GOAT is an understatement. Cheers for speaking the truth about the good and not-so-good. I went on the Solar journey with multiple installers and almost locked in with a company with financing and cash options. Financing- no money out of pocket, they keep your tax incentives, and each year, the loan increases by 3% until paid off in 25 years. The math for interest alone was staggering. Then, they could not tell me the long projections for credits to the grid here in Maine.. The cash option was a much better deal. However, materials vs. labor were about 30% material to 70% labor. If I had that ratio a year ago doing contractor work- I would be a multi-millionaire. Many thanks!!
Brandan, well done video! My same thoughts I've been having for some time now. I do feel the issue with poor craftsmanship and installers are in the more saturated areas of the country. But the idea of shady salespeople, misunderstood loans, and false warranties is SPOT ON! I met with a gentleman earlier this year on farm who called us because he was "still getting an electric bill" and wanted to make sure his solar was working (PV install was less than several months old). I investigated - in fact, was working...poorly installed...never set the customer up for monitoring...etc. He stated the company told him the PV system would pay for itself in 2 YEARS! It was a complete lie to the customer. And now they wont answer any of his calls. Its a shame Anyways, keep up the good work. Lets bring this more to light for everyone 🤙
Thank your for taking the time to comment and support the video. That a perfect example about the farmer being screwed over and the sales org miss represented the product. Wish I could find a way to help fix installs like that.
No training and revolving door employee policy is super common in construction too, it's not limited to just solar. There are lots of bad players. I've never dealt with a company that offered a warranty that actually survived to honor that warranty. Whether they evaded taxes and fled the country, went to jail, were shut down by force because they ignored all safety regulations, I've heard it all. They just don't survive. I always assume now there is zero warranty and might as well go used and save a bunch of money. Like the old joke goes, "How long is the warranty?", "Until I close my tailgate."
You couldn't be more correct on the loan portion. Unfortunately, we have an ongoing problem where the Loan Company leave's it up to the Sales Organization to properly train their "representatives" on the details of financing. Often, these sales reps are offered "commission only" positions which leads to young and inexperienced sales reps who NEED TO SELL a deal to pay their bills... And the sales organization who hires them turns the blind eye because they want the profits $$. Ethics will always be a HUMAN problem and WILL EXIST in every industry but I think the problem in the solar industry could be massively helped by Sales Organizations having strict hiring policies, proper education (like real estate agents) and of course, direct education to home-owner's on how to protect themselves and what to watch out for (like what you're doing). Thank you, my friend!
You got scammed. I have 4 solar generator hooked to my house. I keep 100 percent of my power. And have back up power when the grid is down. Only spend 3k with panels.
Good intro summary. In Oz the solar credit started at 69c/kW to incentivise homes having power. That rate dropped to 25c/kW when I got in & is now at 5c/kW. They are now talking about charging consumers for taking there solar power as the grid infrastructure cannot cope, so they need to upgrade services apparently. Funny how if you buy your solar installation thru them they offer 10c/kW but they haven't done any upgrades. Quality of solar panels should be addressed as what might be rejected in 1 country is acceptable in another. The Govt push on electricity generation has caused a feeding frenzy by cowboys who will do systems 1-2yrs then close doors. The next week they open as a new co. avoiding warranty claims & milk the system all over again.
I've been an installer for 8 plus years. I mostly agree with you. The problems you are outlining mostly come back to a lack of integrity with salespeople and contract decision makers. I know hundreds of installers, electricians, and salespeople in the industry that have integrity and work to fight the bad actors. The title makes me feel like you are saying it's all bad all across the board. It's not until I get to the end of the video that I feel like you are advocating for PV or PV professionals.
I believe you, the unfortunate issue is the bad actors outnumber the the good ones. I deal with customers on a daily basis and it’s overwhelmingly negative. The few customers that love their solar have major systems with batteries and pay zero to the utility company. These customers are usually very rich! I hope someday it’s so affordable that many people can use solar.
Was on the sales side a long time. A lot of straight up con artist on that side of the business. Trained or team to tell homeowners no sonetimes. But a lot of guys took horrible roofs and made the designs "effecienct". On the supply side now. Not near as many issues there.
Thank you for your comment and feelings on my video. I’ll clarify with a latter video. Just trying to bring awareness to the industry because you and your colleges are just some of the few from my perspective of servicing 1000s of sites in my area.
I have always known that, for any upcoming and new technology or consumer utility system, there exist a transition time-span for problems to arise and another timespan for theindustry to work out on resolves. In that meantime while the industry is trying to sell their products and services for a profit (to further R&D and resolve the unknown problems or difficulties that may arise sine it is a new technology), the early adopters need to have an understanding that they are going to be lab mice to a certain percentage in the development and refining of the particular industry, so be prepared to get abused or capitalised on. Which is why I absolutely advocate for adoption of new technology, but this must be confined to those who can afford the money, who wouldn't have qualms about being 'scammed' (if we prefer to use that word). Even old technology and systems that have existed 100 years or so, still have their unsolveable problems, how else can you expect from unproven technology?
And the answer is: Dynamic energy tarifs! trading on a day ahead market with your solar connected batteries... (this is somehow somewhat developing in Europe)
How to get them back if you have all of that solar and not ripped off. Never feed you solar back into the system. Just use it and not the grid power. They forced us into LED lights. Many light designs are USB. That light up whole rooms. Refrigerator. 100 watts. Easily used on solar. TVs and devices. Easily run on just solar. They demand battery only tools. Easily charged on solar. Leaves cooking and hot water. On demand hot water tank. Campers, etc. Have ones that are a 12v system. AC and heat. Run on solar. Vacuum. Battery. Charged on solar. You only need the grid on cloudy days or high snow amounts. Use it. Shut off grid power. Use only the grid in an emergency. That's how you get them back and cut cost. You already have the equipment. Use it. Batteries today. Last over 10 years. In reality. We really don't need the grid. EVs can be charged by solar. All of your yard equipment. Charged by solar. The equipment they teach you to buy. Steals from you. Watts and amps. Each piece of equipment takes watts and amps to use. All you need is. Solar panels. Solar charge connector. Batteries. Converter. Simple mid grade products. My main power converter. Around $300. It is 5,000 watts. At 500 amps. That's at the main outlet. It has 4 separate plugins. 1,500 watts each. Out now. 300ah batteries. Lithium phosphate. Around $650. Not 3 different batteries. Only one. All you need is 4 of them. 3x4=12. 12 100ah batteries or 4 300ah batteries. If you watch what you buy. You do not need grid power today. Buy one battery a month. 4 months. Goodbye grid power unless an emergency. Like. No sunlight. Power outages. Who cares. Stop buying all of that extra solar equipment you don't need and steals from you. Watts and amps. Start charging everything on solar. 100-watt panel. A simple 100-watt solar connector. A 100ah Lithium phosphate batter. A 2,500 sign wave power converter. Charges all batteries. All devices. That would cost you how much to take care of your yard. Alone. Gas and oil, etc. Then. You have to travel to get them. Costing you even more money. I can do anything in my yard. For nothing. By charging my batteries by solar. Plus. The equipment is quiet. I can do my yard at 2am and no neighbors know. By rechargeable lights and solar lights. What is on the market today. We don't need the grid. Not for our homes and properties. Just keep it all simple. It doesn't take all of the equipment they say you need to run solar. All of that extra equipment is a lie. Panel, solar controller, battery, and converter. Majority of devices charge on 12v. Devices 12v. Get LED lights that are 12v. 12v first. 12v fuse box and a 110v fuse box. You need 220v. Run that off the grid. Stove and dryer.
Great video. I would love to talk with you sometime. I am on the board of directors of a coop in southern Nevada. Our old net metering policy was not sustainable. I would like to do things to help keep residential solar viable.
Here in Maine the power company (there's only 1) charges to distribution fee to you to sell power back to them. We pay about $0.30 per kWh. That's why I'm not grid-tied
So funny I knew all of this back in the day , I was talking to my wife's cousin years ago.he worked for a big company in New Hampshire, he worked on the design side ,I told him I thought it was a scam, he said to me ,do you see solar on my house ? To many scumbags out there
I work for one of large solar company now as installater every week we have meeting the manager only talk about how many KW we done not quality the job we done 😂😂😂😂
its crazy where people can be getting scammed into loans that dont print money in a world of wholesale prices of $0.30/watt, 60$/kwh, and 300$ inverters, all of which pay for themselves after 2-3 years, while electricity prices keep going up. bad sales reps, microinverters, unservicible installs, shady companies, sub sub sub contractors who dont even know who you are. idk i think gov money made a lot of the problems worse. if you just go diy ground mount and run it into a separate system and charge an ev, you will save 80% of any solution someone would sell you
30% Credit, You can Claim anything related to installing solar. You also have 5 years to keep claiming the credit tell there is not a credit or the 5yrs Is up. I did a self Install in Ca 12.3k no battery, No electric bill from PGE, Under Nem 2.0. 3.0 sucks for new people who want solar. don't fall for the battery install trick that the sales guy tells you. System cost for ROI should only be 5-7 yrs of your yearly Electric bill.
Don't take tax advice on youtube friends. The 30% credit is only available if you pay for it in full which few people can afford to do when we're talking solar installations. The tax credit does not apply to financing, and most of the other programs they try to sell you are long gone. Lying sales reps trying to get your money.
I have 4 solar generator (ecoflow) with panels. Which you can hooked it up to your house. I keep 100 percent of power. Spent less then 3k. Be smart people and don't get scamed.
I got solar, i got screwed by Florida Power and Light changing their Net Metering, i got screwed by Generac, my advise…don’t get anything Generac or Tesla.
Those are scams also. You don't keep your power but get sent to your neighbors by the power companies. I have 4 ecoflow solar generator. I keep 100 percent of my solar power and have back up power power when the grid is down.
The manufacturer warranties are not fake. You've clearly not read through or filed claims on large systems. Now whether or not the manufactures are legit is another discussion. Prime example is SunPower which had and honored a good warranty program, but kept white-labeling shit products and ran themselves into the ground with a litany of bad practices which lead to in part an overload of claims.
They’re not fake, until you go to make a claim and the company does not exist anymore. There are so many of these new companies making big warranty promises just to compete and sell product, I bet half of them won’t be around in 10 years.
The irony that the bad products create claims and drive the manufacture out of business and start denying claims. I know fake warranties a little bit harsh. But at the same time, good luck getting a warranty.
Well, home owners should stop being ignorant and do their homework. Once the government get involved, there is corruption everywhere. Get educated on solar and do as much of the purchasing that you can yourself. Hire someone that is an honest electrical contractor/solar company that does not try to make its normal margins that they would get by adding to the components of the system. Also, if you have to finance it, then stop. It probably won't be worth it for you. Take that money and invest it elsewhere to offset your electric bill.
Blaming the homeowner? Expected arrogance. Now go and make the world a better place by educating them. Or don't and ride your high horse off the nearest cliff.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
THANK YOU for taking the time to go over all these issues and keeping everyone informed. This is an amazing video!! Great channel.
GOAT is an understatement. Cheers for speaking the truth about the good and not-so-good. I went on the Solar journey with multiple installers and almost locked in with a company with financing and cash options. Financing- no money out of pocket, they keep your tax incentives, and each year, the loan increases by 3% until paid off in 25 years. The math for interest alone was staggering. Then, they could not tell me the long projections for credits to the grid here in Maine.. The cash option was a much better deal. However, materials vs. labor were about 30% material to 70% labor. If I had that ratio a year ago doing contractor work- I would be a multi-millionaire. Many thanks!!
Brandan, well done video! My same thoughts I've been having for some time now. I do feel the issue with poor craftsmanship and installers are in the more saturated areas of the country. But the idea of shady salespeople, misunderstood loans, and false warranties is SPOT ON! I met with a gentleman earlier this year on farm who called us because he was "still getting an electric bill" and wanted to make sure his solar was working (PV install was less than several months old). I investigated - in fact, was working...poorly installed...never set the customer up for monitoring...etc. He stated the company told him the PV system would pay for itself in 2 YEARS! It was a complete lie to the customer. And now they wont answer any of his calls. Its a shame
Anyways, keep up the good work. Lets bring this more to light for everyone 🤙
Thank your for taking the time to comment and support the video. That a perfect example about the farmer being screwed over and the sales org miss represented the product. Wish I could find a way to help fix installs like that.
I appreciate your informative videos and the useful information you share.
Thank you for the support on my channel! 🙏
No training and revolving door employee policy is super common in construction too, it's not limited to just solar. There are lots of bad players. I've never dealt with a company that offered a warranty that actually survived to honor that warranty. Whether they evaded taxes and fled the country, went to jail, were shut down by force because they ignored all safety regulations, I've heard it all. They just don't survive. I always assume now there is zero warranty and might as well go used and save a bunch of money. Like the old joke goes, "How long is the warranty?", "Until I close my tailgate."
You couldn't be more correct on the loan portion. Unfortunately, we have an ongoing problem where the Loan Company leave's it up to the Sales Organization to properly train their "representatives" on the details of financing. Often, these sales reps are offered "commission only" positions which leads to young and inexperienced sales reps who NEED TO SELL a deal to pay their bills... And the sales organization who hires them turns the blind eye because they want the profits $$.
Ethics will always be a HUMAN problem and WILL EXIST in every industry but I think the problem in the solar industry could be massively helped by Sales Organizations having strict hiring policies, proper education (like real estate agents) and of course, direct education to home-owner's on how to protect themselves and what to watch out for (like what you're doing). Thank you, my friend!
You're not wrong. I've been in the industry since 2010. I love the work and the technology, but the consumer market has been jaded.
Thanks for watching in the comment
I purchased a SunPower system 2 years ago. Well I don't know what will happen from this point on with my system especially with warranty. Yippy for me
On the bright side I’ve seen some really solid sunpower systems out there. Hopefully it lasts you 20 years no problem
You got scammed. I have 4 solar generator hooked to my house. I keep 100 percent of my power. And have back up power when the grid is down. Only spend 3k with panels.
Good intro summary. In Oz the solar credit started at 69c/kW to incentivise homes having power. That rate dropped to 25c/kW when I got in & is now at 5c/kW. They are now talking about charging consumers for taking there solar power as the grid infrastructure cannot cope, so they need to upgrade services apparently. Funny how if you buy your solar installation thru them they offer 10c/kW but they haven't done any upgrades. Quality of solar panels should be addressed as what might be rejected in 1 country is acceptable in another. The Govt push on electricity generation has caused a feeding frenzy by cowboys who will do systems 1-2yrs then close doors. The next week they open as a new co. avoiding warranty claims & milk the system all over again.
1st hand experience.... dude is telling you the reality. And don't even get me started on the batteries.
Thanks for the comment and support.
I can get 4k wh solar generator for 4k
If only there was somewhere that had solar as their signature, like a "Signature Solar."
I've been an installer for 8 plus years. I mostly agree with you. The problems you are outlining mostly come back to a lack of integrity with salespeople and contract decision makers. I know hundreds of installers, electricians, and salespeople in the industry that have integrity and work to fight the bad actors. The title makes me feel like you are saying it's all bad all across the board. It's not until I get to the end of the video that I feel like you are advocating for PV or PV professionals.
I believe you, the unfortunate issue is the bad actors outnumber the the good ones. I deal with customers on a daily basis and it’s overwhelmingly negative. The few customers that love their solar have major systems with batteries and pay zero to the utility company. These customers are usually very rich! I hope someday it’s so affordable that many people can use solar.
Was on the sales side a long time. A lot of straight up con artist on that side of the business. Trained or team to tell homeowners no sonetimes. But a lot of guys took horrible roofs and made the designs "effecienct". On the supply side now. Not near as many issues there.
Thank you for your comment and feelings on my video. I’ll clarify with a latter video. Just trying to bring awareness to the industry because you and your colleges are just some of the few from my perspective of servicing 1000s of sites in my area.
I’d vote for you. Well said sir
More horror stories please, they have the most valuable info.
I have always known that, for any upcoming and new technology or consumer utility system, there exist a transition time-span for problems to arise and another timespan for theindustry to work out on resolves.
In that meantime while the industry is trying to sell their products and services for a profit (to further R&D and resolve the unknown problems or difficulties that may arise sine it is a new technology), the early adopters need to have an understanding that they are going to be lab mice to a certain percentage in the development and refining of the particular industry, so be prepared to get abused or capitalised on.
Which is why I absolutely advocate for adoption of new technology, but this must be confined to those who can afford the money, who wouldn't have qualms about being 'scammed' (if we prefer to use that word).
Even old technology and systems that have existed 100 years or so, still have their unsolveable problems, how else can you expect from unproven technology?
Well said 👏 well said 👏 I appreciate that insite and perspective
And the answer is: Dynamic energy tarifs! trading on a day ahead market with your solar connected batteries... (this is somehow somewhat developing in Europe)
I believe in this for sure the virtual power plant idea right?
How to get them back if you have all of that solar and not ripped off. Never feed you solar back into the system. Just use it and not the grid power. They forced us into LED lights. Many light designs are USB. That light up whole rooms. Refrigerator. 100 watts. Easily used on solar. TVs and devices. Easily run on just solar. They demand battery only tools. Easily charged on solar. Leaves cooking and hot water. On demand hot water tank. Campers, etc. Have ones that are a 12v system. AC and heat. Run on solar. Vacuum. Battery. Charged on solar. You only need the grid on cloudy days or high snow amounts. Use it. Shut off grid power. Use only the grid in an emergency. That's how you get them back and cut cost. You already have the equipment. Use it. Batteries today. Last over 10 years. In reality. We really don't need the grid. EVs can be charged by solar. All of your yard equipment. Charged by solar. The equipment they teach you to buy. Steals from you. Watts and amps. Each piece of equipment takes watts and amps to use. All you need is. Solar panels. Solar charge connector. Batteries. Converter. Simple mid grade products. My main power converter. Around $300. It is 5,000 watts. At 500 amps. That's at the main outlet. It has 4 separate plugins. 1,500 watts each. Out now. 300ah batteries. Lithium phosphate. Around $650. Not 3 different batteries. Only one. All you need is 4 of them. 3x4=12. 12 100ah batteries or 4 300ah batteries. If you watch what you buy. You do not need grid power today. Buy one battery a month. 4 months. Goodbye grid power unless an emergency. Like. No sunlight. Power outages. Who cares. Stop buying all of that extra solar equipment you don't need and steals from you. Watts and amps. Start charging everything on solar. 100-watt panel. A simple 100-watt solar connector. A 100ah Lithium phosphate batter. A 2,500 sign wave power converter. Charges all batteries. All devices. That would cost you how much to take care of your yard. Alone. Gas and oil, etc. Then. You have to travel to get them. Costing you even more money. I can do anything in my yard. For nothing. By charging my batteries by solar. Plus. The equipment is quiet. I can do my yard at 2am and no neighbors know. By rechargeable lights and solar lights. What is on the market today. We don't need the grid. Not for our homes and properties. Just keep it all simple. It doesn't take all of the equipment they say you need to run solar. All of that extra equipment is a lie. Panel, solar controller, battery, and converter. Majority of devices charge on 12v. Devices 12v. Get LED lights that are 12v. 12v first. 12v fuse box and a 110v fuse box. You need 220v. Run that off the grid. Stove and dryer.
Great video. I would love to talk with you sometime. I am on the board of directors of a coop in southern Nevada. Our old net metering policy was not sustainable. I would like to do things to help keep residential solar viable.
Here in Maine the power company (there's only 1) charges to distribution fee to you to sell power back to them. We pay about $0.30 per kWh. That's why I'm not grid-tied
I think the market’s gonna go that direction with the volatile industry that’s clearly created because of the utility companies
So funny I knew all of this back in the day , I was talking to my wife's cousin years ago.he worked for a big company in New Hampshire, he worked on the design side ,I told him I thought it was a scam, he said to me ,do you see solar on my house ? To many scumbags out there
😜 love the comment
I work for one of large solar company now as installater every week we have meeting the manager only talk about how many KW we done not quality the job we done 😂😂😂😂
Thanks, you are right on; looking forward to you coming up to our house , we text you our information.
its crazy where people can be getting scammed into loans that dont print money in a world of wholesale prices of $0.30/watt, 60$/kwh, and 300$ inverters, all of which pay for themselves after 2-3 years, while electricity prices keep going up. bad sales reps, microinverters, unservicible installs, shady companies, sub sub sub contractors who dont even know who you are. idk i think gov money made a lot of the problems worse. if you just go diy ground mount and run it into a separate system and charge an ev, you will save 80% of any solution someone would sell you
Love it. Thanks for the comment and insight
30% Credit, You can Claim anything related to installing solar. You also have 5 years to keep claiming the credit tell there is not a credit or the 5yrs Is up. I did a self Install in Ca 12.3k no battery, No electric bill from PGE, Under Nem 2.0. 3.0 sucks for new people who want solar. don't fall for the battery install trick that the sales guy tells you. System cost for ROI should only be 5-7 yrs of your yearly Electric bill.
Don't take tax advice on youtube friends. The 30% credit is only available if you pay for it in full which few people can afford to do when we're talking solar installations. The tax credit does not apply to financing, and most of the other programs they try to sell you are long gone. Lying sales reps trying to get your money.
Hah, ask about McWire Electric in San Diego area and how they did solar. Crapmanship on install.
Any manufacturer who changes the warranty after the point of agreement deserves to go out of business.
Yeah, my only experience with this was when NA used to pay for labor on their replacements and then stopped doing that.
very informative video, watched the whole thing. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge to us.
I have 4 solar generator (ecoflow) with panels. Which you can hooked it up to your house. I keep 100 percent of power. Spent less then 3k. Be smart people and don't get scamed.
Good stuff dude 👍🏻
Thanks for watching!
Hey your email isn’t working
Text you also
I got solar, i got screwed by Florida Power and Light changing their Net Metering, i got screwed by Generac, my advise…don’t get anything Generac or Tesla.
A bad installer and generap snaprs issues. That bad luck. Sorry to hear that.
Those are scams also. You don't keep your power but get sent to your neighbors by the power companies. I have 4 ecoflow solar generator. I keep 100 percent of my solar power and have back up power power when the grid is down.
Those are scams also. I have 4 ecoflow solar generator. I keep 100 percent of my power and have back up power when the grid is down
The manufacturer warranties are not fake. You've clearly not read through or filed claims on large systems. Now whether or not the manufactures are legit is another discussion. Prime example is SunPower which had and honored a good warranty program, but kept white-labeling shit products and ran themselves into the ground with a litany of bad practices which lead to in part an overload of claims.
They’re not fake, until you go to make a claim and the company does not exist anymore. There are so many of these new companies making big warranty promises just to compete and sell product, I bet half of them won’t be around in 10 years.
The irony that the bad products create claims and drive the manufacture out of business and start denying claims. I know fake warranties a little bit harsh. But at the same time, good luck getting a warranty.
Well, home owners should stop being ignorant and do their homework. Once the government get involved, there is corruption everywhere. Get educated on solar and do as much of the purchasing that you can yourself. Hire someone that is an honest electrical contractor/solar company that does not try to make its normal margins that they would get by adding to the components of the system. Also, if you have to finance it, then stop. It probably won't be worth it for you. Take that money and invest it elsewhere to offset your electric bill.
Blaming the homeowner? Expected arrogance. Now go and make the world a better place by educating them. Or don't and ride your high horse off the nearest cliff.
The tax credit rolls over if not full utilized in the first year. Don't speak on topics you don't know about.
If you pay little to no tax, you won’t get your credit, I think that’s the point he’s getting at.
I’m well aware of that, but the loan requires the deposit to be made on the balloon loan the first year.
You got ripped off