Savvy homeowner breaks down what questions you should ask before buying solar panels: 'Who would fall for that?'

After singing the praises of his new home solar system on TikTok, North Carolina homeowner Collin (@saltyacresnc) made a follow-up video in response to a negative commenter.

"'Solar panels are the biggest scam ever,'" he says, quoting the negative comment. "'Who would fall for that?'"

"Well," he continues, "I sure did." And spoiler alert: He couldn't be happier.

@saltyacresnc Replying to @mike123 Is Solar a Scam? #solar #offgrid #solarsystem #solarpower ♬ original sound - Salty Acres

"I'm pretty sure I know why people think it is," Collin says in his response. "The issue is, you don't know what you don't know, so you don't know what questions to really ask."

For example, he explains, you might want to know how the 30% tax credit actually works. Will your power bill truly go down to zero?

And, when it comes to net metering — a process where excess power flows from your panels to the grid, earning you energy credits if you ever need to pull from the grid on a stormy day — he says, "You need to know what your buyback rate is too, and you also need to know how long that's going to stay in effect." 

And having signed a 15-year agreement with a one-to-one buyback rate, Collin says his system is doing everything he hoped it would — both in terms of saving money and lowering his home's pollution output.

One commenter agreed with his recommendation. "I'm off grid. they will pay for themselves in 3 years," they said. They also warned about looking out for overpriced quotes: "My self installed system was 10g. a contractor wanted +30g."

For anyone wanting to find vetted, trusted contractors for solar, try using the free tools at EnergySage to compare quotes. Working with EnergySage can save you, on average, up to $10,000 on installing your system.

And when it comes to taking advantage of the Investment Tax Credit, which gives a federal tax credit worth up to 30% of the installation cost, it's best to act now. Congress is considering eliminating the ITC by the end of the year, meaning that only homeowners who install by the end of 2026 would be able to reap the rewards of the tax credit.

What's the biggest obstacle stopping your organization from using solar panels? They're too expensive 💰 Don't know where to start 🤷 They're an eyesore 🙈 We already use solar panels 😎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Depending on where you live, other state, utility, and local incentives may be available as well. Try using EnergySage's mapping tool to look at these incentives in detail, as well as to see what the average price is in your state.

"I love that your [sic] doing these videos on solar," another commenter enthused. "It's a goal of ours and you absolutely have to be asking the right questions."

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