FAQ's

Go solar. Save money. Be happy

Find out how easy - and even fun - it is to power your life with clean, green solar power from GEG.

 

GEG's and the Hero Program 

  • Why Should I go Hero?

Green Energy Group has partnered with the hero program to bring you the most affordable solar solution. The hero program allows you to go solar for 0 down but it isn't a lease. That’s right you own it, and you can qualify regardless of credit score. If you have been declined in the past, we can help. The hero program allows your energy to become a tax deduction and you also get the federal tax credit.

Here at GEG like to ask is your utility bill a tax deduction, and of course the answer is no. Would you like it to be?

GEG Lease

  • Why should I lease?

We believe that the SunPower lease Program makes solar more affordable than ever. Many homeowners want the benefits of solar energy can't afford the cost associated with a cash system, so with a GEG SunPower solar lease, we make the upfront investment and absorb all the burdens and risks. You don't have to worry about the design and installation and are we are responsible for the system's operation, maintenance, repair and monitoring. Customers get their electricity locked in with price-stability. You can sleep soundly knowing exactly what your bill is.  A GEG SunPower lease is 0 out of pocket cost to you and will save you anywhere from 40,000 to 60,000 dollars over the next 25 years.

GEG Purchase

  • Why should I purchase?

A GEG purchase allows you to never have a utility bill again. If your kid leaves a light on, no big deal, you own the system which gives you a return on your investment every time the sun comes up. The federal government will even pay for ⅓ of your system, and it will increase the value of your house. Enjoy peace of mind knowing that your system will generate your power for the next 30 years.

  • How does solar work?

Photons from the Sun impact a solar panel which produces DC energy. DC is then converted to AC via an inverter. The inverter will provide power to your home or business.

  • What does our process look like?

  1. Our engineers design a custom solar system just for you.

  2. Your system pays for everything, you sit back and no longer worry about rising electricity cost.

  3. The electricity that is not used by you goes back to utility company, watch your meter spin backwards as you no longer pay them.

  • What tax deductions and tax benefits are available to me?

The federal tax incentive is still applicable but only until 2016, Solar has always been a first come first serve basis. For most municipalities the state rebate is gone.

  • What if it gets cheaper?

It’s always getting more expensive. Electricity is a commodity that is always increasing in value. Over the next year your rates will go up 80 percent. With GEG you can lock in your rates for the next 40 years. Don't believe us just watch ABC they are worried about it.------------------------------------------->

  • So what does it all mean?

There are a lot of terms specific to the home solar industry. Some you may already know and others may be new to you. Below are the definitions for several commonly used technical terms:

  • Balance of system

The balance of system includes racking for the solar panels, roof integration equipment, wiring and conduit. Just add panels and an inverter and you've got a home solar system!

  • Batteries

Batteries aren't needed with a grid-tied system as the grid itself serves the purpose of providing electricity when your rooftop solar isn't producing power. All those credits you accumulate when the sun is shining help pay down or completely negate the cost of electricity you utilize at night or on a cloudy day!

  • FICO score

FICO is Fair, Isaac and Company, and it's a method of calculating your credit score. There are three credit reporting agencies - Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. FICO is one method of calculating your score based on the information held by each credit agency. There are additional methods for calculating unofficial scores such as PLUS, Vantage and others, but they are only for informational purposes and do not count as official credit reports that can be used by banks, car dealerships or other financial institutions. Think of these different scoring systems like MILES (FICO) and KILOMETERS (all others). When a bank needs your credit score, they need miles, which would be FICO. GEG runs a FICO check for Experian, and we need a 700 FICO credit score. Other scoring systems like PLUS and Vantage will not be accepted.

  • Interconnection

Interconnection is the point at which your solar system is connected to the electricity grid. The utility needs to give you permission to operate your power generator and "interconnect" it to their system. GEG will complete all the necessary paperwork to get your system up and running.

  • Kilowatt hour

A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a unit of energy equal to 1000 watt-hours. If you left ten 100W light bulbs on for one hour, you would use 1 kWh of energy (though we know your house is full of compact fluorescent bulbs!). Electric utilities bill customers in kWh.

  • Module power ratings

To help standardize measurement of a solar panel's power output, several government rating agencies created power rating standards. The most common ratings are STC-DC and CEC-AC. It's a little confusing because both ratings are widely used, often together and each measures the solar panel output in a slightly different way. STC-DC (Standard Test Condition Direct Current) rating measures a panel's output in ideal laboratory test conditions and is the standard global power rating for solar panels. CEC-AC (California Energy Commission Alternating Current) rating measures panel's output in real life production conditions and factors in the inverter's efficiency of converting DC to AC. The CEC-AC is always lower than the STC-DC rating, because it takes account of inefficiencies throughout the balance of the solar system.

  • Net metering

When you install a grid-tied solar system, your utility monitors how much electricity your solar panels produce and how much electricity you use through a process known as net metering. If your home solar system generates more electricity than you use, you export it to the grid and receive credit from your utility. When you use more electricity than you generate, like at night, you draw it back off the grid as required. Your utility determines the difference between the electricity you generate and what you use from the grid, and bills you for that difference. Because the amount of power you'll generate is greater during the summer than in the winter, this balance is reconciled at the end of each year.

If, at the end of the year, you have produced more than you used, some utilities will compensate you for this extra power but others will not. Contact your utility for up-to-date information about their net metering or solar bank program.

  • PACE

PACE stands for Property Assessed Clean Energy. Many municipalities are setting up PACE programs that help their residents finance a solar system by paying it off through the annual property tax bill. The relatively high interest rate for most PACE programs typically makes PACE financing less cost-effective than a GEG Solar Lease. It may, however, be a good option for people who do not live in GEG's service area. Please note that as of the summer of 2010, legal complications are interfering with the rollout of most PACE programs.

  • PPA

A PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) means you buy the energy that comes out of the system one kWh at a time and you have to buy all of it, so your payment changes each month. Think of this like renting a car PER MILE. Our lease is more like renting a car at a FLAT-RATE per day. You pay a fixed amount. And if the system produces more power than we thought, you get to keep it with no extra charge. A lease is better for the customer because your payment is more predictable. A PPA is better for the financing company because they don't have to give away any power for free.

  • Prepaid lease

You pay 20 years of leasing in advance at a discount. Much cheaper than a purchase, you still get the system for 20 years, and we warranty everything bumper to bumper! Most customers who were originally looking at a purchase find the prepaid lease to be a much better deal. Basically hedging your energy costs, just like when Southwest Airlines bought a bunch of jet fuel in advance and ended up saving themselves a ton of money.

  • Solar inverter

The solar inverter is the electrical box that turns direct current (DC) electricity produced by solar panels into alternating current (AC) electricity. A grid-tied solar inverter allows this AC electricity to be sent back to the grid when you produce more energy than you use.

  • Solar lease

A Solar Lease is a legal agreement between you and GEG that specifies the size of the system GEG will install and maintain as well as the monthly amount you will pay GEG. A GEG Solar Lease comes with a performance guarantee that promises the panels will produce the power agreed to in the contract. And, any power generated above and beyond the guaranteed amount is yours to keep!

  • Solar panels

Also called solar modules, solar panels are made up of silicon "cells" that absorb photons (sunlight) to create a photovoltaic (PV) effect that allows for the conversion of sunlight to electricity. (Silicon just happens to be the Earth's most abundant element other than oxygen and is also used to make computer chips, glass and cement.) Solar panels are linked together to form "strings" and strings are combined to form "arrays." This array is connected to your home via an inverter, delivering electricity to power your home - or back to the grid, if your system produces more electricity than you use.

  • The grid

The grid is a network of power lines that carries and transmits electricity from large centralized power plants to individual homes. The term "going off the grid" refers to a household that generates all of its own power and no longer relies on the grid. GEG systems are "grid-tied" (or connected to the grid) so you can still power your house when the sun doesn't shine and can take advantage of all the tax incentives, as well as state and municipal rebates that are available for grid-tied systems.

  • Utility

Depending on where you live, you get your power from a local municipality (e.g., SMUD: Sacramento Municipal Utility District) or from a large power producer (e.g., PG&E: Pacific Gas & Electric Company). Utilities produce power and send it to you via the grid.

 Request your free quote today!