Why is Winter the ideal time to buy solar?
People tend to think solar panels on long, sunny summer days. But why is Winter the ideal time to buy solar in the Midwest? Dan and Stephen break it down for you.
Dan: Hello everybody. Dan Puckett with Iconic Energy.
Stephen: And I’m Stephen, Solar consultant with Iconic Energy.
Dan: Hey, thanks for taking the time watching this video. We’re here to inform you about solar, so you can make an educated decision about what to buy and what not to buy. Stephen, it is the middle of January.
Stephen: It is.
Dan: Why should I be considering solar?
Stephen: Well, by requesting your quote and consultation now that means you’ll be ready for a spring installation.
Dan: And spring installation means what for our customers?
Stephen: Well, we can’t just install solar on your roof right away from the point of sale. There are several steps that need to happen before that can take place. The first thing is we are going to perform our site inspection. From there, we’re going to apply for interconnection through the utility. We’re also going to obtain and perform engineering and electrical stamps. And lastly, we will get all required permits through the jurisdiction that you’re located in as well.
Dan: So, when we apply for a permit, it’s just not going downtown, it’s a lot of things that we have to give them. How long can it really take?
Stephen: It can take up to 60 days.
Dan: Well, so if you bought something at say the end of March, let’s see, you got April and May, you’re looking at June 1st installation if it actually took that long.
Stephen: You’re right and then you’ve missed out on that excellent spring production as well.
Dan: All right. Another good reason right now to be looking at solar is it gives you the opportunity to get three quotes. We’ve always, always recommended that you get three quotes. If you want some of our previous videos, you’ll know what questions to ask and what information you need to make an informed buying decision. What are you seeing out there? I know you’re out there doing a lot, a lot of consultations, what are you seeing for your customers?
Stephen: So, right now what I’m seeing is incentives have never been better. They’re at an all-time high. So, it’s very motivating for people to be looking into solar now because they’re getting upwards of 70% of your system covered by these incentives.
Dan: That’s a lot of money.
Stephen: It is.
Dan: And what incentives do we have?
Stephen: So, we have the Federal Solar Tax incentive, which is currently at 30%, and then also the Solar Renewable Energy Credit incentive that’s based on production.
Dan: So, by the time you get that done, that’s equaling 70% of the system?
Stephen: At least.
Dan: What are you seeing on the average out of pocket?
Stephen: So, on an average residential system what we’re seeing out of pocket, once those incentives are applied, you’re looking at a small portion of that overall cost, which is around $3,000 to $6,000 after it’s all-
Dan: After incentives.
Stephen: Absolutely.
Dan: Yeah. And that will normally cover a 110%, 115% of the people’s move.
Stephen: That’s what we try to achieve, yes.
Dan: So, right now with all the incentives going on and being that it’s early enough so you can get three quotes, it’s time to go, isn’t it?
Stephen: It is.
Dan: So, we want to thank you guys. Thanks everybody for watching this video. If you have any questions, please just put your comments below. Otherwise, you can click the button that says request for quote, and we’ll have one of our solar consultants come out and see you. Looking forward to seeing everybody real soon.
Stephen: Later.