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Are ‘Free Solar Panels’ Really Free? (2023 Guide)
In this EcoWatch guide on ‘free solar panels’, you’ll learn:
- Who pays for the ‘free solar panels’
- How you can get solar panels for no money down
- What some legitimate solar financing options are
This guide has helped thousands of homeowners to avoid getting taken advantage of when going solar and provided them with actual ways to save money. Let’s get started!
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Are ‘Free Solar Panels’ a Scam?
You may have seen advertisements or had someone knock on your door offering free solar panels. But are “free solar panels” really free? Let’s get this out of the way early — “free solar panels” are not really free.
There is no such thing as free solar panels, and there is no such thing as a no-cost solar program. If you’re hearing about “free” or “no-cost solar programs,” you’re likely being fed a cheap sales pitch to tempt you into signing a solar lease, or a power purchase agreement.
Under these solar financing agreements, a solar company installs solar panels on your home for no money down (hence, the misleading use of the word “free”), and you then pay a monthly rate for the clean energy those panels produce. Think about it as renting solar panels, or simply buying your power from a solar company instead of a utility company.
Zero-money-down installation, free maintenance, free enrollment, guaranteed savings written into the contract — these promises are all just a little too good to be true. We’ll get into the fine print on why “free solar” is so misleading, but if you’re looking to install solar panels on your home for $0 down, it’s possible to do so with loan financing.
SunPower
Best National Provider
Pros
- Most efficient panels on the market
- National coverage
- Cradle to Cradle sustainability certification
- Great warranty coverage
Cons
- Expensive
- Customer service varies by local dealer
SunPower designs and installs industry-leading residential solar and storage solutions across all 50 states. With a storied history of innovation dating back to 1985, no other company on this list can match SunPower’s experience and expertise.
SunPower earns its position as the top national installer on our list for a handful of reasons: It installs the most efficient solar technology on the residential market, offers the most expansive service area and backs its installations with a warranty well above the industry standard. All the while, SunPower pioneers sustainability efforts within the industry.
If that weren’t enough, SunPower systems come packaged with products all manufactured in-house by its sister company, Maxeon. This means that your panels, solar cells, inverters, battery and EV chargers are designed to work together and are all covered under the same warranty.
SunPower’s biggest downside? Its high-efficiency panels are considerably more expensive than most of its competitors’ products. However, its powerful panels are workhorses that make up for the initial cost with more backend production (think about this like spending more money for a car that gets more miles per gallon).
Facts and Figures: SunPower
| EcoWatch Rating |
|---|
| Better Business Bureau (BBB) Rating |
| Year Founded |
| Average Cost ($-$$$$$) |
| Solar Services |
| Brands of Solar Equipment Offered |
| Warranty Coverage |
| 5 |
| A+ |
| 1985 |
| $$$$ |
| Solar Panels, Solar Batteries, EV Chargers, System Monitoring |
| SunPower Panels |
| 25-year all-inclusive warranty |
Blue Raven Solar
Best Solar Financing
Pros
- Industry-leading in-house financing
- Competitive pricing
- Excellent reputation
Cons
- Doesn't offer solar batteries (coming 2022)
We like Blue Raven Solar because it understands that, for most homeowners, the cost of solar presents the biggest barrier to entry.
For that reason, Blue Raven Solar developed an innovative solar financing plan that offers in-house, flexible, zero-money-down options. The results speak for themselves, as Blue Raven Solar is now one of the fastest-growing solar companies in the nation and was recently acquired by SunPower. Its BluePower Plus+ plan (exclusive to Blue Raven) mimics the flexible structure of a lease while still providing the greatest benefits of owning your system.
Eligible homeowners enjoy 18 months of solar power before having to pay their first bill. When coupled with the federal solar investment tax credit (ITC), the initial energy savings can offset more than a third of the overall cost of a system before requiring a dollar down.
In contrast, other installers can only offer similar financing through solar leases, PPAs or third-party providers (such as Mosaic or Sunlight). Third-party loan providers can complicate the process, while opting for a loan or PPA will disqualify you from some of solar’s biggest benefits (additional property value, federal solar tax credit and local solar incentives).
Facts and Figures: Blue Raven Solar
| EcoWatch Rating |
|---|
| Better Business Bureau (BBB) Rating |
| Year Founded |
| Average Cost ($-$$$$$) |
| Solar Services |
| Brands of Solar Equipment Offered |
| Warranty Coverage |
| 4.5 |
| A+ |
| 2014 |
| $$ |
| Solar Panels, System Monitoring |
| Trina Solar, Canadian Solar, SolarEdge, Silfab, SunPower |
| 25-year manufacturer warranty; 10-year workmanship warranty, 2-year production guarantee |
ADT Solar
Best Warranty Coverage
Pros
- Industry-leading warranty coverage
- Expansive service area
Cons
- Some reported communication issues
- No leases or PPAs
ADT Solar sets the industry standard for warranty coverage by including a multifaceted guarantee, making it one of the top installers for homeowners who want added peace of mind.
Its warranty coverage includes all of the following for 25 years:
- Power Production Guarantee: Also known as a performance guarantee, this ensures your solar system will produce the amount of electricity that’s outlined in your proposal, or ADT will write you a check for the difference.
- Labor Guarantee: This covers any issues with the installation of your system and is also known as a workmanship warranty.
- Panel Module Performance Guarantee: This is what ADT Solar refers to the manufacturer warranty as, and it ensures that any manufacturing defects are repaired or your ineffective panels replaced.
- Enphase Microinverters Guarantee: This backs the performance of your inverters.
Though in recent years other solar companies have started to offer similar guarantees, ADT Solar has been at it since 2008, performing over 30,000 installations across the country.
Facts and Figures: ADT Solar
| EcoWatch Rating |
|---|
| Better Business Bureau (BBB) Rating |
| Year Founded |
| Average Cost ($-$$$$$) |
| Solar Services |
| Brands of Solar Equipment Offered |
| Warranty Coverage |
| 4 |
| A- |
| 2008 |
| $$$ |
| Solar Panels, Solar Batteries, EV Chargers, Energy-Efficiency Upgrades |
| Silfab, Panasonic and others depending on location |
| 25-year all-inclusive warranty |
What Are Legitimate Solar Panel Financing Options?
The marketing strategies advertising “free solar panels” are designed to entice, but in many cases, solar leases and PPAs end up being impractical choices for homeowners. In some severe cases, solar companies have even faced lawsuits over falsely advertising “free solar panels” to unsuspecting customers who lost thousands by signing unfair contracts.
The average solar lease can indeed save a customer money, but only when things go smoothly. If you sign a solar lease and change your mind, sell your home or your system experiences production issues, you can run into costly surprise bills. Here’s why:
- Lease agreements have hefty cancellation fees, sometimes as high as $20,000.
- If you ever decide to sell your home, transferring a lease to a new homeowner can be challenging. If the new owner doesn’t agree to assume the solar lease, you might have to pay to move the panels to a new residence, or worse, be forced to cancel your lease.
- In a worst-case scenario, hiring a low-quality solar panel installation company can lead to issues with your home or roof. Solar leases may not offer workmanship warranties, so you could face bills for any damage to the integrity of your home.
Solar leases and solar PPAs are not themselves scams, but homeowners should be cautious and educate themselves before signing a lease. Make sure to always read the fine print. So, if “free solar panels” aren’t really free, what is the best way to pay for solar panels?
1. Paying for Solar Panels in Cash
Paying for solar in cash will yield the most long-term savings. By purchasing a home solar system outright, you’re essentially paying for about 25 years of discounted electricity at once. A cash purchase allows you to calculate home energy costs decades in advance, avoiding interest rates, fees and utility rate hikes.
2. Solar Financing Through Loans
We understand that spending $15,000 or more upfront just won’t be feasible for all homeowners. Solar loans allow you to borrow money from a lender to purchase your solar system, which you can repay over time with your energy savings.
Typically, solar loans come in the form of unsecured personal loans, home equity loans or lines of credit, and in-house financing options offered directly through a solar installation company. Taking out a solar loan offers a key benefit to borrowers: A low initial payment that doesn’t make you lose out on the benefits of system ownership — mainly the federal solar investment tax credit, used to offset 30% of the total cost of solar.
If you’re ready to start learning about these options from solar installation companies in your area, you can click below to connect with an EcoWatch-vetted installer and get a free estimate.
3. Leasing Solar Panels or Power Purchase Agreement
As we’ve covered, in solar leases or PPAs, a solar company installs a solar panel system on your home; you then pay a monthly rate for the solar power those panels produce. The solar company you lease through will retain ownership of the panels, thereby cashing in on the solar tax credit.
Solar leases and PPAs are close to interchangeable, but for one key difference: In a solar lease, you make fixed monthly payments to use the solar energy system, whereas in a PPA, you purchase the electricity produced by the panels. Leases are more common through national solar companies like Sunrun and SunPower.Savings are estimated for a medium-sized home with monthly energy costs of $150 per month.
Read More: Solar Panel Financing Advice from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Fact-Checking Free Solar Claims
Let’s take a look at this pitch for “free solar,” which I found when Googling “free solar panels.” See anything fishy?
- “Free Solar.” This language is misleading. At this point, you’ve realized solar leases/PPAs are not “free” at all. The panels won’t belong to you, and though you won’t pay for the installation cost itself, you’ll start making immediate monthly payments to two energy providers: your local utility and your solar company. Let’s hope your system produces as advertised.
- “Dramatically reduced monthly electric bills.” The word choice here may be a bit of a stretch. Though the contract guarantees you’ll pay less than your average monthly utility bill, savings are typically nominal when compared to purchasing a system. If you had a $100 monthly energy bill going into a solar lease, an average customer might reasonably expect to have payments around $75 or $80 per month after installation (if things go to plan).
- “Warrantied, monitored and maintained by your solar provider at no charge.” Let’s start with “warrantied.” Though the panels themselves are covered by warranty, any workmanship errors or issues with your roof or electrical system may be uncovered. Though solar companies do maintain leased panels, it’s worth noting that they do not cover removal or reinstallation costs if you need to make repairs to your roof or temporarily remove the panels for any other reason. Removal and reinstallation costs can reach $2,000 to $4,000 or more depending on the complexity of the home.
- “Home solar has been shown to add $25,000 to the value of your home.” Perhaps the most directly misleading claim on this advertisement, this is true only if you own the system. In a solar lease, the solar company owns the panels on your home. If anything, solar leases can complicate a home sale, as new homeowners don’t always want to assume the remainder of the lease.
Read Also: Homeowners Guide to Financing a Grid-Connected Solar Electric System
How Can I Get Solar Panels With Zero Money Down?
Though we’ve debunked “free solar,” solar leases, PPAs and solar loans all offer a viable way to switch to solar energy for little to no money down. If it doesn’t overstretch your budget, solar loans offer the most practical method to own solar panels without any upfront costs. Remember, system ownership makes you eligible for key financial incentives that decrease your solar payback period and offset the cost of solar, including:
- The federal tax credit (ITC), which is worth 30% of equipment and installation costs in 2022
- Local sales and property tax exemptions
- Solar rebates through the government or utility companies
- Net metering
- Solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) in qualifying states
- Solar increases your property value
Companies like Blue Raven Solar have responded to the popularity of solar leases by offering their own in-house $0-down financing options that still capture the benefits of system ownership. If you’re convinced a lease or PPA is the best option for you, SunPower, Trinity Solar and Freedom Forever are some of our favorite companies offering them.
If you’re not sure which option is right for your home, it may be worth speaking with a professional.
If you’re ready to learn more, you can click below to connect with an EcoWatch-vetted installer and get a free estimate.
FAQs: Are ‘Free Solar Panels’ Really Free?
Below are a few questions EcoWatch readers regularly send in about ‘free solar panels’. If you have anymore, do not hesitate to contact us at contact@ecowatch.com!
In short, no, you can not get solar panels for free. What is possible however, is installing solar with a $0-down financing option, whether through a solar lease, PPA or solar loan.
Solar leases, PPAs and loans all offer viable options of investing in solar without upfront costs. The best financing option for you will vary depending on your budget, credit score and eligibility for local incentives.
No, there is no such thing as a no-cost solar program. These types of programs are really solar leases or power purchase agreements. In these types of agreements, a company installs solar panels on your roof for no money upfront but charges you to use the power they produce each month.
Comparing authorized solar partners
Average cost
Pros
Cons
BBB Rating
Year founded
Service Area
Brands of Solar Equipment Offered
Warranty Coverage
-
- Most efficient panels on the market
- National coverage
- Cradle to Cradle sustainability certification
- Great warranty coverage
- Expensive
- Customer service varies by local dealer
A+Best National Provider1985SunPower Panels25-year all-inclusive warranty
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