Maximize Your Home's Energy with Our High Performance Solar Panels For Homes

While the environmental benefits of solar panels are universal, the financial benefits depend largely on your location. Homeowners living in states with net metering programs, attractive solar credits, or high utility costs are best positioned to save money with solar.

For this reason, our solar purchase, lease, and PPA options are only available in select states, and offerings vary by state. Contact a Solar Advisor to find out which options are available in your area.

At Guardian, we start each project with a solar savings forecast. If your roof is highly shaded, or you live in an area with low electricity rates, your forecasted saving may be low (or even negative), in which case we don’t recommend solar installation. If, however, your home shows a positive savings forecast, you may have multiple options to choose from based on your location and financial goals. To find the option that best aligns with your short- and long-term goals, we’ll start with a short series of questions.

• To gauge your potential savings, we might ask: Where do you live? How much do you spend on electricity now? Do you foresee any big changes in your energy consumption? How much money would you like to invest? What’s your credit score?
• To better understand your priorities, we might ask: How long do you plan to live in this home? If you’re considering a loan, how quickly do you intend to pay it off? Are you interested in solar lease and PPA buyout options? Are you more focused on monthly savings or long-term savings? Are you looking to increase your equity or home value?

We can then map your monthly and 25-year savings by system size and solar purchase, lease, or PPA options. Note: Solar options vary by state.

As a general rule, homeowners with high electricity rates have a greater opportunity to save money with solar. This is because every kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity that is produced by your panels and used in your home offsets your grid electricity consumption by the same amount. The higher the cost per kWh, the more you’re positioned to save.

In areas with time-of-use rates, the cost of electricity is structured to increase during peak usage hours and decrease during low usage or off-peak hours. In this case, your savings potential will depend on when you consume electricity relative to both daylight hours (when your solar panels produce energy) and peak rate hours (when rates are the highest).

What about the electricity that is produced by your panels and not used in your home? This electricity flows back to the grid and may earn you credit toward your electricity bill. In areas with net metering or net billing programs, homeowners earn credits for the excess electricity produced. The rate and means by which homeowners are credited varies by utility provider and state. Connect with a Guardian Solar Advisor to learn more about solar rate programs in your area.

If you have cash on hand and want to maximize your potential for monthly and long-term savings, a cash purchase may be the way to go. Beyond the initial purchase costs, there are no monthly payments for the solar system—everything you save on your electricity bill goes directly to you. You also get to avoid loan fees or interest charges, reducing your total cost of investment.

But, sometimes short-term liquidity is preferred over long-term savings. If you’re looking to invest but prefer flexibility or cash liquidity, your credit score comes into play. Guardian has several loan offerings available, ranging from 7-24 year terms and 4.49-11.99% annual percentage rate (APR). Homeowners with high credit scores are typically eligible for more favorable terms.

If you prefer to avoid the responsibility of solar ownership, you may be eligible for a solar lease or Power Purchase Agreement. As with solar loans, your credit score (and location) will determine your eligibility. But unlike a solar loan, a high credit score does not yield better terms—rates are contingent on system size and location.

Solar tax credits and incentives can significantly reduce your total cost of investment—making solar ownership a more accessible and attractive option for many homeowners. The federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (RCEC), for example, allows eligible homeowners to deduct up to 30% of the cost of their solar panel installation from their federal income tax liability for the year of purchase. However, you must have sufficient tax liability to benefit from the credit. State, municipal, and utility credits may also be available.

Because solar tax credits and exemptions are designed to incentivize the purchase of solar energy systems, homeowners who opt for a solar lease or PPA plans (both considered “third-party ownership” plans) are not eligible for these incentives. However, your solar provider (the owner) may be eligible for tax credits and incentives and can choose to leverage these savings to offer low-cost PPA and lease plans, like we do here at Guardian.

Learn more about Solar Credits and Incentives, including eligibility and application requirements, in our Support Center.

The performance of any solar energy system is dependent on your roof and location. Weather, temperature, daily sunlight, roof pitch, roof orientation, shading, and a host of other factors impact solar performance.

At Guardian, we use proprietary data and mapping software to calculate the solar potential of every square meter of your roof across every hour of the year. We know precisely where to place each panel and how much energy each panel can produce.

But how many panels do you need? To maximize your savings, we’ll look at your electricity consumption and rates relative to your solar costs and potential. In many cases, the system size best suited to maximize your savings will vary across solar lease and purchase offerings. Our solar advisors can help you weigh the options to determine which is right for you.

Most solar homeowners experience seasonal variations in solar performance due to changes in daylight, temperature, cloud cover, snowfall, weather, etc. Across the U.S., solar performance tends to be highest in the summer and lowest in the winter.

If you’re looking to buy a solar energy system, rest assured! Guardian factors these variations into your custom solar design and solar savings forecast. If, however, you’re interested in a solar lease or PPA, there’s more to consider. Homeowners living in areas with significant seasonal variations may want to go with a solar PPA, rather than a solar lease, as PPA payments are based on how much energy the solar system produces and thus emulate variations in seasonal performance.

Whether you buy or lease your panels, Guardian has options available to simplify a transfer should you choose to sell your home.

• For homeowners who purchase their system: Solar-powered homes have been shown to stand out, sell faster, and earn more on the national real estate market. While you may have the option to transfer your solar loan to a new homeowner, it’s often easier to include the solar panels in the price of your home and apply any proceeds from the sale towards the remaining balance on your loan.
• For homeowners who enter a solar lease or PPA: Guardian makes it easy to transfer your contract to a new homeowner. After five years, you’ll also have the option to buy out your solar energy system and roll some or all of the purchase costs into the sale price of your home.

Learn more about Selling a House with Solar Panels (Guide).

Generally speaking, the longer you own or lease a solar energy system, the greater your return on investment. However, solar panels may yield a positive return on investment even with a near-term sale. Here are some factors to consider.

• Homeowners looking to sell in the next few years may want to avoid a solar lease or PPA as it may be challenging in some markets to find a buyer willing to take on the remainder of your contract.
• Those looking to purchase a solar energy system may want to pay cash or choose a short-term loan with a high annual percentage rate (APR) to reduce total purchase costs and accelerate their return on investment.

To determine how a future sale might impact your return on investment, you’ll need to assess the total profits and costs of your solar energy system at the time of sale.

• Profits include total electricity savings to date; solar credits or incentives earned; and any increase in home value or sales price.
• Costs include total cash, loan, lease, or PPA payments to date; and either the remaining balance on your loan or buyout costs for a solar lease or PPA.

Guardian’s Solar Advisors can guide you through solar lease and purchase options to determine which, if any, make the most sense for you.