I-Team: Hidden cameras reveal dark side of solar power
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- Опубликовано: 17 май 2022
- By Randy Travis
Published May 16, 2022
DOUGLASVILLE, Ga - A hidden camera FOX 5 I-Team investigation takes the shine off some big promises made to Georgia homeowners about solar power.
With rising energy prices, you may be paying closer attention to those ubiquitous ads on social media:
"The government will cover the cost to install solar."
"Get paid to go solar!"
"Reduce or even eliminate your electric bill by using solar energy."
Amie and Nathan Tatro of Lafayette saw the same ads. So they signed a contract with Power Home Solar -- now Pink Energy -- to outfit their home with solar panels, a deal that cost $91,000 with monthly installments over 25 years.
"It’s not turned out to be what was promised," Amie admitted. "Almost everything he said turned out not to be true."
FULL STORY: www.fox5atlanta.com/news/hidd...
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This isn’t the “dark side of solar.” This is the dark side of crappy companies and not being able to hold them accountable.
THIS NEWS PAID BY ELECTRIC GREEDY COMPANIES SO THAT THE PEOPLE STICK TO THE USUAL ELECTRIC POWER THEY SCARED THE PUBLIC NOT TO USE SOLAR POWER SAME HERE IN THE PHILIPPINES MAINSTREAM MEDIA ARE MONEY MONEY BUSINESS THEY USE TO MISINFORMED THE PUBLIC
THE TECHNOLOGY OF SOLAR POWER ARE NOT THE PROBLEM THE COMPANIES WHO NOT CAPABLE AND INCOMPITENT TO DO THE SYSTEM OF THIS TECHNOLOGY , BETTER BUY ONLINE AND STALLED BY YOUR SELF I SAVE ALOT OF ELECTRICITY AND IT DID NOT COST ME ALOT ,
Yeah, the fact, that those companies are able to exploit a loop, to rip off people, is the fault of the state, not the solar panels.
Shhh 🤫 you’re interrupting the agenda.
Lol this is Fox news , lol these are the same guys that are pro Oil and Pro coal
wtf, paying 10s of thousand for solor pannels?
mine 7 yrs ago costed only some 5000€ ...
battery and stuff is more if you are affraid of blackouts to me, you can gain some bit back, but you will probably never earn your investment back for a home battery, or is that so much more rewarding in the USA? ;-)
They paid $91,000 to SAVE ON ELECTRICITY COSTS!!!! How long would it take to use $91,000 in electricity so that they could break even????? These people are nuts.
You'd be surprised. Take your current average bill, let's say it's $200, then multiply it by 12 and get a compound interest calculator to account for yearly price increases, which are almost always at least around 2-3% but possibly more.
A bill that's $200 today, added up over 25 years (how long the system is financed for, after that it's just free power) is about 90-100k in that time frame, and with steeper price increases than 2-3% per year, you'd spend even more.
I think that particular system was still a rip off, but, people VASTLY underestimate how much they spend on electricity.
Yes people are that dumb
@@EileenTheCr0w - After buying a high efficiency washer and dryer (gas dryer) when they were the new rage, a new furnace and AC unit after that (needed to replace old), and LED lighting while replacing light bulbs, and a high efficiency refrigerator, our electricity bill is relatively low (actual electricity usage). Most recent bill (spring time) was $60 (6 bedroom house, 2 people). In summer when we run AC it will be $120. Let's say an average for my home of $100 a month. Still going to take too many months to ever come out ahead at a price like that. I will likely be dead in 25 to 30 years (58 now).
By the way, our high efficiency washer cut our water bill in half. Nothing to do with electricity but there is an argument to update appliances even if they don't need replacing.
Also the panels are only good for 25yrs! 1
You would have to replace them before you would break even lol
Tip: If you have the land, don't mount the panels on your home's roof. I have them mounted on my pole barn, workshop. and out in the yard providing shade for my dogs...but not my home's roof. No problem with homeowners insurance and since I preformed the installation myself, no weird leases with shady companies. I also don't have them tied into the grid because our utility is a pain when it comes to solar. In my area, AC is a must...so they provide the majority of the power demand that my HVAC system needs during the hot summer months. The electric utility still gets some money, just not nearly as much...and I have basic power when hurricanes come thru thanks to battery backup and a small generator.
OMG mojopup you are knowledgeable and I am in the beginner phase of reading and learning. Advice on good systems that are part and part as well as the yard mounts I think is my route. It's a 1500 sf house but I have air cleaners everywhere for my asthma. Good articles to read would be appreciated. (I've been reading up on the Jackery 1000 as a small design to set up in the yard for off grid homesteaders-but I've read for the interest and it doesn't seem way over my head, but not equipped to do the big job, just devices.) Thanks for advice.
Now imagine living in Puerto Rico where we get lots of storms, hurricanes, earthquakes and a rainy season. I have solar energy with wind turbines and hydro electric turbines. But I often have to use my Propane Generator which uses methane gas from my septic tank. Like you said Air Conditioning is a must. Living completely off the grid is a full time job without benefits for overtime. I have a seven bedroom house and each bedroom has a full bathroom. No wires coming into my house. Satellite TV and Satellite phone service with a satellite phone docking system. Still mother nature wins. Sometimes I feel that nuclear power is the best option for the planet. But.............>
Solar panels makes your roof look crappy. What happens when your roof needs replacing ? Someone has to come and take all those panels off and put them back on again. For most people the cost of solar outweighs the benefits, Don't believe the hype that you will get 30 cent electric bills.
I 100% agree, do NOT mount these on the roof. Just a couple of reasons, holes in your roof, shingle replacement is more complex, they stay hotter since air circulation is not good on the roof versus an open air ground mount system. Also, I am hoping to relocate and because of the cost I have invested in my system, no one will want to pay an additional $100k just to have the solar included. So, I'll be packing all my panels, inverters, and horizontals racks and taking with me. The only thing I can't take are the vertical poles.
Maybe do a youtube video on the project? I would be interested to see it!
I can’t believe anyone would put a solar system on their house and spend 60k just to save $ 10 a month.
Maybe they just want to be a good comrade
If u hire a reputable company the system actually pays for itself, so they would've been saving more than $10
It's astounding that none of the cited companies are being charged with any criminal violations.
Well, when most homes installed with solar power then power company profit is down and can't keep up the book. Now the power company must raise your power bills.
@@QuantumFengShui wtf does that have to do with the comment?
Police and DA's are weak and lazy. They will say it's a civil matter.
@@QuantumFengShui Power companies are predatory, electricity is as necessary as the air we breathe. I have no sympathy for them when they over charge while failing to upgrade their grid.
Leftists protect Leftists
I really miss this kind of investigative journalism, especially these days.
This was published like 2 weeks ago
they only do this for small fish, like tiny solar companies, never the government that Fks us all.
@Miguel Cortes “These days” is a term that can mean from a few days to a few years, whether it’s reported yesterday or a few weeks ago, it’s still relevant .
@@kate2create738 he’s probably autistic and doesn’t understand. Don’t be too harsh on the boy.
That woman and man at the start of the news item who work for the two different solar providers look so very similar that they either may be related or could in fact be the same person pre and post gender reassignment. If a person will lie about their gender then lying about solar power is a far more minor act of dishonesty........ just sayin'
This is interesting because when I lived in California prior to 2015, we had 6,000 watts of solar installed in a ground mount system. At that time there were Federal tax and utility company rebates available. Our system did reduce our electric bill and had around a 9-10 year amortization of the system. I could look at the meter on a sunny day with low load and watch the meter spin backwards. It kept us out of tier three and four, which is where it got expensive. We were on a well and had a pool in an area where it could get to 110 degrees on a hot day. The cost of these systems from what was shown in this video is outrageous.
this is what happens when you have a government that is pushing for solar power. Prices would not be this expensive if there was no government mandate
Yeah, I live in NC. Paid 19500 for 8kwh system, based on pre-covid usuage, even with the increased usage from being home, I just have my connection fees. My solar company was up front on tax credit, duke energy credit (they said i won’t get it because there only X number allocate per year) ended up getting it regadless. They install the deck, using a flashing system versus a compression to hold the track onto the house. No leaks, i can’t say it’s been smooth sailing. Same optimizier has had to be replaced 2x and inverter died. I didn’t pay for labor on the invert but i did get a break on optimizer. Real hidden cost of solar is labor fo installing warranty parts, solar edge doesn’t provide enough to cover it. Add in squirrels this year and i lost a full year of saving in repairs and adding anti-squirrel mess. :(
Man are people dumb, cant count and are ripe for being taken advantage of. 60,000 in finance means by the time you pay off that useless solar power crap, its just in time to replace it because technology would have changed and the payoff would be close to a 100,000 considering the interest rate. This is taking out another mortgage with the stupidity that you will reduce your power bill but instead taking up another huge debt with a higher monthly payment.
It amazes me how easily people are tricked because they cant think for themselves and cant do a simple math ...Replacing your 300 dollar electric bill with a 350 dollar solar panel bill isnt actually saving you any money ... Wonder what happens to things that are out in the elements all day for 25 years in the hooooot sun and then in the cold winter with rain and birds taking a dump on it? Bunch of morons
so the rest of us paid you a rebate for your power... thanks , i could use some help with heating oil... would you like to chip in on that?
@@jimburdin That's exactly how feed-in tariffs work. The wealthy get the panels, and the less-wealthy pay for them. Utility companies still need revenue, and a certain amount of it. When grid consumption drops (either through energy efficiency, solar, or both), they raise rates, which hurts the lower class the most.
In Seattle, energy efficiency (and potentially solar, not sure) put the public utility in such financial peril that they had to drastically raise rates over a period of a couple years just to remain solvent.
I live in Florida and this has happened to many of my neighbors. It’s horrible because some of them are elderly and have been taken full advantage of ! Had I lived here before they all agreed to it I would have gave them the real truth!
If children don't take care of their parents, it's fair that their inheritance goes to crooks.
@@weekendwarrior3420Some parents don't deserve to be taken care of. Not all are good and if they are not, to hell with their money 😂😂😂
@@weekendwarrior3420 unfortunately, some parents don't want help and are hard-headed.
FPL doesn’t offer net metering. Wholesale metering.
@@donbrloks3959they had net metering a while back - and then I imagine they lobbied and then laws got changed to stop it - now like you said it is at wholesale.
I have had several quotes - and the prices are ridiculous - the incentives our government offers are at the end of the day for the companies - it only jacks up the prices - not to mention I have heard far too many nightmare stories. They price your system based in your kilowatt usage and what you would pay the power company over 15-20 years - so you end up with about 5 years of feee electricity I call it - and you better save that money for new roof and panels…..or at least the removal - price me a system based on materials, labor and reasonable profit….it’s all a money grab….. just check the background of majority of the companies
Gimme me $91K and I will pedal the water-wheel to produce the power for the house.
Ima bring snacks.
Okay 😂😂😂
I heard that! 😆Legs gonna be fit too 😂😂😂
That's what I'm saying. 91k hell I'll figure it out
Get fit and earn money, win-win to me
The salesman was crapping himself when the reporter came out to confront him. This is good investigative reporting. We need thousands more just like you all over the world.
"I didn't know she was underage! I SWEAR!"
"She...she's elderly, we're not here for that..."
"Ah..."
@@DxBlack Hi, I'm Chris Hansen...
@@DxBlack LMAO 🤣🤣
Any dollar figure on that contract is the home owners responsibility and loan pal does not check to see if they were truthful like my salesman said when I asked him who pays this 6000.00s he said that the government paying us . Well I didn't know I had 18 months to come up with 6000.00 or I would see a payment increase from 181.00 to 261.00 and then got another contract to sign that went from 20 years to 25 years time to get a lawyer. Tom Fenton from judicial watch says thats a breach of contract.
@@theselfmadecollective7876 Well aren't you judgmental and arrogant. Solar technology is not efficient. Solar energy is not reliable, plus the destruction to the natural environment, and misuse of child labor to extract battery materials is criminal. Add to this the catastrophic effect of miles of solar panels all over the world, the whole ill thought out plan is disgusting, and unnecessary.
Speaking of who do you shill for, how many of the noble activists that you listen to are investors in "Green Energy Technology" companies that have a vested interest in selling more solar products? What happens to the people that live in areas with high cloud concentration most of the year? Where I live we are always getting thunderstorms and showers especially during the summer when the humidity is really high, and central a/c units are essential? Solar panels don't produce electricity in the shade.
I live in Colorado and used a solar co-op for purchase and installation of 7.5 kwh system. It has eliminated my electric bill except for a $15 a month connection fee. After tax credits, it cost approx $15K for the system and it works fantastically.
15K is what I would pay the utility company over 15 years. Doesn't seem cost-effective
@@yaimavolevery case is different, he may use more appliances than you do and still only pay $15k over 25 years while you pay $15k over 15 years, which means you pay $25k over 25 years.
@@robertomendoza6236 My electric bill in the winter is never more than $ 40. We get hydro power from a nearby dam and it is cheap. Solar panels are not worth the investment for me
@@yaimavoldont forget about blackouts
@@yaimavol That very much depends on your location and the price of utilities. At 15k per 15 years, or 1000$ per year, you would get about 20 kWh per day in Seattle, but only 6kWh in Hawaii.
And then there's the thing of what kind and how much of heating and cooling one is using, size of home and family etc.
I live in the Netherlands and installed my own solar system with 10 panels 3-phase system (Enphase certified). Reduced my grid dependency by 63% and my electrical cost by 50%. Total cost for the solar system $4000.00. Now I am installing my home battery and reducing my cost by another 25%. The mentioned prices $ 40.000 - 90.000 are insane. The going rate here in Europe is approx. $ 1000 - 1250 / kW wp
a big reason for that is we have no credible oversight in the current administration in washington monitoring scammer companies and construction outfits installing solar projects...every single commercial solar project goes way over budget with some going bankrupt altogether... a lot of these companies run until the heat is on, then just change their federal id number and business name and move on to the next available contestant... it is like a perverted version of the price is right...trillions of dollars being spent on waste in biden's magic energy policy, they hook people with "oh but you will get an incentive rebate for installing this system" yeah, right straight out of my pocket, or my childrens and grandchildrens pockets down the road... the whole scenario here in the U.S. is corrupt from the top down....
When I had solar put on my house, I entertained a couple of these company's sales pitches. What they didn't know is that I did enough research to know what the panels and inverters cost, how many I would need to achieve my goals, and the efficiency for different parts of my roof to fit 50 panels. I was quoted $45k-$65k total price for ~$20k in materials. They had no answer on why the costs were so high when I showed them the retail prices of the components used (exact panels and inverters).
I ended up finding a contractor to do the install, purchased the panels and pulled the permits myself. My total cost was $28k before my 30% federal rebate.
There are many people that seem to be against solar due to ignorance in the comments. In many cases, solar may not ever pay for itself. In my case, it will do this in < 8 years. I'm almost 3 years into this journey and have produced 57.4MWh in electricity on my roof. My average electricity bill was $260 and now I average $10/mo ($25 when the FU minimum kicks in).
I did a time-lapse of my installation: ruclips.net/video/_oquw-f5Wm8/видео.html
Lmao! $30,000? You’ll never see any of that return before you die.
But you have no warranties now right?
hahaha sucker! It's going to take decades for your solar panels to get your money back
I work at an electric company
edit: you're lying about your numbers...i saw your video and all the panels you installed. You will not do it in 8 years guaranteed
Hats off to you! You have manufactures warranty on every component and you saved all the mark up costs and bs that these people are going through. You know you have the permits and have gained tremendous knowledge in researching. You've empowered yourself and can also make it a business as a consultant for DIY's. Great job!
@@6gunbeaufordiii514 ha ha not really. Electric costs are going up , there is an oil, gas and deisel shortage and he can go off grid. Lol
I like it when news stations get back to doing stories and investigations that actually help people.
We need more stories like this, everyone is not blind that scamming is happening but it would be nice if it was reported so we can at least avoid being duped.
@@kate2create738 I was actually thinking about calling one of these companies. I thought it was like a 5 or 10 thousand dollar thing. I would've still told them no at those prices, but salespeople try to pressure you. There's no way I'm taking out basically another mortgage. It defeats the entire purpose.
@@user-cp7fo7im1s Right? I'd rather put that investment into a car or other values to improve the property. It probably doesn't accommodate with upgrades as well which is why I want to wait to see how it pans out. I just don't trust that many people these days.
Miracles happen
That woman and man at the start of the news item who work for the two different solar providers look so very similar that they either may be related or could in fact be the same person pre and post gender reassignment. If a person will lie about their gender then lying about solar power is a far more minor act of dishonesty........ just sayin'
The truth of the matter is almost all of those salespeople are "independent contractors" and those companies put pressure on them to make sales and those people flat out lie to your face as a result. The companies know it and the salespeople know they are lying. Never buy anything from a door to door salesperson. I just saw a story of an elderly couple on Texas who got scammed on solar and the company would not reply. After the couple contacted the local news, then all of a sudden the company replied, threw their salespeople under the bus, canceled the contract, reimbursed any monies they had paid, removed the solar and repaired their roof for free. Personally, that seems to be quite expensive. Why not just give them the unit for free and make sure it works?
I have bought 2 houses in new subdivisions and salespeople are everywhere. Thank God for these video doorbell cameras. I never answer when they come knocking.
I've been using Bluetti AC200MAX generator with three 285 watt panels and my electric bill is reduced by 60%. Also, if I need to take the generator anywhere like camping, or to a job site for equipment all I have to do is load it in the truck. I keep the panels plugged in and it is running my TV, Stereo, Computer, living room lights, guitar amplifier, microphones. I'd never put on FIXED PANEL SYSTEM. Going Portable is the way to go. I haven't got the money to buy an additional battery yet but maybe next year. But when the power goes out...NOT IN MY HOUSE. Thank you Bluetti.
Rigid panels tend to be A LOT more durable. You can make the smaller 100w ones portable, too.
Yes, there are scammers out there, but paying 300+ dollars a month for 25 years just to pay for the system is insanity.
I think "stupidity" is a better word for it.
You mean like paying $4.50+ for a gallon of gas because this administration wants us all to spend $60,000+ for an electric car that is recharged by fossil fuel burning electric plants🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪 THAT kind of insanity??? 🤨🤨🤨
@@kirkstickney7394 Your comment was so full of idiocy that I find it hard to believe that you actually think your comment really makes sense.
@@101perspective that's what I thought.
@@101perspective except we actually pay $300 to $500 to the electric company WITHOUT solar. So, if you think paying $300 a month is STUPIDITY, forgive me for questioning YOUR sanity.
Also, as the woman in the report; you're welcome. I certainly didn't have to come on television and warn others of this predatory company. But, instead of many of you reading through and finding out ALL the facts, you are judging us as stupid. I'm sure you feel superior and that makes you think it could never happen to you. I hope you're right. But. If it DID, I wouldn't call you stupid. I would blame the company that sold the lies and has harmed THOUSANDS of people.
"Saying our clients will save 100% of their bill is a fireable offense but we absolutely won't be firing him"
Deals a deal.
Ask the Pop-Up Solar Company. What is the system voltage? A solar sales person will say well we need to analyse your bill. This is not true you the customer are asking what voltage their system is running. This has nothing to do with the customer. As a representative of a company the sales person should have no issues answering this in an honest and factual way providing simple specifications of the system they are selling. This question will prove the knowledge and ethics involved in this solar company. A few other questions also can be asked, but posting here may allow these Pop-Up Solar Company's to take these questions and answer them misleadingly to unaware solar customers. I am a Renewable Energy student and would like to see renewable energy given a good name.
must be the boss's son. we will retrain him now you can save 99%
yeah i caught that too fast doubletalking conmen
Your a horrible Company, and should lose your license immediately. Anyone who's been sucked into your fraud should sue you ass off. Solar is not perfect but it most certainly is well worth getting into asap. But check around get muti quotes and don't get sucked in by these crocks who should be in jail, they lie and steal. and it's price is not anywhere near what the quoting, and just buy solar and stay away from add ons that are not needed, know you need to do maintenance and replace batteries every once in a while, but overall you will save a lot of money and its a no brainer for people living in SW USA you should be in a continuous + on your electric bill IE they will send you a check or direct deposit.
Never ever do any home "upgrades" without getting a few quotes and do not be afraid to consult with your local inspector.....
Thank you for exposing these crooks
These people don’t realize if your paying 90 grand for a solar system and your payment is 450 a month for the next 25 years and your regular monthly electric bill is only 200 doesn’t it make more sense not to get solar at all 😂
It may be $200 today but with inflation and rising cost of living as the years go by, it might not be
Where did you get 450/mo.. that's terrible financing.
Though your electric bills with $200/mo does total to about 90-100k over 25 years. And a good solar system will easily last longer than that and cost much less.
Obviously some of us aren’t seeing that these people got ripped off if you still think that their getting a deal will then let me hold 90k 🤦🏼♂️
Lol why would they pay 90k for solar with a 200$ bill. They need more like a 15k system. Unfortunately there are scam companies.
@@EileenTheCr0w $200/month for 25 years equals $60,000.
Also, most solar panels will only last 20-25 years.
Furthermore, at the end of the lifespan of the solar panels, you will pay a disposal fee to rid these panels that contain toxic metals.
As a solar installer, this is infuriating!
Salespeople can turn any industry into a money pit even if the industry as a whole has good intentions.
Considering how many days are "overcast" in the Southeast, commercial solar isn't capable of delivering what's expected of an Off-Grid system, or what an 'electronics's junkie' like me would expect. (limited, or supplemental) In other words: I'm sold out on alternate 'Homestead' systems. But, it's never going to be the cure for burning fuel & nuclear.
I wish solar power was feasible but my research has shown, at least in my case, that the initial investment just doesn’t make sense. I live in South TX, we have plenty of sunshine and it still doesn’t work out.
But if people stop blindly believing salesman this won't happen and they would be out of business. I guess the adage a sucker is born every minute is still true. Double check any and all claims by sales people. Never sign a contract on the first visit ever!!! If they say if you don't sign today you will miss saving 500 dollars. Immediately show them to the door because that is total B.S.!!
@@chrishenry5945 You need to do more research. You have plenty of sun where you live.
@@chrishenry5945 it only works with people that have an adequate souther exposed roof, own their home and plan on living there long enough to see the savings. The tax benefit with the power savings may take 10, 20 or 30 years to pay for the setup. Lots of variables!!
I’m glad this news report helped that family get out of their contract and get those panels taken down.
I paid $43k for mine, but my highest electric bill is $23 during winter. I had it for 4 years now.
91K??? With my $100 electric bill, it'll take me close to 100 years to offset the cost.
are you ready to sign up ? lmao 🤣
Yeah I didn't get that either 91K...Didn't make any sense
With a bill like that your total cost of a system shouldn’t have been more than 20k. Unless your location is just bad for solar
100$ electric bill? HAHAHAHAHA, you must split it with your parents... My home runs 350$ a month, lights off, oil heat, no ac, no fish tanks, no grow lights, no electric car charging, no hair dryers no washer or dryer. Just everyday items.
@@brandondulle
damnit man, mine is around 159.00 a month from April til August. then 85.00 after that, 2600sqft home in Georgia
That’s the CONTRACTOR’S fault ! As a framing and remodeling contractor I take it upon myself to check regulations in every area I do work as all places are different as to what permits you need, what they cost, or if they are required at all. Most homeowners have NO IDEA about regulations where they live unless they are some type of contractor themselves. Very unprofessional on the part of that company.
salesmen's only motivation is about the sale/commission once he gets his $ the rest is someone down the line's problem
@@mrwascallyt9865 especially in US where the search for money makes people mad literally.
@@rdcarbonk1885 i've been to jobs where the salesmen/women didn't figure on xtra material and labor to do it right then when u call them out on it some try to get u to haggle with the builder or owner homie don't play that if the sales man under estimated it he eats it in my book i tell em to pay up to do it right or i walk and i've done both many times when bldrs say anything to me about shortcuts or lowering my standards i ask them where are they gonna be when the owner moves in and complains about it are u takin fault then no and what does it say about my rep to know somethings wrong and not do it right
aannd a little ranty sorry too many yrs in const
That woman and man at the start of the news item who work for the two different solar providers look so very similar that they either may be related or could in fact be the same person pre and post gender reassignment. If a person will lie about their gender then lying about solar power is a far more minor act of dishonesty........ just sayin'
Vote out the little tyrant city councils in these towns and change the "law." Bureaucracy and paperwork that hinder a property owner belong in the third world, not here.
I built my own system for 5 grand. Been off grid for a couple years now and they are great. The most expensive things are inverters, batteries and charger controllers. Renogy supplies almost everything I have. Great prices and customer service if your looking.
I live in Arizona. LOTS of sunlight here. I have seen ad after ad after ad saying the state and feds will pay for, or SUBSTANTIALLY reduce the installation of your solar system. I don't have a large home it's a solid 1,200 sq ft home. My cost to install $83,000. Not one cent of it is covered by the state or federal government. When I asked them about it, every one of them said that's not entirely true. If the system works, the supposed reduction in monthly bill is supposed to offset the initial outlay. Hmmm. Seemed like NONE of it was true. IMHO it's a complete misrepresentation and scam.
I built an off-grid solar battery (after the great Texas Freeze last year), have 6x100W panels and a 300Amp-hour battery connected. Spent about 3K total on the project and super happy that it can take anything I throw at it. Not a 1-1 grid replacement but definitely Peace of mind.
Bet many dead birds and eagles around your panels
Your panels burnt em down……. I’m sure you won’t tell the truth and denied it
@@blazeroranger lol yep yep lots of birds, gots' me some free fried chickens too
@@AppaTalks Texas, of course. We went to Texas from Iowa and couldn’t believe how much hot it is in Texas. Got out of our ACed trailblazer and 1 second later I got sweaty like pouring rain.
@@blazeroranger for sure, same where I live; actually there have already been power failures this month, and our governor explicitly said it wouldn't happen do'h
I have solar, it's great, I paid for it myself and installed it myself. These systems they're selling are scams.
Could you send me in the right direction for more information? Would love to do the same.
watch out for these snake sales people.they lie about everything .its to bad because you think your doing a good thing for the environment but get screwed by there bs.it will take me 5 yrs to get my 26% rebate on my taxes.my salesman overcharged me over $9,200 but he was dismissed after i complained .i did get my money back and he was the president of the company. i hope walmart hires him
@@pottnosticator3907 What state are you in? I can try to help you out.
@@geraldbuncum3861 Massachusetts
Same Here. Did EVERYTHING Myself For $1.40 Per Watt. I Put Up 18 Panels, 18 Enphase IQ7+ Microinverters, Enphase AC Combiner Box For A 5.34kW Solar System. My Electric Company Owed Me $5.20 Last Month For 46.2kWh In Excess Production. Its Been VERY Rainy Here This Month But My Bill As Of 5/24/22 Is Only $19.50 And I Keep My House At 68 Degrees. So, Is Solar Worth It? Absolutely Not If You Pay Someone $3.85 Per Watt To Install It. DO IT YOURSELF AND IT'S AWESOME!!!
There's a reason they have no experience hiring ads everywhere for "sales" people
I’d like the sales people to show me their homes with solar systems
This just goes to show how the sales profession is organized. Their employer gives everyone aggressive sales targets that are skewed due to the unethical sales practices of a few top salesmen.
One salesman told me that I should get ALL the trees in my property cut down in order for the system to work and I told him to go fk himself.
Yea only to sack them when caught but the company gets away with it.
Or... just a regional company officer edict. I recall learning a little something about a large retailer years ago: store manager had ZERO say on sales growth - ingenuity prohibited regarding inventory selection/ordering. Corporate would declare a volume increase ahead of time [say 9% or whatever] and just ship merchandise. So you would see parking lots in city after city with 8/9/10 trailers of stuff parked outside at all times that was dead inventory customers couldn't even get at to inspect, much less buy.
I briefly worked at a company like these solar companies. They gave us no base pay, and would promise huge bonuses if we reached a sales milestone. Problem was the price was so high that it was basically never a profitable deal for the customers, which means you either had to lie to get a sale, or you had to be dumb enough to not understand the numbers yourself because the company intentionally makes it so convoluted.
That woman and man at the start of the news item who work for the two different solar providers look so very similar that they either may be related or could in fact be the same person pre and post gender reassignment. If a person will lie about their gender then lying about solar power is a far more minor act of dishonesty........ just sayin'
As an engineer this really upsets me. These con men need to get jail time for this. These systems are not "rocket science". Your air conditioning and heat (if electric/heat pumps/etc) are your major power consumption devices. Changing a 100w light bulb to a
Excellent advice. Thank you.
We are going to be replacing windows, as this is where our biggest energy consumption is. Cost is less than a solar system would be and will save us just as much money on power bills. Bonus, less stress on A/C and heating units.
So after you have renovated your house in order to properly cut down your power usage, after you paid for changes according to where you live in heating and cooling systems, after you have paid to install EXPOSED components for your energy production and more components for storage just in case.
After you have done ALL that you SHOULD have a FOSSIL FUEL alternative but that's just in case right?!
We installed a Generac standby natural gas system , rarely use the AC , went LED , have lots of south facing windows for winter greenhouse effect. Blinds closed in the sunny summer days. Some neighbors have AC on daily , very expensive here in central Ontario.
Kilowatts are units of power, not energy.
That’s what I did, new high efficiency AC, ducts doors and windows and my light bill was cut by more than half
Solar companies often claim that their panels will wipe out your electricity bill, but from my experience, that's not always the case. In a recent incident, a specific company was exposed for making such promises, but many make similar claims. Moreover, there's limited regulation on electricity companies. They seemingly operate as they wish, adjusting their policies on a whim and later justifying it as a "company decision". Consequently, some solar users find themselves paying both their electricity bill and the loan for their solar system. Consider this: 25 years down the line, you might need to replace the system. So, if you're thinking of going solar and financing it for 25 years, you might want to reconsider. In the long run, you could end up with even more bills, and face the inevitability of replacing the system. Nothing lasts forever. I've had my solar system for three years and I've yet to see a zero-dollar electricity bill. It feels like these electricity companies are finding clever ways to get more from our pockets.
What is the offset on your system?
Ten years ago I used to have coffee at the same cafe every day. Many mornings a couple of guys from Solar City would sit near me and brag about how they strong-armed their customers. A few years later they were purchased by Tesla. I wouldn't touch them with a 10 foot pole.
This is good job of consumer interest reporting. It rightly targets dishonest sales people using hard sell tactics, not solar power.
@Ellis Vener allow me to target the foolishness of solar power, since the news report failed to do so.
Installing solar power is NOT a way to save you money. Even if you buy all of the equipment and install it yourself, when it's all said and done you will still lose money. Buying a solar system from a company and having them install it will cause you to lose even more money.
Unless you worship at the church of environmentalism, and you ignorantly believe that solar is a cleaner source of power, or you just want to show off (the desire to show off, as foolish as it is, can be seen as a legitimate justification in the minds of some people) to the people who actually do worship at the church of environmentalism, there's no justification that you can come up with to justify the expense.
Those sales people were probably encouraged, on the unspoken threat of termination, to use those exact tactics. An unspoken threat of termination is the same thing as a spoken threat of termination, you will lose your job either way. Those salesmen were thrown under the bus. It's highly doubtful those companies will change because of how extremely unprofitable solar is for the customer. If they were completely honest and transparent with their customers they would never sell any systems.
@Ellis Vener allow me to target the foolishness of solar power, since the news report failed to do so.
Installing solar power is NOT a way to save you money. Even if you buy all of the equipment and install it yourself, when it's all said and done you will still lose money. Buying a solar system from a company and having them install it will cause you to lose even more money.
I keep shortening this comment because it's being blocked apparently. The real new story is the waste of money that is solar energy.
Solar power makes sense for some people and businesses. And while their are environmental costs to manufacturing solar collectors and batteries, as best as I can tell from my research over the past twenty years, those don’t compare to those from mining, drilling, processing, transporting, and consuming fossil fuels.
Ask the Pop-Up Solar Company. What is the system voltage? A solar sales person will say well we need to analyze your bill. This is not true you the customer are asking what voltage their system is running. This has nothing to do with the customer. As a representative of a company the sales person should have no issues answering this in an honest and factual way providing simple specifications of the system they are selling. This question will prove the knowledge and ethics involved in this solar company. A few other questions also can be asked, but posting here may allow these Pop-Up Solar Company's to take these questions and answer them misleadingly to unaware solar customers. I am a Renewable Energy student and would like to see renewable energy given a good name.
This is not the “dark side of solar power”. This is the “dark side of dishonest contractors”. We get it here in Australia too. The solar industry has grown so rapidly that too many “sharks” have made their way in and consumer protection authorities are having a tough time weeding them out. We have many people extremely happy with their solar and slashing their power bills selling power back to the electrical utility, or like ourselves, living off the grid completely. But buyer beware - you need a reputable installer who knows what they’re doing!
Exactly!
I used to sell home security systems same thing lots of dishonest shysters that are literally putting people in danger it was the most frustrating situation to walk into. I did so much educating and explaining how the system worked so that they would understand that the five other people who came before me didn't know what the hell they were talking about!! All made false promises. It really goes to show that the various municipalities need to be policing these companies better. Charging someone $90,000 for solar panels that is utterly insane. That's about a 200% markup?
Is there a bright side to dishonest contractors?
good point
Not clickbait enough
we live in Mass. and added solar 8 years ago. We do have net-metering, which enables us to have $0 electric bills from March - Oct. Our bills from Nov - Feb are usually not more than $80 per month. So, solar has been great for us
Solar technology works, but it's just too expensive. Bottom Line is; you are better off just paying your electricity bill in most of the US. I have full home solar in South FL, and I still have a monthly electric bill, although it is about 2/3 cheaper than it was before solar but once you combine the solar payment with the insurance required to have the panels and the reduced electric bill I pay about $50 more per month than when I just paid the electric bill. Also, I have big ugly panels on the roof of my home.
Sounds like you got ripped off. I'm in Florida and I have no electric bill.
@@gsp49 It's all a rip off. You may not have an electric bill, but what did you pay for full solar and how many months of your old electric bill would it take to equal the amount you paid for solar? 10, 15, 20 years of electric bills? Is your solar going to be fully working exactly the same in 20 years?
Example, if your full solar cost $75k and your monthly electric bill was $300 then it would take more than 20 years to break even. And that's only if your panels don't lose any of their efficiency during that 20 + years. So, it's just not very benefitial, also don't forget about the added home owners insurance costs.@@gsp49
A basic rule of life:
"If something requires a salesman to convince you that you need it, you don't."
yup, that's good
Very well said
Yes. No one has ever got married after a “salesman’s” sales pitch!
yeah my doctor keeps trying to sell me on some product called chemo but I aint buying it, nice try doc.
@@dharmappabarki9557 Consideting that for the majority of History, arranging marriages was the norm... I'd say, historically, most marriages probably started as a salespitch.
Good report. I have a hard time with these companies..."we're going to replace your $260 electric bill with a $10 electric bill plus $348 monthly installment plan for the next 25 years." Not exactly the electric company getting screwed over.
Sales pitch: Don't worry, in 25 years, your monthly electric bill will be over $1000 / month due to inflation.
Me: in 15 years I'll be dead of old age. I want to save money today
That woman and man at the start of the news item who work for the two different solar providers look so very similar that they either may be related or could in fact be the same person pre and post gender reassignment. If a person will lie about their gender then lying about solar power is a far more minor act of dishonesty........ just sayin'
The companies are the scammers here I paid around 30k usd for my install in Hong Kong and I know it’s even cheaper in mainland China.
That is one fat profit margin
These customers must have failed 4th grade math…
so, in other words, let's decrease the bill payment but add an addition bill to pay that's even more expensive than before the original 1st bill was decreased.
What total bs.
Smfh🤦
I was in Georgia just a few months ago, and I met a couple down there who were complaining about their solar power system, they had installed on their house!! At length I talked to them, and they told me that they had spent $30,000 on this system and was getting ZERO POWER out of it, as their house literally sits in the woods!! Meaning it is literally in nearly complete shade every day of the week, all year long!!! Which when I questioned "Why didn't you consider this before you had the solar panels installed?" their answer was "We believe in saving the planet, and going green to help the world!"
As it turned out, under further conversations with them. They BOTH are registered democrats, voted for Joe Biden in the last election, and agreed with many of the liberal talking points!! As I began to realize this.....I began to slowly stop talking to them!!!
The utility companies have changed their billing system to bill separately for delivery and for usage.
You can cut your usage, but the other charges remain the same.
The only way to beat them is to go totally off grid and you will need a large solar array for that.
Going off grid can trigger other problems as well, including DCFS, you could lose your kids.
The video title seems to blame "solar power" instead of rightfully blaming a crooked, lying contractor.
While solar is still incredibly expensive, highly inefficient and the tech will be obsolete in 10 years and will never "pay for itself".
It's because this is a larger issue plaguing the residential solar industry. Sales sharks, non-transparent pricing... Most of these outfits are primarily in the game of selling bad loans rather than saving the customer any money
@@Monkeyseemonkey79 It's also the promise and exaggerations about renewables. People constantly say it's, "Free." It hardly is. There are pros and cons to everything and solar works better in some parts of the country than others. Some areas pay you for the excess solar power in the day time, others don't.
It also leads to increased deaths. Roofing fall fatalities increased 15% in 2019. It continues to rise, and solar installations, and maintenance are a major factor in that.
Unfortunately the whole industry is like this.
So the argument made by this news network is a company is bad and is scamming people who don't understand how solar power is suppose to work and therefore all solar power is evil? instead how about saying this industry is new to most people and so opportunists are out there and may try to take advantage of the situation. Be wary and smart but remember that such scammers have always worked their way into anything new.
I'm a roofing contractor and my contracts to remove solar panels far outweigh my contracts for installing them.
I believe this! As a realtor, sell more homes that had to have them removed.
That's crazy😌
Do they need a new roof after removal? And another issue, I can only imagine how much more it costs to replace a roof if you need to remove panels and replace them after installing a new roof🤯
I was an electrician in Massachusetts for a long time and I had a conversation with a rep. from sun solar on a project one day.
He said he and the company are raking in money, he will do it for 10, 12 more years. Then open his own business specializing in removing and disposing of the toxic metals waste from the panel hahahahaha, he said he will "screw em on both ends, install and removal".
@@joeisslow1638 second time I've heard this as well😂😂👌🏾
I work at a solar company in the service department. There are a lot of problems that occur, especially in the summer. That’s the conundrum. When you are banking on a lot of sunlight in the summer time, that’s when most of the problems occur with the heat. You have hardware such as inverters, optimizers, wiring, and the modules themselves. All of these can have issues that need to be maintained which will cause your production to go down while there are problems. This causes you to lose out on your credits you built up over the year, causing you to have an energy bill some times. These problems will only get worse in the future with the global temperature rising. Also, the humidity in a place like Arkansas where I live, can get into the hardware and therefore needs to be replaced. Not to mention hail damage, straight line winds, bypass diode failures. People expect since it’s hardware, that it should work flawlessly once installed. That’s just not gonna happen, and it should be on the solar company to explain these things. Of course almost all sales people have to stretch the truth when giving a pitch to a customer. However, the customer should also do more research on this stuff before they drop over $50,000 on a project. The proposal and contract they sign are drawn up expecting the system to never have problems ever. But that’s just not realistic
Yup, I always ask people considering solar panels “do you really want to manage a mini power plant to maybe save money over 10-25years? Because that is what you are doing with solar panels”
Yea you’ll have issues when your using a cheap stringinverter with optimizers but to me those are pointless your adding more components then necessary solar panels themselves rarely it’s the stringinverters that do it’s better to go with micro inverters instead of strings and optimizers I’ve been in solar for 10 years the only issues I ever see is when people use them cheap ass string inverters a solar panel it’s self isn’t going to fail on its one it’s just a sheet of crystal and silver. The most issues you’ll have with a micro inverter is a tripped breaker if it wasn’t installed correctly. I live in west Texas 110 heat in the summers
@@brent4073no where near even close to a power plant your way off
@@ACAMPS.HITHOUSE You still need to make sure they are working efficiently over time. Things break. There are tons of reports of panels not working right after getting set up
In the 1950s we had tin siding salesmen, in the 1990s we had vinyl window salesmen, now it's solar.
this is some good investigative journalism. this is the kind of thing that all journalists should be doing. wish it ha happened on a national level.
The 'national level' of Fox is what made them try to tie this to solar, rather than reporting the problem as corrupt, unregulated business practices.
Yea there's not many that do exposes like this today to show ppl the truth. There's these guys, Rob Wolchek and Project Veritas that I can think of. Funny today the ones who get caught usually call this type of journalism "not journalism" when it's the BEST form of it.
@@jdgoesham5381 It's funny how people praise investigative journalism when it's done by mainstream outfits such as this one but when Project Veritas does the same exact thing, people will say they're unethical.
Check out rob wolcheck he’s the best journalist in the nation
@@DStabs720 I wouldn't say he's the best but he's definitely one of the best. He does a lot of good for his community and he does it in a city that needs more people like him, Philadelphia.
There is NO reason solar installation should cost $43,000 or $91,000. I installed solar in my home and cut my power lines for less than $10,000 and did it myself.
Completely disconnecting from the grid is VERY difficult to pull off. Perhaps you should create a video showing how you did this. Until then...I'm not inclined to believe your claim.
Friend of mine got it for around $10k installed by a professional but that's because the government paid the rest of the cost which was about $30k. Had a negative electric bill each month. So it's possible if you find a reputable company.
In alot of states and municipalities, they will condemn your home if your not connected to the grid, essentially calling it abandoned
@@iluvtheblues hahahahhaa foreals it’s pretty much impossible to do!
@@foxtayle683 no one with solar will get a negative bill every month it’s impossible! I have solar and I only get them here and there but I do get a nice check tho.
$91,000 over 25 years = $3,600/yr, $300 a month, and that is not counting any interest. My average bill is half that.
It definitely helps to look at reviews before you purchase anything anywhere
Several years someone else in my household arranged for a solar salesman come out to provide an estimate. I started by asking how much a system would cost. He spent the next 45 - 60 minutes avoiding the question. During that time he spent a lot of effort trying to convince me the system would "only cost $X per month". He seemed confused by me asking what the total cost of the system would be. So I explained: "material + labor + margin = total cost".
When he eventually told me the total price, something around $25,000, I thanked him and sent him on his way. He asked if I was going to buy the system, and when I told him "no" he wanted to know why. I told him I did not have the money, and I thanked him for telling me the price, and once I saved up that money, I would call him.
He demanded to know why I wasted his time if I was never going to buy the system. I explained to him that I never wasted his time, he wasted his time and mine, because he spent so much of his time avoiding my question. Had he just answered my question, I would have dismissed him much sooner.
The reality is this is over a quarter life commitment for most people. Some of us prefer to pay for power as we go, not finance it for decades. Additionally, when you consider we have most cost effective ways to improve energy efficiency, those options have a greater ROI. For example, if you have single pane aluminum frame windows, you would get a quicker ROI on new energy efficient double pane windows.
Or if you have a 10 SEER R22 air conditioner, perhaps upgrading to a newer multi-stage compressor AC would have a greater ROI. The reality is there is no money in home solar for contractors, only the financing. Try this! Next time a solar contractor sends a salesperson, ask him/her how much to pay cash for the system, and they will stutter.
25000 dollar is theft. I paid about 8000 euro for 18 panels in a community project. That will supply more energy than I need now, and will take care of charging an electric vehicle if I ever buy one. Had I put them on my roof, it would likely have been less panels (for tax reasons it's not attractive to put up more than I need) and I would have paid maybe 5K.
@@StCreed And its still overpriced, inefficient, and will be obsolete before it ever "pays for itself". You got robbed as well.
GEESH! Thanks for the info…ROI
@@StCreed Totally agreed.... companies in USA know that there's a federal tax credit for 26% of the total system cost, and the solar contractors are in bed with the lenders to wring you for that 26% tax credit.
When I got my solar system installed, I took a 20 year loan via Loan Pal. This was a couple years ago when there was still a 30% federal tax credit. The loan terms provided an "introductory rate" for the first 18 months, and demanded that I make a significant lump sum payment for the loan equivalent to the 30% federal tax credit that I was due to get back! If I didn't make this lump sum payment (approximately 13k USD), then my payment would go up by almost 2x for the next 18.5 years.
Fortunately, this was when the housing market started to go up and interest rates started to drop, so I refinanced my home, pulled out some equity, paid off the scammy solar loan, and got a lower interest rate. My overall monthly payment went down $100 after all this and I was able to keep my 30% federal tax credit! Fk you, loan pal!
Even hybrid water heaters pay themselves off in a shorter amount of time. I think solar (at its current level of efficiency and cost) is only practical for very young homeowners loaded with cash which is only a small portion of the market.
These companies charge outrageous prices and often give you outdated technology. Setting up a solar array with some batteries and an inverter is rather simple. With some shopping around and a bit of motivation, you can accomplish a better result at a fraction of the cost.
Quite possibly one of the worst things is the financing that some of these solar panel companies offer. It can be a total ripoff.
you used to be able to buy panels at home depot for around $750 each, but obama put tariffs on chinese panels and put them out of biz, leaving only super expenseve usa panels left. by doing so, he effectively kneecapped usa solar adoption and put the installers out of business. see suntech power, solar cities, LDK histories. it's very enlightening to see climate change is about money, not climate change.
"rather simple" lol.. the average homeowner doesn't know how to replace their garbage disposal.. forget finding high efficiency panels, knowing where to put them to maximize production, installing securely for storms, wiring without causing leaks.. lol, not gonna happen. And as for batteries, that's just a complete waste of money if you're able to get net metering.
Ask the Pop-Up Solar Company. What is the system voltage? A solar sales person will say well we need to analyse your bill. This is not true you the customer are asking what voltage their system is running. This has nothing to do with the customer. As a representative of a company the sales person should have no issues answering this in an honest and factual way providing simple specifications of the system they are selling. This question will prove the knowledge and ethics involved in this solar company. A few other questions also can be asked, but posting here may allow these Pop-Up Solar Company's to take these questions and answer them misleadingly to unaware solar customers. I am a Renewable Energy student and would like to see renewable energy given a good name.
@@EileenTheCr0w Very True, Some are not up to the Task, but It is simple, Some Research for Best Panels & Batteries & then buy Some Panels, A Inverter & Regulator, Batteries, Some thought about where the Sun Rises & Sets, Placement, but of Course growing in size with your needs .. As a Example, Not by Me, Solar Basics in under 3min, ruclips.net/video/cgEvCLJuBkg/видео.html , but of Course if you cannot do the math, & need a Larger System & need it installed Professionally, it will cost more ..
Any time a salesman is involved you are gonna get a ridiculous high price! A good product sells itself!
Maybe change the title to "Never trust a sales-rep!"
91k for solar power ???? wtf never
😂...that was for the SYSTEM. The actual 'power' was on a different bill. That sh*t is CRAZY!! There is NO WAY...EVER!!!
Dishonest sales people abound. As the reporter says “do your homework.”
@@ellisvener5337 Yea, there basically everywhere. The sales people are just the face, it's the company thats p.o.s.
Thats before tax credits. You guys need to do your homework lol the federal government is giving back 26% to the project cost through a tax credit and here in ny we get an extra $5,000 from the state towards the project cost. Idk the utility rates in other states but on Long Island its 24 cents per kw hour and all of my customers love the results. Some people do add 90,000$ to there roof and after they receive the tax credits it comes down over 30% so your only paying like 70k over 25 years rather than what it would be with the energy increases and adding all that value to your house.
A few bad company's is going to drive that entire industry OUT OF BUSINESS.
Good
Lots of these companies also just massively over-spec the systems and the consumer must defend themselves against that. Keep in mind that all the energy that can't be used, stored or sold is simply lost. During that time, you've got a money-pit on the roof. People buy so many panels that their batteries are fully charged in 2h of sun, what for? Or they buy enough batteries to run their house for 3+ days and the level never dips below 80%, what for? If you don't have net-metering or the ability to sell back to the grid, a big system simply extends your payback period without any benefit at all.
Start relatively small with ~3000W in panels all on the optimal side of your roof, a single 6-8 KW battery and a 5-8 KW inverter. This should be sufficient for most 2-5 person households, especially if you do cooking/heating with gas. Run it for a year so you can see the performance over all 4 seasons. Then, expand if you need to e.g. more panels on a different face so you get the rising and falling sun. Add a battery if your battery level is
Some insurance companies are canceling home owners policies that have solar panels installed on their roofs !
General Motors had a Solar Program back in the 70's. My dad was a part of it, and even brought home the injection molded prototypes for testing the shrinkage of the cured plastic against the tempered glass panels that would often explode if the plastic shrank too much.
Fun times. Solar could have been far more mainstream had GM stayed with it, but they gave it up in '79, and my dad was devastated. He retired soon after.
thanks for sharing
yea I never knew!
pink energy? sounds like some woke feminist crap
Old LCD screens = Photovoltaic Devices...if it can emit energy it can pick up energy..
No matter the medium of energy Transformation..
Light Emitting Diodes can Gather Sunlight..4k television makes far More Efficient method for collection and chemical reaction for Eddy Current Production...
@Jasen Vernor Arco did as well. I think they saw it as a threat, and later decided it wouldn't take over the energy market.
As someone who works in solar in NY, I've never heard of a company being so incompetent as to not get the basic paper work and permitting done. That being said NY also has a completely different way you can purchase solar without having to spend 100k on panels and the system. I keep in touch with my customers here in NY especially those in my town and have yet to hear a story like this.
I worked as a licensed electrician in Massachusetts and worked in NY as well for almost 20 years.
New Yorks electrical inspection system and licensure requirements are a joke, literally a joke in surrounding states haha
@@joeisslow1638 what does this have to do with the comment???
@@joeisslow1638 what point were you trying to make?
@@joeisslow1638 yeah. All are joke as long as it earn money
Solar panels are a scam because you still have to connect to the power company .when you say solar panels I’m thinking of no more electricity bill I’m thinking the solar panel is doing what a solar charger would do when you charge your phone ..why would I want to pay $30,000 for solar panels when I still have to pay for electricity I’m better off just giving the $30,000 in advance to the electric company and not have to worry about the electricity bill for awhile .
They need to be punished since they lied through our eyes.
You have to ask the right questions and get those answers in writing. My experience is that the utility company will pay you less for the KWh’s sold back to the grid than what they charge you when you are receiving power from the grid and they also charge you fixed and variable costs for the use of their power lines, just the same as they charge you fixed and variable costs for the use of their lines to deliver electricity to your home. In my case, using my actual fixed contract cost of electricity, the installation of solar panels would have taken 35 years to pay back and the life of the panels was 25 years with 2-3% degradation per year. No economics in that deal so I said no.
I love how the company threw their employees under the bus for "failing to follow their sales ethics policies".
Those companies know exactly why they have such written policies... Because they tell their employees and customers about their "very ethical" policies, but then word of mouth within the company will contradict everything those policies say to maximize their sales.
Commission sales.
Policies😅😂 . The only paper between the employee and company is probably just a w9.
@@chind0na just because the employee hasn't seen or been shown every "company policy" doesn't mean they don't exist...
FFS... The only manufacturing plant I've ever worked at where management made a special point to not let anyone into the plant area without safety glasses and steel toe boots was at Caterpillar... Everywhere else they just throw up the "safety glasses required beyond this point" sign and then safety be damned if anyone actually followed that. It was merely a "CYA" for if OSHA showed up.
I was literally fired from a T-Mobile 3rd party in Vegas because of my managers ego I literally made our presidents club which is all of the top sales reps in the company and my manager told me to do fraud on this one guys account cause he said we need the lines his exact words and I straight up tell him no and report it and not even 2 weeks later I’m out of a job so yes sales can be shady but now I sell solar and I do it in Nevada where in a all honesty rates are going up dramatically Nevada energy sends out notices of increases like crazy even during the pandemic so I like what I do now and I promise I have not and will not deceive a customer and with the right company Solar is a great thing but a lot of these smaller solar companies give it a horrible rep
And that's what "the dark side of solar" is all about: bad installation companies with lying salesmen , not solar energy.
Pretty sad but expected misinfo from Fox.
I am a Solar Salesman in Los Angeles and I can say that everything about this video is what annoys me the most about this industry.
A few points to make.
1: Solar is absolutely legit when done correctly. Solar is simply math and science.
2: I absolutely hate companies like the one featured in this video. They are the reason some people have a negative perception toward Solar. They are overcharging people for their systems, and on top of that lying to homeowners about the amount of kWh their systems will produce. They prey on the ignorance of people and take advantage. Having said that, this brings me to my third point…
3: Ignorant homeowners who don’t do their due diligence as a BUYER are unfortunately adding to the problem as well. Like I said, Solar is simply math and science. A typical residential solar power system usually costs between $20,000-$80,000 depending on the system size. As a homeowner you should be doing adequate research so you have an understanding of how solar power systems work. You should then gather your own kWh you have used over the last full year by looking at your bills or calling your utility company so you know how much electricity you need.
When buying a solar system, you should always be looking to get a system that will produce about 15% more annual kWh then what your current usage levels are. 115% offset. By having that extra 15% you are able to collect a 1:1 credit for any excess energy produced by your system. Then at night while your system isn’t producing power but you are still using electricity, you won’t be charged by the utility company because you will be using your credits. This makes it so you won’t get a true up bill at the end of the year.
As a homeowner you should also research the equipment the company is going to provide you with. Make sure the wattage of the panels is up to par with the current industry standard. As of now 400 watt panels are what you should be looking for.
Research the inverter as well. There are also micro-inverters. Make sure you know and understand what they do.
Find a company that will put a system kWh production guarantee in their contract as well.
4: Find a company that does not sub contract out. Look for a company that does everything in house. Also make sure that whoever your salesman is will continue to be your point of contact even after the contract is signed, so if any problems arise you always have someone who you can contact to get it taken care of.
Happy to answer any questions anyone has.
Yes yes and yes!! 99% of the Americans don't do their own due diligence especially after covid...
Do you need 2 meters?
I have done solar off grid, and have found that your average electrician doesn't know enough about power formulas to set up such a system. So your friend who works as an electrician might not be the one to go too. In my opinion the best way to go is like Fox describes, and that is with a power sell back system from an expert.
How does it feel to sell snake oil?
@@lesliesavage9229 Never liked "sell back grid tie" systems because they basically put you at the mercy of the Utility company and what they are willing to "buy" your excess solar for. Plus you lose the Main advantage of a solar system, when the grid goes down, you go down too. Off grid with a battery and a grid tie in is a better setup in my opinion because You get to use what you produce from the Panels or the Battery, but if your need exceed those two sources, you get to pull from the grid as needed. No feeding back to the grid, no lock ins and the systems are MUCH cheaper to setup.
@@mattnewrocki4943 Solar is not snake oil. It's only suckers who buy systems they don't understand from companies with terrible reputations.
I was quoted 50,000 for a system that would reduce my electric bill to $0, basically I would have replaced my electric bill for a solar system payment! I asked my realtor how much my home value would go up she said it would only go up about $8,000. So the math for me just didn't add up to make it worthwhile.
The problem here was not the solar pannels. The problem was the ones selling them without proper permits to connect them to the powergrid.
And don’t forget that you’ve got to put it on top of a brand new roof because when it comes time to get a new roof (like some insurance companies may require), you’ll be paying extra to have the solar panels removed while the roof is replaced. Don’t forget to ask solar panel companies about this when shopping!
Let alone if they cause a leak when installing. Chances are the solar panels would void your roof warranty.
Depends on the company, many will take them down as part of the contract.
You don't have to put them on a brand new roof. Anything less than 15 years or so is fine. Your roof will last longer once the panels are on, since the roof will be shielded from the elements more.
Absolutly... roofers dont care about your solar..
@@petero2693 They should.
It’s a shame that these scammers are using technology that can actually help people lower bills
its a scam when your promised clean affordable energy that you have to obtain building permits just to be installed if it was good for you they dont want it or you would be using TESLA
But it actually didn't, 90K later...
I am building a solar install for around 1,500 which can power my AC. It puts out around 400-500 watts. Setup: Solar charge controller/inverter; 800 watts total solar panels; lithium battery, right now I only have have about 2,500 watt hours though, but the controller switches to grid if needed. I will see how it does during the peak of summer, but I am just so amused by running my AC off the sun.
A man with 1 of the highest IQ testing results known to man invented a tower and multiple other genius inventions to give people of EARTH free electricity to the world through his inventions..... They burned his laboratory and house down after taking what they wanted raped his wife and told him if he valued his life he was to stop trying to give free energy to the world.... Like I said THEY dont want you to have anything GOOD they cant profit off of it.... Why did elon musk use the name TESLA for his company? Maybe to wake people up about what happens to GOOD SCIENTISTS idk 😒
@@jaffrayburk1 The concept is easy if you know how to install it yourself and have an independent system.
For instance, it would work having big enough panels hooked up to a system with regular outlets, running on batteries big enough to hook up a window A/C to. Just plug in the window A/C and it runs off the battery, just you have to check the battery. To me I think a golf cart battery could run a small window unit, but I don't know for how long before it loses it's charge.
Sad that these companies did not represent the experience of many others. We are very pleased with ours and would do it again in a heartbeat.
This is a problem with bad business practices, not solar.
I’ve been a electrician for 25 years. The craftsmanship I’ve seen from these solar companies has been sub par
Would you recommend in investing in your own bought solar pannels with a personally hired contractor/electrician/architect & permits??
Oh it’s ridiculous, a lot of guys out there that think they know what they’re doing
@@ZaafiraSev I'm not an electrical contractor, but I would. I've seen too many people get charged insane amounts for systems. When you can buy panels for $0.55/watt RETAIL, there's absolutely no reason someone should be paying 50-90k for a 10kw grid tie. Absolutely nuts.
I would find contractors to do the mechanical and electrical, buy the parts yourself, and save money. The solar industry has gone from genuine interest in helping people to becoming a scam where they pocket the savings YOU should be getting.
I'm a solar installer/electrician from Socal and I agree. This is the most productive region in the whole US, yet I've seen a wide range of build quality and craftsmanship around here.
The city, county, and state also have a hand in the customers woes. Some are great to work with, others not so much.
These are not "solar companies". These are just regular businesses in america, making money off the simple intellect people. The quality reflects that level of expectation from the buyers.
If the buyers are low level, so is what they receive.
This is actually very important to report on. I had two solar panel companies quote us on solar install for price and capacity. Even when I realized that the math worked out to little to negative benefit, they still tried to sell the system to us. I don’t particularly blame them for it but be VERY aware of anything this expensive.
Solar, even under the best of circumstances, is a shell game. Hydroelectric and nuclear are far less expensive.
@@Anon54387 I would love to have a personal hydroelectric dam and nuclear reactor but it's not available lol
As long as they don't force you to buy.
Don't forget these things wear out and you gotta put in new components periodically.
y dont u blame them for it?
I had an employee that paid about 12k for partial Solar. I asked how much it is saving him and he said like 50-60 dollars a month. Well he was somehow happy but to me his ROI is so far down the line he will never see a return.
Then stop agreeing to loans just do a ppa/ lease no loans involved no liability just a fixed Solar payment.
The only winner with these solar power systems is the solar power installer.
Dont forget the politicians pushing green energy that a lie
@@abnnuzzinicholasclay686 Right
So let me get this straight, telling a customer that they will have no power bill is a fireable offence, but they are going to retrain that salesman instead of firing him? It sounds like they broke their own rules.
It's the Obama Green energy plan ! Be careful what you say they have the Clinton Cartel on Their side ?
Maybe it’s a new rule
@@bpbpbpbpbpbp or they're corrupt assclowns
@@bpbpbpbpbpbp I would think if it's a new rule the news might have mentioned it.
A fireable offense means it is something they can fire you for not that firing is manditory! If that salesman is maning the company a lot of money they aren't going to fire him!
This video doesn't reveal solar itself to have a 'dark side'. This is all about scammers and sleazy companies flogging solar to unsuspecting victims. Solar is great: my wife and I installed solar in our off-grid home ten years ago without any rebates of any kind, all on our own dime. It cost about Can$20,000 at the time. Worth every penny! We're completely independent of the utility company, and when there's a power failure (common around here) our home is the only one with the lights on and two oblivious homeowners inside.
I've had two salesmen come and try to sell me solar power. There are MANY things you need to understand. The first for me was that the electric company in my area doesn't let you use your solar panels to power your house. They put a separate meter on your house and everything the solar panels make goes out onto the grid and they will pay me for it. Everything we use comes in off the grid. So in event the grid goes down, my panels are useless. Another thing is that you have to look very closely at the numbers they are using. They predict ridiculous power costs over the next 20 years...up to something like $1500 per month or more (when my current bill is around $200). But even with their inflated costs, it is 10-15 years before you start breaking even on your investment. And the investment they wanted me to make was going to be over 25 years. I would be paying something like $500/month for 25 years (which was factored in on the break even time). But what I found out when I dug deeper is that the solar panels are only good for about 20-25 years. So I would be continually buying more panels at a similar cost meaning I could be assured of my power bills never going down and always staying high.
I don't have over $1000. In my system that covers all my needs, including LiFep04 storage.
My brother built a very large new home in North Texas about 20 years ago and he installed solar panels on ground level steel structures away from the house so they could optimize the angle and to ensure they never got any shade from the house or landscape. He also installed a wind generator. I asked him once how it was working out long term after they had been in service for over 10 years. He repaired the wind generator a couple of times and replaced it once but overall he was very happy and he figured it payed for itself a couple of times over. The solar on the other hand he didn’t think it was ever going to break even even though he was in an optimal location with no shade and at the optimum angle to the sun. The average homeowner could save more money and greatly reduce the amount of energy they consume by investing in real serious upgrades to their home, substantial insulation and air leakage work, as well as much higher efficiency heating and cooling equipment. Forget about replacement windows unless they need replacement for other reasons, you will never get your money back in energy savings on windows. Keep in mind that almost all builders install the least efficient heating and cooling equipment allowed because it’s also the cheapest.
Ive moved from house to house, townhouse to a 7 bedroom house and I can tell you the building is very sloppy. These construction companies are just trying to get their work done as quickly as as close to regulation as possible, thats if youre lucky. Poorly insulated homes always leak around the window frames and the walls get cold very quick, we spend about 1000$ cad every 2 months on the electric bill due to heating that isnt even working properly because of the poor insulation. We set the thermostat at 25C and but it feels like 15-18C
Solar panels today versus 20 years ago put out a considerably higher amount of electricity. No overtime if he ever decides to replace them at least he already has the infrastructure in place to connect.
thanks for your hidden gem comment. i search for these, the real advice.
I have 2 engineering degrees and was at one time a part owner of an alternative energy company. Kevin Stenger, you are absolutely correct. The average home's envelope is far from optimal, and the owner of a typical home would get a much quicker payback from adding insulation, improving infiltration leaks, installing more efficient equipment, etc. My 2200 sf house has 14" of fiberglass insulation in the attic, very high efficiency heat pump, and strategically situated deciduous trees that reduce my solar exposure during the warmest months. My monthly utility bill for my all-electric house averages no more than $100. The payback for photovoltaic solar will never be feasible for me, unless electric rates quadruple.
@@robevans5222 The tip off is solar sales people can tell me what the payback period is. From what is being posted here, solar never pays for itself. Scam.
Q: how can you tell when a salesperson is lying when they're trying to sell you something expensive?
A: their lips are moving.
thats the kind of quote i got from the youtube solar ads.... $88,000 and the monthly bill still increases 2% a year so in 5-8 years, your solar bill will cost as much as your current bill and after, the bill exponentially increases more than your current bill. sooo you might only reduce the power bill for the first 5-8 years only marginally
No one ever talks about the cost to remove/ reinstall when replacing the roof.
Going off-grid or buying a grid tied system should be a trouble-free experience. Its sad to learn that there are so called "professional" companies charging insane amounts of money and not even providing a fully functioning permitted system. These individuals should be held accountable and loose their license at the city, county, state level. A complaint with the Attorney General, BBB, and others may help. Suing them in court also.
Yep, and they will pop up next county over under another name,,,,sad...
Well Sunrun’s program is fully funded and insured (no leasing) and guarantees to either lower your bill or keep you locked in if you already have a lower bill. And on top of that they’re rates only go as high as 3.5% and never more unlike PG&E which is expected to rise to 25% by next year
So glad I've been researching, and watching programs like this because the salesman showed up 2 weeks ago, and when I asked the question so my power bill will be the same AND I will be paying an additional bill for your equipment for the rest of my life what exactly am I saving...? He said "I'm not here to argue", what kind of answer was that? I didn't even have to tell him to leave he just slinked away from my questions like a rat.
And this is why doing it yourself with a bit of research and study is the ultimate best way to achieve true off grid solar.
Your $300 power bill cuts down.. but your loan is $375/mo for 20 years LMFAO
even at 37K how long is it going to take to pay for itself? big scam
Was very sceptical at first. Then was pleasantly surprised. Hooked up easy. Took two days and wow the temperature change was just awesome. So we ordered again and now the pool stays around 30c.
A key bit of information is NET METERING - repayment for unused solar is ending in many areas because they already have more than enough power during mid day. So it no longer makes sense for power companies in many areas like southern california to give you back power at night if they can't use your mid day power. OK so half the justification for solar is out the window for many solar buyers; they will have to instead go for a battery backed up system that costs a lot more.
I've worked on the roofing industry for several decades. Solar installations on residential properties are an absolute nightmare. Have seen relatively new roofs destroyed during PV installation, forcing the owner to pay for removal of the solar system as well as a new roof. Hire a professional roof consultant/inspector to review the flashing system and inspecting the installation.
good to know, I got a new roof a few years ago and it is working great against rain. would not want it being destroyed by some shady solar company. Not really worth it for me since I don't pay that much in utility to make a 25-30 year solar loan worth it for a $70K solar system. Especially because reimbursement rates have dropped from the utility company here in CA and now no one wants to get solar which makes it harder for the grid to keep up with everyone getting EVs and they tell us not to charge the EVs in the summer lol, and then they have an EV mandate as well.
Best time to get rooftop solar seems to be when you're already having the roof redone (or built for the first time). Saves some money upfront, and if you hire quality installers, they can make sure the roof is set up to properly support the panels, and avoid water intrusion.
A 25 year contract for solar is nuts. I'd never sign anything like that except for a mortgage. I learned a good lesson when a company tried to sell me what they called an energy package (which turned out was basically to add insulation in my attic) which they said would save me $97 a month on gas. When I read the contract I found out that the contract was for 10 years. If I had gone with it, it would have cost me a ton over those 10 years. Much cheaper to have it done and pay the cost right away even if you have to borrow from the bank.
When you sell the home youre still on the hook or theyll take the equity
that is basically the dealers trying to scam people with their "in house financing" much the way a car dealership does. the 25-30 year terms are sold as operating just like a mortgage and is a way to show the payments can be "super low" in reality those long terms accrue crazy amount of interest over the course.
when i went solar i went with the 30 year financing option, because i lacked the funds at that time due to being locked up in some crypto staking. Once that crypto came off hold i put the money toward the loan and transferred the remaining balance to my home equity loan. i would have used my home equity loan to begin with, but it was capped at 10k and my bank had put a freeze on new HELOC loans.
Those prices are absolutely ridiculous are there Rolls Royce systems, if look on the internet at systems, those prices is just theft.
@@Muckin-Fuppet all part of build back better plan
To be fair, not every home owner has between 35 and 65k just sitting around. That said though, you're obviously correct. Going into debt should only ever be an option of last resort - you never know what life might bring.
Speaking from experience as my family was just about ruined during one of the oil crises. Took on debt to open a gas station just before the oil prices sky-rocketed.
There was literally nothing we could do but watch our costs go up every month until we eventually ran out of money to tread water and had to sell.
As this was happening all over the world, gas stations and apparel went for a pittance so we ended up with massive debt and out of house and home.
If we had saved the money instead, at least we would've been left with the building to hold onto and sell during a less disadvantageous time.
I have solar. I pay $5/month to electric company to keep meter on wall and $90/month to rent/lease solar panels. Almost free air conditioning during summer months. For 8 months in a row I had zero electric bill balance. Some years they owe me $$.
They say the life expectancy of a solar system is 25 years. The truth is most will need replacement after 12 years. A 20-to-25-year loan for the system is a financial trap.
This is why I installed my own solar by myself, no middleman lying b.s., no salesman b.s. I know what I put in & what & how it works & safety measures & limits.
Not everyone has that luxury.. but good for you man 👍😊
Fr
@@tr4shy_ch1ld46 I did it for less than $ 1,500 just gotta look around for deals, left over stock (as I did) if you spend the time you will find it, my $1,500 solar setup solar companies will charge you near $10,000 & I make less than 30k a yr I consider myself poor & still managing.
@@sbdr.1241 Sure ya did. $1,500. 🥴😂😂.
$1500? Do you live in an RV?
In Florida, some solar power users did have negative bills... for a while. Then the power company decided that everyone needed to pay a minimum whether they used the power or not.
Yup.
Then upgrade your system with battery banks and remove yourself from the grid.
@@TheSohckid Removing yourself from the grid in Florida is ILLEGAL ! Welcome to the republican south .
@@ComeBackKid1 lol, what does republican have to do with it? Removing yourself from the grid is illegal nearly everywhere.
@@matthewfetke8488 Not true , it's legal in MANY states but some counties/cities have restrictions ( lobbied by the electric companies ) . It's no secret that republicans don't favor going green , think global warming is a hoax & get bought out by oil, electric & coal companies.
Here in Nashville Tn I was quoted $69k for solar. Payment was way higher than my electric bill! But… the kicker was Tri County electric charges us .12 per kWh. They only pay back .04 kWh. Yea… No!!!
$100k for a single home solar system? People are getting ripped big time. Crazy.
I was really close to buying solar one year.Had a contract signed. I crunched the numbers and realized more than 80% of my payments would be going to interest until my tax credit kicked in. Also the interest alone was actually larger than my average bill. The solar company didn't know how to respond to that. Contract cancelled.
I was told, by a solar energy company, that you never recoup the costs, but you'll "feel good about helping to save the planet". Meanwhile, China is opening a new coal fired plant every week!!
In a nutshell, solar is foolishness. It may change, eventually but, for now, you'd be better off burning your cash. At least you could feel the heat for a bit.
If that depends what the energy cost is in your area and solar is already profitable if you integrate it into new build homes in the walls or on the roof youth or on the roof instead of the traditional cladding
What solar company did you get the quote from? You should be able to get a 4.5% loan for solar panels if you're wanting to finance them for 25 years. There is a lender fee though for low finance rates like this. There is also an 8.9% finance option that has no fees or early pay off penalties. Many cash buyers decide to go with that option.
I am curious why you were quoted such a high rate. Did you try getting some competitive bids from other providers? With a fixed finance rate for the term of the loan one should easily be able to come out ahead once inflation rates are factored in. At least that is the case out where I live.
@@LifeInFrame I live in North Central Minnesota, company is Real Solar in Backus,MN. Not many solar companies here.
Don’t blame “Solar Power” for the bad experiences related to these shady companies.. that is just as misleading as these companies were..
The title of this video seems intentionally irresponsible, although the reporting was excellent. However, the cases in this video are not the normal experiences. For example:
A family member of mine has a $12k solar panel system and pays an average of $16 a month in electric. No issues, no scams. Standard 2 bedroom house with electric cooktop.
That woman and man at the start of the news item who work for the two different solar providers look so very similar that they either may be related or could in fact be the same person pre and post gender reassignment. If a person will lie about their gender then lying about solar power is a far more minor act of dishonesty........ just sayin'
Yeah that sounds about right. Although I use even less in a 5 bedroom house, but our house is brick, fully insulated, the floor has 30 cm of insulation, we have heating in the floor, and triple insulated glass. Makes it very low-cost.
That's a tiny house and doesn't change the fact that it's incredibly expensive, not as efficient as they say, and the tech will be obsolete in 10 years, not to mention the efficiency plummets when the sun beats down on it for a few years.
How will solar be obsolete in 10 years? Only reason why solar isn't as popular as it should was Obama agreed to heavily tarrif solar panels as part of a trade agreement with EU to keep Germany happy.
Funny thing... my system works flawlessly here in Brazil. The title is really misleading. The price of the system is quite lower than in USA. Having at least 70% to 80% of savings. Everything legal, linked to the system and, we also have a credit system. When we produce more than we use, credits are generated in 1 to 1 ratio. Great investment!!
Solar has alot of issues, Permits, Insurance upgrade. You need to notify your insurance company for a quote. It can get up to $5,000.00 more per year depending on size of system and Battery storage.
We've had our solar array for 10 years. It paid for itself in 4 years. We only paid $17000 for the solar array and $3000 for two Powerwalls.
This is the type of journalism I like to see. Real reporters getting real answers to real problems.
That woman and man at the start of the news item who work for the two different solar providers look so very similar that they either may be related or could in fact be the same person pre and post gender reassignment. If a person will lie about their gender then lying about solar power is a far more minor act of dishonesty........ just sayin'
@@harryricochet8134 I was going to respond with something along the lines of "how do you get lying transgenders from a story about solar panels?" But I decided to rewatch that section and I'm glad I did. You definitely had me in the first half, not gonna lie. Well played! Lol
At the most, Solar panels = 30 years of electricity prices, but all paid for at once.