A solar system can significantly reduce your electric bill. Most utility companies add non-bypassable charges to your electric bill. You may still get a bill for these charges even if you use less power than you consume. The effect that solar power will have on your bill depends on several different factors. Understanding what effect solar has on your electric bill is important when you are deciding whether to go solar. There’s lots more to know, such as how you’ll pay for it and how solar will affect the value of your home. Here are the 10 most important things to know about going solar.

Datos sobre la energía solar: ¿La energía solar reducirá a cero su factura eléctrica?

Probably not. Your utility company may charge fees on your bill that are not covered by your solar system’s production. There are two other factors that can affect how much money you save by going solar.

En primera,, will you use more or less power than your solar provider has agreed to provide? When you sign a contract to go solar, the solar power company agrees annually to provide you with a certain amount of power. The actual amount of power your system will vary by season. During the summer, it will produce the most electricity. During the winter, it will provide less. If you use more power than your system provides in any given month, you’re likely going to owe the power company at the end of the month.

En segundo lugar,, if your electricity is billed using Time-of-Use (ToU) rates. Then the time of day that you use electricity will also affect your bill. For example, in San Diego, most homes are on ToU rates. The most expensive power is sold between 4 PM and 9 PM. In the summer, SDG&E will charge $ 0.45 during peak hours, and they will pay homeowners $ 0.21 during off-peak hours during the day when their systems are producing power. Because of this, if you are subject to TOU rates, you’ll need to minimize the amount of power you use between 4 PM and 9 PM. If you use lots of power between 4 PM and 9 PM, you’ll most definitely get a bill at the end of the month.

Para llevar: To reduce the chance that you’ll get an electric bill at the end of the month, be sure to use less than the power that your system produces. If you live in an area served with ToU billing, minimize your electric use during peak hours.

What’s the difference between a solar dealer and a solar installer?

La diferencia entre un distribuidor de energía solar y un instalador de energía solar se parece mucho a la diferencia entre un corredor de seguros y una compañía de seguros.

El distribuidor de energía solar is like the insurance broker. They may sell policies from one or more insurance companies, but they don’t service the policy, the insurance company does that. The insurance agent sells you an insurance policy contract that is between the insurance company and you. A solar dealer sells you a contract to install and maintain a solar system. That contract is issued by the solar installer. It is a contract between you and them to install a certain amount of solar power at your home.

El instalador de energía solar is like the insurance company. They don’t sell you your system, just like the insurance company doesn’t sell you your insurance policy. The solar installer provides a contract for installing solar at your home to the solar dealer. That dealer then sells you the contract, which is between you and the solar installer. The dealer sells you a contract to build a certain size of a system. The installer then builds that system.

Para llevarSu distribuidor de energía solar le vende un contrato que usted firma con su instalador de energía solar para instalar y operar su sistema.

Does Brightera’s Production Guarantee ensure you’ll save money by going solar?

No company guarantees you’ll save money by going solar. Brightera with Freedom Forever guarantees the amount of power your solar system will generate each year for the first 25 years you own your system. It’s impossible to guarantee you’ll save a certain amount of money by going solar  your actual savings will be affected by:

• La cantidad de energía que el instalador solar construye para su sistema
• La cantidad de energía que utiliza en un mes determinado
• Si tienes tarifas ToU, el momento en que utilizas la energía también afecta a tu ahorro.

Read your contract when you go solar carefully. It may guarantee how much power your system will generate. It won’t guarantee how much you’ll save by selling that power to your utility company

Para llevar: No company guarantees that you’ll save money by going solar. Brightera guarantees the amount of power your system will generate for 25 years

¿Tengo derecho a la bonificación fiscal federal para la energía solar?

Everyone is eligible for the Federal solar tax credit. The question is, do you earn enough money to benefit from it? You only receive a Federal tax credit if you pay Federal taxes. The amount you are eligible to receive is up to 26% of what you paid for your solar system up to the total amount you are paying in federal income tax. For example, if at the end of the year, the total federal taxes for the year is $500 that’s all you’ll get from the tax credit for that year. You can continue to deduct the remaining credit for up to five more years.

Para llevarPuede optar a la desgravación fiscal federal, pero la cantidad de dinero que obtenga realmente depende de la cantidad de impuestos federales que pague.

¿Cómo funciona la garantía de producción de 25 años de Brightera y Freedom Forever?

Brightera & Freedom Forever guarantees that your solar system will generate the amount of power we promise it will for 25 years. If it ever breaks or produces less power than we promised in a calendar year, we’ll fix the problem and reimburse you for any power it didn’t produce if the failure was our fault. Brightera along with Freedom Forever are the only solar power companies that guarantees the amount of power your system will produce for 25 years on a purchase contract.

Para llevarBrightera & Freedom Forever garantiza la cantidad de energía que su sistema generará durante 25 años. Sujeto a los términos y condiciones de su acuerdo.

Cuando me mude, ¿puedo llevarme mi sistema solar?

No. Your solar system is designed custom to fit your home and energy needs. Before any solar system can be connected to the grid and operated, it must be inspected by the local authority having jurisdiction. Utility companies are unlikely to allow you to operate a solar system that you moved from a different home. If you sell your home, you’ll need to find a buyer who wants your system.

Para llevar:

Tendría que volver a pasar por la inspección si quisiera trasladar su sistema solar de una casa a otra. Es probable que la compañía eléctrica no le permita reutilizar todas las piezas de su antiguo sistema.

¿Cuánto tiempo se tarda en instalar la energía solar en una casa?

Installing a solar system doesn’t take very long, our average install time in California is 21 days. But after your system is installed, it must be inspected by your local utility company before you are allowed to turn it on. That inspection can take weeks. Your solar system installation company has no power over when your utility company decides they are going to inspect your new system

Para Llevar:  It doesn’t take long to install a solar system, but getting that system inspected can take weeks.

¿Añadirá la energía solar valor a su casa?

Si compra su sistema solar, entonces sí, añadirá valor a su casa. El valor añadido dependerá del tamaño del sistema e incluso del barrio en el que se encuentre su casa. En general, los sistemas más grandes añaden más valor a una casa. Las casas situadas en zonas donde los vecindarios están más a favor del medio ambiente suelen ganar más valor con la energía solar. En general, el uso de la energía solar añade alrededor de 1,85 dólares de valor a una casa por cada dólar que se gasta en energía solar.

If you lease your solar system or get it through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), it will not add value to your home. In fact, leased solar or PPA systems can make it harder to sell your home. You’d have to find a buyer that was willing to take over your lease or PPA.

Para llevar: Buying a solar system adds value to your home. Leased and systems obtained through PPAs don’t add value to your home.

¿Se puede comprar un sistema solar que produzca más energía de la que se necesita?

Most of the time, yes, but it depends on how much overage your local utility company will allow. For example, San Diego Gas and Electric will allow you to generate 115% of the power you normally use. In fact, it’s a good idea to ‘max out’ so you have enough power to meet possible future energy needs. Your best bet for finding out how much extra power you would be allowed to generate is to consult with a solar power dealer.

Para llevar: La mayoría de las veces se puede generar un exceso de energía. Pero la cantidad extra depende de lo que permita tu compañía eléctrica.

¿Son las baterías solares domésticas una buena idea?

Solar home batteries can make sense if you live in an area where residents are billed using ToU rates. The idea behind batteries is that they will store energy during the day or when energy is cheapest from the grid. That energy is then used to power your home during peak rates when energy is most expensive. This typically means your house will be powered by your batteries during the evening hours when many utilities charge their highest rates. Battery-powered systems can also be configured to provide power to selected circuits during outages. If you live in California, you may be eligible for the state’s Self Generation Incentive Program (SGIP). That program pays up to $400 per kilowatt-hour of installed battery capacity.

Para llevar: Las baterías domésticas tienen sentido si se cuenta con una empresa de servicios públicos que cobra tarifas ToU.

¿Pueden afectarme los cambios en las tarifas de los servicios públicos después de instalar la energía solar?

Sí. Las empresas de servicios públicos pueden cambiar, y con frecuencia lo hacen, el precio de la energía, el importe que pagan por ella y los costes fijos que se repercuten a los contribuyentes. Si usted utiliza la energía de la compañía eléctrica después de instalarse con energía solar, está sujeto a las tarifas que le cobran.

Para llevar: Una vez que se ha instalado la energía solar, se siguen aplicando las tarifas de los servicios públicos.