Solar FAQ
This depends on how large your energy bills are. Most residential installations are between 2 kW and 10 KW.
Energy production will vary based on the size of the system and its location.
Solar panels are modular by nature, so your system can be sized to fit your roof as well as your electric bill. As a rule of thumb, each kW of PV will take up about 100 square feet of roof space.
Currently, most of America is under a system known as Net Metering, which allows your net electricity cost to be reduced to zero, but no further. In some places you can be paid for any excess electricity you create, in what is known as a Feed-In Tariff system.
While technically possible, we do not recommend that homeowners install their own systems. The process requires both licensed electrical and roofing skills to ensure the system is safe and optimally designed for 25+ years of production.
Yes, you will get some power on cloudy days, but it will not be the maximum output.
No. Once installed, solar PV systems are fully automatic.
With no moving parts and at least a 25 year expected lifespan, solar panels require very little maintenance. You may wish to clean the solar panels if they become dirty, but no other regular maintenance is necessary.
Yes. There are a variety of ways to ground mount solar PV systems.
The maximum size of system you can install will depend on the amount of appropriate roof and/or ground space available and how much you want to spend. Most of our installations are sized for optimum savings, rather than maximum size and most incentives will only cover up to the amount of electricity your home or business actually uses on an annualized basis.
The cost of a solar installation depends on many variables, including the application, the site characteristics and the available incentives. Generally, our solar PV systems are designed to provide a substantial net savings in energy costs over their lifetime.
Actual savings varies based on system size, location, and your electric rate structure. A typical solar PV system is designed to reduce your energy bill by 30% to 90%.
Actual payback varies depending on the system installed cost, location, size, and electrical rate structure. Typical payback periods are between 5 and 12 years for residential systems and 2 to 8 years for commercial systems.
Yes. Visit www.dsireusa.org for information in your area.
There are many options available when financing solar and Blake Electric would be happy to discuss those with you.
This depends a lot on where you live. Many states, including California and Oregon, have passed laws that dissolve any HOA rules or CCRs on your deed that effectively prevent you from putting up a solar installation. See state-by-state incentives and regulations for your state. (www.DSIREUSA.org)
In most cases, yes. Your contractor/installer will usually take care of this for you.
Most solar PV installations are grid connected and have no batteries to store energy or appropriate switches to legally operate while the grid is down. While battery banks and switchable inverters are available, these add to the cost of your system and batteries require significant maintenance.