SOLAR FAQs
1. What are the financial benefits of solar energy?
When you install a solar energy system on your property, you save money on your electricity bills and protect yourself against rising electricity rates in the future. How much you can save depends on the utility rates and solar policies in your area, but going solar is a smart investment regardless of where you live.
*Watch this YouTube video that explains the top 5 reasons to choose solar:
5 Fun Facts About Solar
2. What are the environmental benefits of solar energy?
Solar power, like other renewable energy resources, has many environmental and health benefits. Going solar reduces greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change, and also results in fewer air pollutants like sulfur dioxide and particulate matter, which can cause health problems.
3. What is net metering?
Net metering is the system that utilities use to credit solar energy system owners for the electricity produced by their solar panels. With net metering, you only pay for the electricity that you use beyond what your solar panels can generate. Net metering policies differ from state to state – from Massachusetts to California – so make sure to do your homework ahead of time.
4. How does solar impact property values?
Studies have shown that homes with solar energy systems sell for more than homes without them. However, your property value will only increase if you own, rather than lease, your solar panel system. In most parts of the country, going solar will actually increase your property value more than a kitchen renovation.
5. How do solar photovoltaic (PV) panels work?
Solar panels absorb the sun’s energy throughout the day and convert it into direct current (DC) electricity. Most homes and businesses run on alternating current (AC) electricity, so the DC electricity is then passed through an inverter to convert it to usable AC electricity. At that point, you either use the electricity in your house or send it back to the electric grid.
6. Do solar panels produce power when the sun isn’t shining?
The amount of power your solar energy system can generate is dependent on sunlight. As a result, your solar panels will produce slightly less energy when the weather is cloudy, and no energy at night. However, because of high electricity costs and financial incentives, solar is a smart decision even if you live in a cloudy city.
7. What happens if there is snow on solar panels?
Solar panels convert sunshine into power, so if your panels are covered in snow they can’t produce electricity. Snow generally isn’t heavy enough to cause structural issues with your panels, and since most panels are tilted at an angle the snow will slide off. If snow does accumulate, your panels are easy to clean.
8. Can I go off grid with solar panels?
When you install solar panels on your property, you will still be connected to the grid. This allows you to draw from the grid when your system is not producing all of the power that you need, and send power back to the grid when you produce more than you use. It is possible to go off the grid with a solar energy system that includes battery storage, but it will cost significantly more and is unnecessary for the majority of homeowners.
9. Will I still receive an electric bill if I have solar panels?
Unless your solar energy system includes battery storage and you are fully off the grid, you will still receive a bill from your utility. However, you can dramatically reduce your bill, or even cut the amount you owe to $0, with a solar panel system that matches your energy use.
10. Do solar panels work in a blackout?
If your solar panel system is connected to the grid, it will shut off in the event of a black- out. This is to prevent emergency responders and electricity utility repair people from being injured by your panels sending power back to the grid. However, there are certain inverters you can buy that provide backup power in a blackout when paired with a battery.
11. How much will solar panel maintenance cost?
Solar panel systems are made of durable tempered glass and require little to no mainte- nance for the 25 to 35 years that they will generate power. In most cases, you don’t even need to clean your solar panels regularly. If something does happen, most equipment manufacturers include warranties, although warranty terms depend on the company.
12. What solar energy rebates and incentives are available?
Solar rebates and incentives vary depending on where you live. The most significant is the 26 percent federal investment tax credit (ITC), which allows you to deduct 26 percent of the cost of your solar energy system from your taxes. Some states offer additional tax credits, and certain municipalities and utilities also offer cash rebates or other incentives.
13. Do I need to replace my roof before installing solar?
Solar energy systems can last for 25 to 35 years, and it can be costly to remove and rein- stall them if you need to replace your roof. If your roof needs maintenance in the near term, you should complete it before you finish your solar installation.
14. How long will my solar power system last?
In general, solar panels are very durable and capable of withstanding snow, wind, and hail. The various components of your solar power system will need to be replaced at different times, but your system should continue to generate electricity for 25 to 35 years.
15. What happens if I sell my solar house?
If you own your solar energy system, your solar house will sell at a premium: studies have shown that solar increases property values. However, if you lease your system, that is not the case. You need to either buy out your lease before you sell your home, or work with your leasing company to transfer the lease agreement to the home’s new owner.
16. What are the different types of power inverters?
Power inverters convert the electricity your panels produce from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) power. There are three types of inverters: string/centralized inverters, micro inverters, and power optimizers.
17. Should I ask for a solar monitoring system for my solar panels?
If you are interested in receiving detailed information about how much energy your solar panel system is producing, ask your installer about solar monitoring system options.
18. Do I need to install solar batteries with my solar power system?
Solar power systems that include solar batteries, known as solar-plus-storage, are increasingly popular, but can be pricey. Luckily, batteries are not necessary for most solar homeowners. As long as you are connected to the grid, your system does not need a battery: excess power goes back into the grid, and you can draw from the grid if you need more electricity than your panels can generate.
LED FAQs
1. What does LED stand for and what are they?
Light Emitting Diodes, regularly called LEDs, are genuine unsung heroes in the today’s world. They do many distinctive jobs and are found in all different types of gadgets. In addition to everything else, they form numbers on digital clocks, transmit data from remote controls, light up watches and indicate when devices are turned on. Grouped together, they can form pictures on a large flat TV screen or light up an entire area while replacing traditional filament lights.
Essentially, LEDs are simply small lights that fit effortlessly into an electrical circuit. How- ever, unlike common incandescent bulbs, they don’t have a filament that will wear out, and they don’t get hot to the touch. They are lit up only by the movement of electrons in a semiconductor material, and they keep going as long as a standard transistor. The lifespan of a LED surpasses the short life of an incandescent bulb by thousands of hours.
2. Why is LED Lighting the next generation of lighting?
LED lights are the next generation of lighting that save energy, reduce maintenance and replacement costs, and help protect the environment. They also last much longer than traditional lighting.
3. What type of light quality can I expect with LED lights?
LED lights can match your existing lighting in terms of brightness and color. But, as with any product, there can be poor quality and high quality LED lights. You may have had experience with poor quality products that do not match existing lighting. Stellar Energy Systems will help you select the correct fixture to replace your existing lighting in terms of brightness and color temperature.
4. How energy efficient are LED lights?
LED lighting can save up to 90% of the electricity used by incandescent and halogen lights and up to 50% of electricity used by fluorescent lights.
5. Where are LED lights being used?
LED lights are being used where the lighting is on for a long periods of time such as hotels, restaurants, shops, factories, auto dealerships, and outdoor lighting.
6. Is LED lighting better than incandescent or halogen lighting?
Around 80-90% of the energy emitted from incandescent bulbs is converted to heat instead of light. LED lighting is about 85% more efficient than incandescent lights and hence do not need as much energy to product the same amount of light. LED lights are also designed to last about 50 times longer than incandescent lighting.
7. What is the best choice: LED, fluorescent or CFL?
Unlike LED lights, most fluorescent lights and compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) harbor hazardous materials, such as mercury. This requires careful and proper disposal, ensuring that they do not contaminate landfill sites. As most cannot be dimmed, fluorescent lights may suffer from flickering. Unfortunately, people can be sensitive to this effect – resulting in eye strain, migraines, and other headaches. LED lights, like those from Encore LED, utilize solid-state technology enabling stable dimming with no flickering. Fluorescent lights may take noticeable time to reach optimum brightness, a problem that is com- pounded in cold conditions. LED lights are instant-on in any environment – even inside cold rooms and freezers.
8. How long can LED lights last?
Good quality LED lights can have a lifetime of 50,000 hours or more with the average of 35,000 hours. This all depends on the design and how they dissipate heat from the LED chip. Depending on how many hours they are used a day, Encore LED lights can last as long as 20 years. Unlike other lighting products LED lights do not completely fail – they get dimmer. At 50,000 hours of use (or their rated life time), an LED light will be designed to provide at least 70% of its initial light output (LOR). The lifetime is dependent on many different factors including fixture design, LED chip type, ambient temperatures, and fixture design. Actual life of an LED is complicated to calculate and should be based on LM-80 measurements (calculated by independent testing labs) of the LED sources. Well-designed LSI Industries LED lights get the optimum balance between light output and longevity.
9. Aren’t LED lights too expensive?
The upfront cost of LED lights is higher than conventional lights but they save a lot of money over time from reduced energy usage, low replacement and maintenance costs. But how do you define expensive? Is it the up-front cost or is it the running cost of the light over time or the cost to change the light once it has failed? If it is a new building, installing LED lighting is sometimes the same cost as traditional technology which means you will start to save from the very beginning.
10. Figures released by the U.S. Department of Energy lighting on a large scale by 2025 will:
estimate that embracing LED
- Result in a 62% reduction in energy usage
- Result in 258 million metric tons of carbon wiped out
- Greatly reduce the amount of materials being put into landfills • No need to build 133 new power plants
- Overall, it would save the U.S. $280 billion
BI-POLAR IONIZATION FAQs
1. What is Bi-polar Ionization?
Bi-polar ionization (also called needlepoint bipolar ionization) is a technology that can be used in HVAC systems or portable air cleaners to generate positively- and negatively-charged particles.
2. Does humidity effect ionization output?
Yes. Moisture-laden air will yield a 15-20% lower ionization output than dry air.
3. Does the ionization system increase the oxygen content in the air?
No. The technology increases the number of oxygen ions, not the number of oxygen molecules. It revitalizes stable oxygen molecules into unstable oxygen ions. To become stable again, unstable ions react with pollutants by trading electrons which neutralizes the pollutant in the process.
4. Will I still need to replace filters in my HVAC system?
Yes. Air Ionization equipment does not contain filters and therefore does not trap particles. The technology works by causing even fine airborne particles to cluster together and become larger, making it easier for low-grade filters to capture them. For this reason, your filters may need to be replaced more often than in the past.
5. Does a UV Light in the system provide enough for air purification?
No. UV lights are only effective on a handful of contaminants and these contaminants have to pass through the light field for a period long enough to be effective. Also, UV lights don’t treat any of the air in the occupied space, nor are they effective on odors or VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds – which are common ground-water contaminants). It requires that air to be returned by the air conditioning system.