Save money and be energy independent!

A solar power system will dramatically lower or even eliminate your electric bill. In fact, a solar power system typically pays for itself in energy savings after 5-9 years. Click to view a Typical Residential Case Study

Federal Tax Credit will pay for 30% of the system cost.

On October 3, 2008 the President signed the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 into law. The bill extends the 30% ITC for residential solar property for eight years through December 31, 2016. It also removes the cap on qualified solar electric property expenditures (currently $2,000), effective for property placed in service after December 31, 2008. The bill allows individual taxpayers to use the credit to offset AMT liability, and to carry unused credits forward to the next succeeding taxable year. Click here to view more information about the tax credit.

Currently, the state of California pays for about 1/4 of the system cost.

As part of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Million Solar Roofs Program, California has set a goal to create 3,000 megawatts of new, solar-produced electricity by 2017.

“The California Solar Initiative offers cash incentives on solar systems - currently, $1.55 a watt for existing homes. California Solar Initiative incentives, combined with federal tax incentives, can cover up to 50 percent of the total cost of a solar system.”

Act quickly on getting your Solar Electric System as the State Rebates are falling every few months.

Increase the value of your home!

A decrease of $1,000 in yearly energy consumption increases the value of the house by $20,000 (Appraisal Journal, October 1999). While a kitchen remodel increases the amount of property tax paid on the property, the value added by a solar power is exempt from property tax assessment.

Invest wisely for big returns

A solar power system on your home is a long term, low risk, high return way to invest your money. Solar offers an initial tax free annual return on investment from 30% to 40%. This is far higher than high risk investments such as stocks and bonds. As utility rates increase, the annual return increases.

Shield yourself from rising energy costs!

In 2006 the highest tier electric rates increased by 40% to 60% in California. Utility rates in California have risen at an average of 6.8% per year over the last 30 years. A solar power system will shield you from increasing energy costs by giving you control of how much you pay per month.

This graph illustrates the historic increase in California’s electric rates from 1970 through2006 for residential and commercial users.

In many cases, the payments on the financing can be less than your current electric bill. As the cost of electricity goes up, so does your savings. Many of our use low rate home equity loan to pay for their solar system. However, we also offer five year financing options through Wells Fargo.

Reduce environmental impact.

Most of the energy on the grid today is produced in coal power plants. Generating electricity from clean, renewable solar energy reduces fossil fuel consumption and the emission of harmful pollutants. Even a small solar electric system has a significant environmental impact. For example, a 2.5kW solar system reduces CO2 emissions by an amount similar to that which would occur by planting 1 acre of trees, or the amount of CO2 emitted by a passenger car driving 7,800 miles per year.

Net Metering

Net metering legislation states that the utility company must credit you at retail rates (the same rate they would have charged you). Therefore, time of use customers will be credited peak rates for power fed into the grid during peak hours (Please note that San Diego does not currently have a time of use rate schedule that benefits SDG&E customers).

What makes a house suitable for solar?

There are several factors that determine how suitable a home is for solar.

• The number of sun hours received by your geographical location. Also known as solar isolation, this is the amount of sun light that a geographical location receives in a typical year. Click Here to display the solar isolation for United States.
• The amount of shading received by your roof during peak production hours. Less is better. Tall structures (other homes or buildings, trees, telephone poles, etc.) can restrict the amount of sunlight that reaches an installed solar panel. The shade those other structures create can reduce the effectiveness of your solar system.
• Available roof or ground area for the solar power system. A solar power system requires space for installation.