Frequently Asked Questions

---

1. Save on Energy Costs: Solar power significantly reduces or even eliminates your electricity bills, protecting you from rising energy prices.
2. Environmental Benefits: Solar energy is clean and renewable, helping to reduce your carbon footprint and combat climate change.
3. Energy Independence: Generate your own power and rely less on the grid, especially during outages.
4. Affordability: Solar panels and home batteries are becoming more affordable and accessible. With solar, expect to pay affordable rates if at all for the next 20-25 years, unlike rates from your utility.
5. Increase Home Value: Homes with solar systems often sell for more, making it a smart investment.
6. Federal Tax Credit: The Residential Clean Energy Credit is equal to 30% of the costs of new, qualified clean energy property for your home installed anytime from 2022 through 2032
7. Long-Term Durability: Solar panels are low-maintenance and built to last, with warranties often exceeding 25 years.

Solar panels are installed on your roof or property. These panels absorb the sun's energy and convert it into DC electricity. A solar inverter then converts the DC electricity into AC electricity, which is used to power your home.

Net Energy Metering 3.0 (NEM 3.0)

NEM 3.0 provides a pathway to maximize the value of your solar system, particularly when paired with battery storage

Energy Independence

A battery lets you store excess solar energy generated during the day for use at night or during cloudy periods, reducing reliance on the grid.

Backup Power

Keep your essential appliances running during power outages by storing energy in your battery system.

Maximize Savings

Avoid peak electricity rates by using stored energy when electricity costs are highest, saving more on your utility bills.

Increased Solar Efficiency

Without a battery, excess solar energy may be sent back to the grid. A battery ensures you capture and use as much of your solar power as possible.

Future-Proofing

As energy needs grow with additions like electric vehicles (EVs) or heat pumps, a battery system provides extra capacity and flexibility.

Environmental Benefits

By using stored energy, you rely less on grid electricity, which often comes from fossil fuels, further reducing your carbon footprint.

Adding a battery enhances the value and efficiency of your solar investment, offering greater control, reliability, and sustainability for your home.

Net Energy Metering (NEM) is a policy that allows residential and commercial customers who generate their own electricity (typically through solar panels) to receive credits for the surplus energy they produce and send back to the electric grid. These credits can then be used to offset the cost of electricity that the customer consumes from the grid when their system is not producing enough energy (e.g., at night or on cloudy days).

In simpler terms, NEM allows you to "bank" excess energy you generate and use it when needed, effectively lowering your electricity bill. It’s a key mechanism in promoting the adoption of renewable energy sources, particularly solar power.

Here’s how the process typically works:

1. Solar Energy Production:

• A solar panel system (or another form of renewable energy generation) is installed on a home or business.
• The system generates electricity as long as there is sunlight.

2. Energy Consumption:

• When the solar panels produce more electricity than the building consumes, the excess energy is sent back to the electrical grid.
• When the building uses more electricity than the solar system is generating (e.g., at night), it draws power from the grid.

3. Metering and Credits:

• A bi-directional meter is used to measure both the electricity used from the grid and the electricity sent back to the grid.
• When excess energy is sent to the grid, the customer receives credits for this energy (usually on a kilowatt-hour basis).
• These credits are then used to offset the customer's electricity costs when they are drawing power from the grid.

4. Net Metering:

• At the end of the billing cycle, the utility company compares the total amount of energy consumed from the grid with the total amount of energy exported to the grid.
• If the customer used more power than they produced, they pay the utility company for the difference.
• If the customer produced more power than they used, they receive a credit, or in some cases, a payment for the surplus energy (depending on the specific NEM program and local policies).

The length of time it takes to install solar depends on the size of the system and the complexity of the installation. An actual residential installation takes 1-3 days. *Please keep in mind that this time does not include permitting, PG&E Interconnection, final permit inspection, and PG&E Permission To Operate,

Several factors determine how well-suited your home is for solar, including its location, roof angle, the amount of shade it receives throughout the day, and its overall age and condition.

How much power do you use?

1. Review your electric bills to see your annual kilowatt-hour (kWh) usage. During your free solar consultation, we’ll dive into these details to calculate how much energy your solar system needs to produce.

What’s your climate like?

1. The amount of sunlight in your region plays a significant role in determining the number of panels required.

How much direct sunlight does your roof get?

1. Factors like shading, the direction your roof faces, and any aesthetic preferences can influence the size of your solar system.

Are you planning for future energy needs?

1. Consider future appliances, such as EV chargers, heat pumps, or an accessory dwelling unit (ADU), which may increase your energy demand.

At Electrified Home, we use advanced solar design technology to answer all these questions and develop a custom system that maximizes energy production and offsets your energy consumption effectively.

Your historical electricity usage is the key to designing a custom solar system perfectly sized for your home.

Electricity consumption varies from person to person and changes with the seasons. That’s why we request a full year of your electricity bills to gain a comprehensive understanding of your energy needs.

Our advanced system analyzes 12 months of usage data to provide a complete picture of your energy consumption patterns. By considering seasonal fluctuations, we can design a solar solution tailored to your home’s unique needs, ensuring maximum efficiency and savings.

Yes, there are federal and state tax incentives available for solar installation. These incentives can help reduce the cost of installation and increase the return on investment.

The Residential Clean Energy Credit equals 30% of the costs of new, qualified clean energy property for your home installed anytime from 2022 through 2032. The credit percentage rate phases down to 26 percent for property placed in service in 2033 and 22 percent for property placed in service in 2034. You may be able to take the credit if you made energy saving improvements to your home located in the United States.

The credit is nonrefundable, so the credit amount you receive can't exceed the amount you owe in tax. You can carry forward any excess unused credit, though, and apply it to reduce the tax you owe in future years.

File Form 5695, Residential Energy Credits with your tax return to claim the credit. You must claim the credit for the tax year when the property is installed.