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We are a small Christian Family owned company right here in Maine. We are not one of the massive panel pushing companies that only care about getting systems up as fast as possible. We know that doing business in a rural area like Maine in the long term requires that we do what is right and take care of our customers. We want to be a strong profitable business but not through shady tactics. I know of a tech that worked for a large nationwide solar company and when he told his boss that they shouldn’t put a system on a roof because it was already in need of repair, his boss told him to “be gentle” and get the system up. That kind of profit driven attitude is not how we do business. We want to be a partner and a guide through the exciting process of taking control of your energy.
While this really depends on the system that is right for you we do have a helpful guide that will give you some ballpark numbers of going solar. (embed the pricing sheet here)
Absolutely! We work with local lenders to get your system financed as well as with the manufacturers. While lending decisions are not our to make, many customers are able to get their system financed with no money down. You may also be able to tap into the equity of your home to finance your solar system depending on your specific situation.
Yes it will. The amount that your bill goes down depends on the size of system you install and how much of your bill you want to offset. During our consultation process we can help you understand how much power you need and what size system is required to generate that power.
Net Metering is an agreement between you and the power company that allows you to provide power to the grid when your system is producing more than your home is using. This basically means that when you produce more electricity than your home needs the power company will issue you credits. When your home uses more electricity than your system is producing the power company will apply your credits to your bill and if you don’t have enough credits, they will bill you as normal for the remainder of. One important note is that the credits expire after a year so there is no benefit to sizing your system much larger than your home needs. We will help you understand your home’s needs and your system requirements during the consultation process.
Yes, and in a big way. In an article from Berkely Labs they report that home buyers are willing to pay, on average, $15,000 more for a home with an average sized host-owned solar system. When coupled with the tax credit this can make a solar system a great value proposition. Click here to read the full article, https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2015/01/13/berkeley-lab-illuminates-price-premiums-u-s-solar-home-sales/
While the state of Maine currently has no offers or rebate programs available, the federal government does offer a large Income Tax Credit. The tax credit is a dollar for dollar credit for 30% of what you spend to install a solar and/or battery system. This credit comes off the amount of income tax you owe before any deductions are applied. The government has extended this credit until 2032.
Yes it does. Obviously we don’t get as much sun as a place like Texas or Arizona. However, we do get enough sun that the average size residential system is able to produce enough power to run an average size home. That’s better than a lot of places and even though we have to deal with the short days of winter, solar panels are actually more efficient when they are cool. We also get great sun throughout late winter, spring and summer.
Well ruin might be a strong word but yes. The bad news is that when your panels are covered in snow they will produce very little or not at all. The good news is that your panels are made to shed snow, much like a metal roof will. The black panels will begin to absorb the sun’s rays as soon as it comes out which will warm them. This warming will cause the snow to start sliding off. It is important that you don’t try to clean the snow off of your panels. This can be very dangerous for you, and has the potential to damage your panels and void your warranty. We also offer systems based on microinverter technology which lets each panel operate as its own individual system. That way as soon as one panel is cleared off it will begin to produce regardless of the condition of the other panels.
South facing is the best way to go but it’s not a must, a system facing southeast or southwest can still be about 90% as efficient as a true south facing solar array.
In a perfect scenario we wouldn’t have any possibility of shade, but we live in the pine tree state so we know that is not an option. This is one of the reasons that doing an in person site visit is so important. Without seeing the exact location of your property it’s impossible to know what kind of impact shading will have. After we do our site survey we will be able to discuss any concerns that we have during the consultation process.
The short answer is no. In general, your solar system must discontinue production during a power outage. This ensures the safety of the lineman who are working to restore power. They expect a deadline to be dead and if your solar array starts feeding power into the grid it could cause a line to be energized unexpectedly. This could be extremely dangerous for the line crews.
However there is a new product from Enphase that makes the answer more of a sort of. With the Enphase Sunlight Backup your solar array can power a small isolated “critical loads” panel when the power goes out. This Critical load panel can power up to 4 circuits with small appliances on them such as internet, refrigerator, lights and fans. This panel has an isolation device to ensure that it can not feed power back into the grid. This feature is dependent on the solar array being able to produce enough power to run the critical loads.
That depends on how much energy you consume, and how much of your electric bill you want to offset. This is where using a customer focused company like us becomes so important. We will take the time to educate you on the pros and cons of a bigger or smaller solar system during the consultation process.
Absolutely! There is no chicken – egg dilemma here you can go Solar first or Generator first. Either one is a great add on to the other.
There are a few considerations when sizing a generator:
- How much power the loads in your home use
- How many of your appliances you want to use during a power outage
- The cost of the generator
We can work with you to do a load analysis and determine what is really important during an outage.
We have a relationship with a licensed gas technician that can hook up your generator for you. Origin Energy LLC does not do this work ourselves or charge you for this service. We simply facilitate things by sharing contact information and work with them to schedule your gas hookup. Payment and charges would be agreed upon between you and the Gas technician. If you already have a relationship with a gas tech or company you are welcome to use them.
No. We will install a smart automatic transfer switch that will sense as soon as the utility power goes out and then start the generator for you.
While there are many factors that determine the cost of a generator and installation, we can give you starting prices for three of the most common generators:
- 14KW = $9,000 + Tax
- 18KW = $10,400 + Tax
- 22KW = $11,500 + Tax
This price includes the ground prep, generator pad, conduit run to the house up to 30’, all wiring connections, and automatic transfer switch. This does not include tax or the gas connections. These prices are for a standard installation and are not a quote. In order to provide a quote we will need to do a site visit and determine the exact scope of the install.
