Get Solar for your House!

Summary: Install a Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Array for Clean Energy

Description

Over 261 homes and businesses in Harvard have installed solar from 2006 through 2024 and one solar garden has 60 family shares. These are in effect private power plants, collectively generating renewable energy.

Payback. you can often install a system that will pay for itself in 5-12 years if you have a suitable site. After that it’s all positive cash flow as the panels generate power for 25 years or more. It's like a small 401(k) on your roof! On top of that, solar panels increase the value of your home.

State and Federal Incentives. The Inflation Reduction Act (2022) reinstated a 30% federal tax credit for homeowners and condo owners installing solar (both equipment and installation costs qualify). This is retroactive back to Jan. 1, 2022 and will remain in effect until Dec. 31, 2032. The solar 30% tax credit can be paired with a 30% tax credit for battery storage and/or a 30% tax credit for an electric panel upgrade (capped at $600). See how much you would qualify for using this savings calculator from Rewiring America.  If you can’t take all of the tax credit in the first year, you can carry it over to the next year.

And, lucky you! You live in Massachusetts where you also could receive a Massachustts tax credit for the lesser of $1,000 or 15% of qualifying costs.

BONUS: if you own your own panels (even those with financing), you can register for monthly incentives from the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target Program (SMART). Credits over your own usage may be donated to low income households.

Solar PV produces home-grown, safely-generated, clean electricity that contributes clean energy to the electric grid and reduces your CO2 emissions as well as nasty pollutants such as fine particulates, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and ozone. Every solar kWh means one less fossil fuel kWh. The electricity produced can be used to help charge electric cars and transition away from burning oil and natural gas by powering high-efficiency electric heat pumps for home heating and cooling.

Deep Dive

We strongly recommend that you consider going solar ASAP and cash in on the incentives:

Homeowner’s Guide to the Federal Tax Credit for Solar Photovoltaics

Helpful financing tip: Get your solar loan from a bank or other lending institution.  If you finance through some solar companies, there are dealer fees, adding as much as 25% to the cost of the system. The company may also require you to surrender your tax credit to offset the cost of the system, or take a larger loan covering the system cost before the tax credit. 

FAQ

1. How does solar power work? Solar electric systems, also known as solar photovoltaics or solar PV, convert sunlight into electrical energy through an array of solar panels that connect to a building’s electrical system or directly to the electrical grid. The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) has some good background information on this here. 
2. How do I know if my home is good for solar? You can view your roof on Google Maps (click on the Earth box and enter your address) to get a sense of its orientation and potential shading from trees. South-facing roofs with little shade are best, but east and west-facing roofs work well too as long as there is little shade. Ideal roofs have long expanses of open areas but panels can be placed on smaller areas as well. Any installer you contact should be able to tell you on the phone if your roof is a potential candidate through the use of satellite and LIDAR surveys of your house and trees. Some installers only want to work on the best roofs, but ultimately let it be up to you to decide if you want solar or not. 
3. What if my roof is old? Should I replace it before installing solar panels? 15 years is about the dividing line between installing panels on the current roof and replacing the roof and then installing panels. If you install the panels on the existing roof, the panels will protect the part of the roof on which they are installed. You can have the panels taken off and reinstalled when you decide to re-roof. 
4. Do I have to maintain my solar system? Generally the panels will sit up on the roof out of sight and out of mind, powering your home, even on cloudy days. There are no maintenance contracts to buy and New England weather will keep the panels pretty clean.
5. What happens when it snows? Snow will pile up on solar panels, but the sun’s energy soon melts the bottom layer next to the panels and the snow will come sliding down quickly. Snow guards are available to protect people and plants under the panels. The angle of panel installation can also help. 
6. What about critters? If you frequently see squirrels on your roof, you can add critter guards to prevent them from damaging your system wiring.
7. How do I get paid for the electricity my system sends to the electric grid? On the days that your system makes more electricity than you consume, your meter will run backward. This is called net-metering. Instead, if you underproduce/overconsume over the billing period, National Grid will charge you for the total amount of kWhs (kilowatt-hours) for the excess used kWhs at the full residential electricity rate. If your system has overproduced, National Grid will not pay you back at the end of the billing period, they will put those kwHs in reserve. You can use up that credit during the darker months, when you won't produce as much. If at the end of a full year you still have a credit, you can "Schedule Z" it to any other electricity user in your load-zone. You can ask that off taker for $$, or donate it. More info here.
8. How big should my solar system be? Since selling excess electricity isn't that straightforward (yet!), it makes sense to have a system that is properly “sized” just to cover your electric bill. However, you may decide to install a bigger solar system with future added electricity use in mind, like an electric car, or air-source heat pumps for heating and cooling.
9. What is the process of going solar? Generally a solar installer will ask for a copy of your electric bill and will prepare a proposed layout and financial estimate based on that and your roof space. Some parts of your roof may get more sun than others; you can change the layout to meet your needs. Once you have approved the design and signed off on the financials, the solar installer will handle the installation, checking roof structural support, pulling permits, obtaining equipment, and scheduling the work. It may be a month or two until installation. Actual installation usually takes 2 days – electrical work and roof racking on day 1 and panel installation on day 2. After building and electrical inspections, National Grid will install a new meter and give you approval to power up your system.
10. What happens when the grid is down? If you're looking to keep powering your home when the grid is down, you'll have to add a backup battery system. Although adding battery backup can be expensive, it has the potential to generate additional revenue opportunities for you through National Grid’s Connected Solutions program: https://www.nationalgridus.com/connectedsolutions. Without a backup battery system, your electricity generation will be disabled during power outages.

Steps to Take

Daunted by all the quotes and estimates, keeping it all straight in your mind, or just don't have time for all that? We hear you! Try these simple steps:

1. Think carefully about how to finance a solar installation. Options include paying cash up front, getting a solar loan, getting a Home Equity loan, or getting a solar lease (where you do not own the solar equipment). For many solar projects, paying upfront or getting a loan is preferable to a lease program, but the cost benefit analysis will vary from household to household.
2. Contact several solar installers to get multiple bids. In addition to the benefit of competitive pricing, you will also learn more about the various options available to you for solar.
3. If you need help finding reputable solar installers, go to EnergySage, a clearing house for solar installs: they will help you put your bid "out there" - many more installers will get back to you.
4. Let us know how it went! Contact us or contribute a story under the “Testimonials" tab.