using, so your system would be at a 10% deficit compared to what you use. Now lastly, if you had a system offset of 110% that means that your solar system is generating more electricity than you currently are using by 10%.

There are 3 different ways to acquire the electric usage from your utility company. Specifically your 12 months of prior usage which is what we need to accurately build the right size solar system for your home. You can view it on your monthly bill, log in to your utility account, or call over the phone.

Some companies, like PG&E, will include your previous 12 months of electricity usage (kWh) on each bill. It will be a bar graph and each bar being a separate month. Some utilities don’t do this.

Next, you can log into your utility account and find or click on where it talks about your usage. From there you should be able to navigate where your prior 12 months of electric usage in kWh (kilo-watt hours).

Lastly, if all else fails you can call your utility with your account information and they will be able to pull up your usage and tell you over the phone. If you do this make sure you specifically ask for the month by month kWh usage. Retrieving the month by month kWh usage helps us build a highly accurate quote for you.

There are 2 primary types of inverters. You first have strong inverters, and secondly you have micro-inverters.

String Inverters: This is the oldest inverter and they are usually placed next to your main panel and your solar panels all feed into this one inverter. String Inverters are less efficient, offer no panel monitoring, and need to be replaced sooner than micro-inverters. If you have any obstructions blocking the sun from reaching any of your panels your whole system will be affected unlike micro-inverters how it would just be that blocked panel.

Microninverters: These Inverters are much better than string inverters and the standard on all current solar systems. Microinverters are very small compared to a string inverter and are attached to the backside of each panel. This allows you to be able to monitor your panels for easy maintenance. They usually cost more than String Inverters but if you factor in the higher efficiency of your system and also the longer time before needing to be replaced you can see why these are the most used inverters in today’s solar installations.

The main reason people go solar is for the financial benefit. With solar you could be able to save a substantial amount of money every single month. You’re able to harvest free energy from the sun and can stop paying premium electricity prices from the utility companies.

It all depends on which Installer you choose to go with. Most of our installers allow for the option to add on panels after the system has already been installed, but some do not allow this. Although, no matter the Installer you go with, you can always add panels through a separate agreement.

No matter which Installer you choose, your solar system should last well over 25 years. With that being said, it is standard in the solar industry to replace your roof if it is 35-40 years old before going solar. You can always replace your roof once you already have solar on, but you will pay more to have the panels uninstalled and then reinstalled.

Luckily, here at 18Cents we work with several roofing companies all over the state and are able to bundle a new roof along with a solar system so you can take advantage of the 30% tax and save on getting your roof replaced rather than doing it separately.

You will still have power in your house but you will be pulling power from your utility company since the system is a grid-tied solar system. This allows for when you have overproduction, you send the energy into the grid and get paid for the excess energy you send out. So, in times when you are pulling power from the grid you will be able to help mitigate the cost with the money you produced from your overproduction during that month.

Main electrical panels generally range from 100-225 amps. Whether you will need an main Panel Upgrade depends on the size of the system you get. The bigger the system the higher amperage you will need in your main panel. If you have a 100 amp main panel you will most likely need to be upgraded to a 200 amp panel. A majority of homes built within the last 25 years do not require an upgrade.

In the case you do need your main panel to be upgraded, it will usually add $2,400 - $3,500 depending on what company you go with and this will be added to the total price of your solar system. However you're able to take advantage of the federal solar tax incentive so you will be able to receive 30% of the cost back in tax credits.

With battery backup installed, the battery will sense when there is a power outage and immediately turn on and power the appliances that you chose to back up in case of an emergency. The house would now pull power from the battery instead of the grid.

A battery is able to back up many appliances, although the more you choose to back up the quicker the battery will drain. There is no battery on the market that is able to power Air Conditioning systems as they draw too much power. Most people choose to back up the essentials which are lights, refrigerator, internet, ect. A battery that can power these essentials usually for about 10 hours on a full charge.

Yes, a battery can be added to your system later. All you would have to do is call us and we’ll give you options of batteries that work well paired with your solar system.

A solar battery can be easily mounted on a wall — usually inside your garage or outside of your home.

It depends on your situation but for most instances it is always better to either finance the system and have a very low solar payment every month or buy the system with cash. When owning a solar system through either financing it or paying with cash you get several benefits including the current 30% Federal tax credit. Furthermore, when owning a system it also increases your home’s value.

There are 2 main options for paying for your solar system with 18CENTS.
You can either pay with cash (ACH or Cashiers Check) which you will pay separate chunks for completion of different stages during the installation process. You can also finance the entire cost of the system through the banks that the installer you choose has. With financing you would then have a fixed solar loan payment each month that would help mitigate your utility payment as much as possible.

When considering buying a solar system for your home, it is important to to see how much of the solar price can be offset by the increased value of your home. Multiple studies have shown and also according to zillow estimates, Solar can add about 4.1% of increased value to your home. So, even if your looking to move in the next coming years solar can still be a financially smart option.

If you have financed your panels with a loan and are still making payments, you can either pay off the finance with the proceeds of the sale (and in most cases the increased value of the home will more than cover the finance loan) or in most cases you can transfer the loan to the home buyer which in most cases is happy to do so since a monthly solar payment is far less expensive than utility company rates.

You can calculate your ROI using a couple of methods. The most used method of determining your ROI is taking what you save in a year after going solar into the total cost of the system. Look at the example below.

Say you purchase a system that costs $9,000 and it saves you $1,000 every year on electricity. You’d be making a 11% return on your investment because when you divide 1,000/9,000 you get 11%.

Multiple studies have shown that owning a home solar system does increase the value. Homes with owned solar in California sell on average for about $20,000 more compared to similar homes without solar. Research done by Zillow shows it can potentially increase the home's value by up to 4.1% more than comparable homes with no solar panels.

No, it does not increase property taxes. Under the California solar property tax exemption, homeowners who install solar panels will not be taxed on the amount that those panels increase the value of their home. In other words, the installation of solar panels on a California home cannot increase (or decrease) the property’s tax assessment.

The process of installing solar panels is generally quick as most installations take just one day. In some instances it can take 2-3 days depending on the size of your system and other factors.

From the moment you approve the design to the installation of the solar panels, your assigned 18cents Project Manager will assist and help you with whatever questions or problems that may arise.

If you choose to have the solar mounted on the roof, installers will drill holes into the roof so the solar panels can be mounted. All of the roof penetrations are made watertight and also have a warranty in case of any leaks or damage were to occur.

18cents compiles all the top name solar companies together in one place so you are able to find the best company that’s perfect for your situation hassle free. Unlike most solar companies we are completely transparent and give an unbiased look on all companies so you don’t have to worry about any sales pressure or being swayed to one way or another.

When you go straight to the installer you get assigned to an energy consultant who controls the pricing of your system and there is no transparency with what that consultant is making. The average energy consultant is making anywhere from $5,000 - $12,000 for every solar system sold. Then after you have the solar installed, you're just a number in the company and can have many problems fixing any issues down the road since they have already gotten paid.

Here at 18Cents we are fully transparent about every step of the process and give the best prices. With most companies you have no idea what that company is being compensated for the sale of the system. Too many times we hear people paying 10,000’s of dollars extra for a system because there is a greedy salesperson. We made it so transparent that we included it in our name. We charge just 18 cents per watt for your system so you know exactly what we are being compensated. Also, with that price you get only the best customer service and communication through the whole process.