Home Solar Power: Frequently Asked Questions
Q. When do I pay the security deposit?
A. You do not pay the security deposit until after the solar engineer comes to your house and designs your system. They will show you exactly what the system will look like and only after you sign off on the design do you pay the deposit.
Q. How long of a contract do I have to sign?
A. One year, five years, or 25 years. Over 80% of our customers sign the 25-year contract because that locks in your rate for the entire term of the contract. If you sign a shorter contract, your rate is recalculated according to current energy rates at the end of the term.
Q. What happens if I sign a 25-year contract and I want to sell my house in 10 years?
A. You have three options. First, you can ask us to move the system to your new house. We do that one time for free. Second, you can transfer the contract to the new owner. This can potentially add value to your house because if energy rates keep going up like they have been and they are 40% higher in 10 years, then your buyer would get a 40% decrease on their energy bill because of your foresight. The final option is that you can contact us, tell us that you want to end the contract and we will remove the unit. With this third option you do lose your security deposit.
Q. So is my security deposit the most I can lose? Is that my only risk?
A. Obviously if you don’t pay your bill there will be late fees or if one of our franchisees comes out to your house to remove the unit and you refuse to allow them access, we will have to take legal steps to recover our property. But if you are cooperative there should be no worries.
Q. Okay. I want a system on my house. How does it work? What is the process?
A. You sign up online and one of our Independent Ecopreneurs will help you each step of the way. There are some simple questions to answer about your amount of shade, the direction of your roofline, etc. After you sign the contract, a solar engineer will come to your house to design your system. This last step will not happen until we have your panels ready to install.
Q. What if I don’t like the design? Am I still obligated to the contract?
A. No. You can back out of the contract with no penalty. As I mentioned, you don’t even pay the deposit until after you approve the design.
Q. Okay. I like the design. I want the system. What’s next?
A. The installation usually takes about half a day. The permit process can take as much as 90 days depending on how cooperative the local utility is, but we handle every step of the process and you don’t pay anything until your unit is producing renewable, clean power for your home.
Q. What exactly do I pay? How is that calculated?
A. You pay a flat monthly rent for the use of the solar equipment. For that rent, you get to use all the electricity that your system produces. You are actually producing your own power from the sun. Our system designer will go through your past energy bills. Then, if you are interested, they will walk through your house and show you how to save energy.
Taking all this into consideration, they will calculate how much electricity your REnU will need to produce in order to best serve your needs. They will then design the system to supply that energy. You simply pay a flat monthly rent. Because of our Performance Guarantee, you have no worries. The system will work as promised or your monthly rent will be reduced accordingly through an audit at the end of the year.
Q. Do you have any hidden fees, or maintenance charges?
A. Nothing extra. We have no connection fees or any of those”extras” that other companies like to tack on. The government is not trying to tax the sun yet.
Q. So will I have two bills? One from the Citizenre and one from my utility company?
A. Yes. You will pay us a flat monthly rent. You will also pay your utility company the same connection fees you pay now, plus you will pay them for any excess power you use that exceeds your REnU’s production.
Q. What does that mean, exceeds the contract?
A. Your REnU has been designed to generate a certain amount of power per year. This amount will vary from month to month and day to day, as both seasonal and daily performance varies. Sometimes you will have a credit from prior months where you produced more power than you used. If you don’t have a credit and at the end of the montheach month, you used more electricity than yoursystem generated that month, then you would need to pay your utility company for the excess electricity that you purchased from them.
Q. And what rate would I pay for that energy?
A. You would pay your utility’s current rates. Sorry, we cannot do anything about their rates… but look at it this way. You will be using a lot less of that polluting power and the rent for your REnU will not go up for duration of your term. No surprises. If you read about rising energy prices, you can smile to yourself knowing that your solar energy costs are locked in for the length of your Agreement.
Q. But in my first year, I am just paying the same rate that I was paying before, right?
A. Often it is actually less. One of the factors we calculate into our rent is the yearly average cost for electricity in your market. Because of this, we have to base our rent on the average of prior years. Since utility rates tend to go up each year, many customers will save money on their first bill. These savings will only increase as the years pass and rates continue to rise. Many customers could save as much as $10,000 or more, if they live in an area of high and increasing utility rates, just by upgrading to solar. Our whole mission is to help people join the solution, stop being part of the problem, and save money.
Q. Please give an example of what my monthly rental bill might be for the solar electric system.
A. Let’s say you are renting a system that allows you to self-generate 12,000 kilowatt hours for the year. Let’s estimate that you are renting this system for $100 a month. Your total bill for the year would be $1,200 for the rental of our solar unit. With most utilities, you have some months that are higher and some lower. You never know. It is hard to budget. With Citizenre, you would simply pay us a rent of $100 a month. Simple.
Q. What happens if I contract for a certain amount of kilowatt hours and then my kids go off to school or we want to travel 3 months a year?
A. Your system is remotely monitored automatically every day. If your solar engineer notices that your usage has dropped, they will contact you to see if this is a permanent situation or just a short-term fluctuation. If this will be a permanent decrease in your energy usage, they will come out and remove the proper number of panels and readjust your contract.
Q. And how much will that cost me?
A. Nothing. We make solar simple.
Q. What happens if something breaks or goes wrong?
A. We have a complete worry free performance guarantee. If the unit ever stops working, one of our franchisees will rush out to fix it for free. The customer has no rental charges until the system is working again so we are motivated to get it fixed fast.
Q. What if my kid hits a baseball through one of the panels?
A. It is just like renting a car or any appliance. You are responsible for returning it in good condition. If you backed your car over your electrical meter, you would be responsible for replacing that, also. We recommend that customers contact their homeowners insurance to double check that the unit will be covered under their policy. Usually there is not a problem.
Q. Wouldn’t I save money in the long run if I just bought a solar energy system?
A. Actually, no. Renting can save you a significant amount of money, and it protects you from a large investment risk. If you buy solar panels and invest $40,000 you are tied into that technology for a loooong time. If something new and better comes along, you can’t switch because your $40,000 would be wasted. This is highly unlikely, but let’s say a new technology comes out 10 years from now where you can get clean electricity for 2 cents a kilowatt hour and you have a contract with us for 10 cents a kilowatt hour.
If you break your contract with us you lose your security deposit, usually $500. Let’s say your bill is $100 a month with us and it would be $20 a month with this amazing new imaginary, highly unlikely technology. So you would be saving $80 a month. You can simply contact Citizenre and tell us you would like to cancel your contract. You would lose your security deposit. But that is a lot better than losing $40,000.
With our growing distribution channel and our Research and Development, it is likely that Citizenre will distribute any new technology like this and we will do everything possible to make our current customers happy.
Q. I understand that your manufacturing plant is not completed yet, is that right?
A. Correct. The first systems will be ready to install in late 2008 and throughout 2009 our facility will continue to grow. This means that our supply of panels and equipment will increase steadily in parallel with the growth of our installation network throughout 2008 and beyond.
Q. So why would I sign up now?
A. First because you lock in your rate as soon as you sign up. With the way rates are increasing, this could save you a significant amount of money. Second, you reserve your position so you can get your system sooner once the plant is producing. Third, it also helps us show the market how many people will go green if we provide an offer that makes sense on every level, including economically.
Q. What happens if I sign the contract and you never finish the manufacturing plant?
A. The contract would be void and cancelled. We need to honor our end of the contract just like you will honor yours.
We understand that this is a revolutionary concept. The big power and oil companies have been saying for years that solar power has no market. They have a vested interest in making that claim. It is hard to see the truth when your paycheck depends on not seeing it.
We are proving them wrong. We have to. The risks are too big if we don’t.
The only way that change is going to happen is if we create a better vision. For that vision to be sustainable, it needs to make economic sense for all parties involved. Electricity production is the number one source of pollution in the United States. We are not asking you to sacrifice anything. In fact, you can save a significant amount of money by upgrading your home to solar.
When was the last time you could save money and do the right thing?
