Frequently Asked Questions
Installing a solar energy system will always save you money as you reduce or totally remove your dependence on the power grid. We provide two primary options for how you pay for your solar, like buying a car you can pay in cash or you can finance your system. Both options have benefits. If you pay in cash, then the system will typically pay for itself in less than 5 years. If you finance, then you will typically see a reduction in your monthly payments on day one.
We can add a battery to any system installation, and many of our customers choose to include a battery for a variety of reasons. In fact, we are one of the largest installers of Enphase batteries in Southern California. Still, many homeowners choose to install solar systems without batteries to accelerate their ROI. With a battery, you receive more protection, more features and more efficient use of your solar energy production.
Yes. As part of your solar system installation, we can include the components necessary to charge your EV.
In most cases, you can go fully off the grid with an appropriately sized system and a battery backup. Our consultants can work with you to evaluate your past and future energy needs to make sure that you have the power production that you need. We provide access to a power monitoring app and additionally offer Active Monitoring so that the Simply Solar team can monitor your system ongoing. Unfortunately, in most cities, you still must connect to the city grid even if you do not draw power.
Everyone who purchases a solar system for their home or business is eligible for a 30% tax credit that is applied to the year that the solar installation is completed. The refund comes either as a tax refund or as a credit against taxes due that year.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) passed updated rules December 15th, 2022 for energy metering. The new rules, called NEM 3.0, go into effect for all installations with plans approved by the local utility after April 13th 2023, and they only impact locations serviced by:
- Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)
- Southern California Edison (SCE)
- San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E)
NEM 3.0 changes the way excess solar power that homeowners contribute to the public grid is credited back. While the results will differ based on usage pattern, NEM 3.0 will reduce the value that energy companies assign to power generated from home solar by 50% to 75% which will reduce the amount of credit that homeowners get on power pulled from the grid.
NEM 3.0 will reduce the credits that energy companies assign to power generated from home solar for systems approved after April 13th 2023, so it will benefit homeowners to send less power to the grid. This will mean that new systems will be configured differently than older systems, by relying more on battery storage to store excess power production or by focusing on daytime power usage.
Simply Solar services San Diego County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County, Ventura County, Santa Barbara County and Los Angeles County.
No. Simply Solar does not offload its sales to outside contractors for installation. To maintain project success and quality we manage every part of the process from initial sale to engineering and planning to installation.