Consumer Reports recently turned its attention to residential solar, delivering a glowing review that solar companies may be keen to share with sales prospects. The magazine discusses issues homeowners should consider when adding solar, including whether it’s better to lease or buy a system and how utilities are “fighting back” against the industry. A shorter section details developments in solar roof tiles and other newer technologies.
Written by Josh Garskof, whose work has also appeared in Money and The New York Times, the section in the August issue of Consumer Reports is largely supportive of solar. “There has probably never been a better time to switch to solar,” Garskof writes. The various pieces within the six-page section are shared as separate stories online. Each is linked below.
Solar contractors may find the issue and these individual articles helpful as they pitch solar to homeowners. Third-party endorsements can be a powerful sales tool, especially when it comes from a entity like Consumer Reports—a well-respected, editorially independent organization founded in 1936.
In the first part of the section, Garskof outlines basic considerations for going solar beyond whether a rooftop receives sunlight, including the cost of electricity and available tax incentives. He offers energysage.com as a resource for determining whether solar can save homeowners money. (Google’s Project Sunroof is another.)
On choosing a solar installer, Garskof wisely tells readers to “always check references, ask to see current job sites, and find out how long the company has been in business.” He also suggests consumers look for installers participating in NABCEP.
One point of contention with Solar Power World’s audience may be Garskof’s inclusion of a quote from a solar-energy expert based in Michigan. Remarking on installation cost, the expert said, “Ignore the pitch; just go for the lowest cost per watt you can get.” That kind of attitude could get a solar consumer shoddy work, unproven equipment and nightmares down the road.
“The real cost of leasing vs. buying”
Garskof states immediately that the best way to purchase a solar system is with cash. “Most systems pay for themselves in five to seven years,” he writes. He then suggests that home equity loans and solar-specific loans are next-best alternatives.
Then he discusses leasing: “The steep up-front costs for a residential solar system can make a leasing company’s sales pitch sound pretty appealing: Pay a little or nothing and save hundreds of dollars per year on average.” But then Garskof warns readers, saying “your savings will be modest,” “you lose control of your roof,” “leases can scare off home buyers” and “service plans don’t serve you.”
“How utilities are fighting back”
This section opens by recalling the Nevada PUC’s decision to let NV Energy apply steep monthly fees to utility customers with solar arrays, while also decreasing the value of their net-energy metering credits. Garskof reiterates familiar utility dogma that increased fees are necessary to pay for transmission costs. He notes, however, that “research shows solar customers have a positive impact on utility finances because they reduce electricity demand and, therefore, the tremendous expense of adding capacity.”
The section concludes without any real answer to the issue, reflecting the current status of the fight. He notes 30 states are considering proposals to increase fixed charges on solar users, which one of his sources says is a “huge tactical mistake” by utilities. “We’re just a few years away from affordable batteries, which—along with a backup generator—will allow existing and new solar customers to disconnect from the grid entirely,” his source says.
“High-tech: Here and on the horizon”
“Love the idea of going solar but hate the look of those shiny black boxes on the roof?” That’s how a small section on solar shingles begins, and it reflects a sentiment expressed by many consumers. The write-up takes an unfortunate turn in the third sentence, when Garskof writes about Dow Powerhouse Solar Systems 2.0. Dow has since left the solar-shingle market, but other companies, like SunTegra, are moving to fill the void. The author also remarks on transparent solar panels and perovskite solar cells.