All Forum Posts by: Neil Veilleux

Hey Michael, as a resident in CA, solar probably could be a pretty good deal for you. Many states (including California) offer rebates for residents installing solar. This is on top of the 30% federal investment tax credit...all of which can significantly buy down the cost of solar installations. If you want to get in the weeds on state/federal incentives in California, check out this helpful website: http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/index.cfm?re=1&...

Re: property values, a recent study from the Lawrence Berkley National Lab indicates that solar does increase property values. Check out some of the details here: http://cleantechnica.com/2013/12/17/study-shows-ro...   

Also, there are a number of companies offering solar power purchase agreements (PPAs)  that enable you go solar for little or no upfront investment. In this scenario, you pay the solar provider a rate for electricity that is comparable or less to the rate for electricity from the grid. Generally, however, it's a better deal economically for you if you own the system. 

If you do want to pursue this further, there's a great company called Energysage, which is sort of like the "Expedia of solar." You can enter in your property data, and Energysage will  get several quotes from local installers for you. At that point, you can compare  options and select the best deal. Energysage also breaks down the various financing options for you: https://www.energysage.com

Hope this is helpful.