Positive Press

From my 2023 book, Solar 102

One of the dirges of the solar world, or any contracting world, is having to tell people when something they want can’t be had… at least not without spending an inordinate amount of money.

To hack NBT (Net Billing Tariff or NEM3, PG&E’s newest and draconian tariff), one still has to have a workable project, but there are still the same old hindrances, as noted in the last chapter. A customer can have all the usable, south/west facing roof in the world, but if their electrical is not adequate, then savings is possibly out of reach.

As noted before, the pathway of the electrical is key. That pathway is either overhead, to a masthead socket on the roof, which many aesthetically minded people find deplorable, but it could save them thousands… or the electric wiring to the main breaker and meter is underground, usually from the street.

No customer really wants to hear that the project will cost tens of thousands more, so many solar companies just sell the project beforehand. I can’t tell you how many people have come to my company for service, who had nightmare issues with their installer… , ‘the roof type was a no-go’, ‘they didn’t tell me I needed a main panel upgrade’, ‘we didn’t realize the electric meter was too near the gas’. 

People lose tons of time and money to solar companies and other contractors who are dishonest, ignorant or just sloppy. And who picks up the tab besides the customers? Contractors who care. They’re the ones who pick up the pieces, and they’re the ones who might be resented for telling the truth.

So it comes down to one thing: Do you want a tasty lie or a bitter truth? If you’re preparing to buy a solar system, you might get a lower price from some companies, but the headaches that can ensue are often fiscally & operationally painful.

Please click here for a link to my short and concise book, Solar 102: How to Beat PG&E’s Net Billing Tariff, that explains a bit more.