One of the most common misconceptions when purchasing a solar system is that it’s going to be expensive. In reality, over 96% of our customers experience Zero Out Of Pocket costs. While financing the cost of a system up front is the best way to realize all the savings that solar offers, SUNation offers low and no-interest loans that make going solar one of the most affordable decisions you’ll ever make.

Solar PV (photo-voltaic) systems are designed based on your last twelve months of household electrical usage. If your home has enough roof space for us to install panels that can offset up to 110% of your past year’s electrical consumption, we can completely eliminate your electric bill (with the exception of the $0.36 per day connection charge from PSEG).

The optimal direction that your roof should face is South. However, we can effectively use the East, West and sometimes even the North side of your roof if the pitch allows. More important than your roof’s direction is the amount of shade that your roof might get from trees and other tall obstructions like chimneys.

SUNation is a family-owned and operated solar design and installation company that has helped over 1,800 Long Island homeowners go solar over the past thirteen years. Our customer satisfaction is unsurpassed. We never subcontract, and follow strict design requirements based on local town codes and the utility companies’ requirements.

Do Solar Panels Increase the Value of Your Home?

Yes, but only if you own your solar power system. Many studies show installing an owned solar system on a home increases that home value by between $3 and $4 per watt installed. The same cannot be said for leased systems, however, which may be regarded as legal “encumbrances” that can interfere with the sale of a home.

According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, each additional $1 in energy bill savings from your solar installation adds $20 to your home’s total value. However, it’s important to note that the exact numbers vary from property to property and installation to installation, depending on the following factors:

• The location of your home. Installations in active solar markets tend to yield higher returns than comparable installations in less developed markets. For example, a home in New Jersey would have a higher yield than a home in.
• The size of your installation. Property value increases are directly proportional to the quantity and quality of solar photovoltaic energy (PV) panels installed.
• The value of your home. Larger houses usually receive higher nominal boosts in property value. However, this increase often represents a smaller percentage of the total home value.

Solar Technology & Savings

Solar energy is a modular technology, meaning you can install any number of panels you’d like. Each new kilowatt brings you even bigger electricity bill savings. Countless Americans pay $0 a month to their local utility because of solar energy.

Installing solar panels not only helps you getting a higher asking price, but it can also help your home sell 20% faster than properties without solar installations.

Installing solar panels is one of the safest and wisest investments you can make because you will enjoy electricity bill savings over the solar PV system’s 10-25-year lifetime, and it adds value to your home.

However large the installation, you can expect to save more on your electricity bill as time goes on. As utility rates increase, clean energy from the sun remains consistently free. Solar is an investment that pays increasingly large dividends with each year that passes.

If you’re going to make home improvements, installing and using solar energy is one of the best ways to do it. As long as you remain in your home, you will enjoy lower energy bills. And, when it’s time to sell your home, you recoup 100% of your investment due to your property’s higher asking price.

With the right sized installation, solar energy is an investment that potentially pays a 200%+ return. And, unlike most investments on the market, you can enjoy those returns immediately, while adding value to your home.

Visit our Residential Solar page to learn more about how using solar power can add value to your property.

• A 30% Federal Tax CREDIT for homeowners who have purchased solar systems.
• A 25% NY State Tax CREDIT for homeowners who go solar with maximum credit at $5,000.
• In Con Ed territory, the NYSERDA solar rebate is now $0.60 per watt installed. However, this rebate level is limited, and will be reduced when the present tranche is filled.

Don’t worry. Our solar specialists do all of the calculating for you and can show you all of the savings in a simple worksheet

The NYSERDA rebate is assigned to SUNation as your solar contractor but the funds are payable to you. This arrangement is similar to that of your health insurance provider, which does the paperwork, processes your payment, and waits for reimbursement on your behalf. SUNation handles all rebate processing and paperwork so you don’t have to. The NYSERDA rebate is paid once SUNation provides certification from an independent electrical inspector that verifies your system is installed to code and fully operational.

We don’t like surprises, and neither should you. For 96% of SUNation’s customers, there are currently no out-of-pocket expenses. There are no additional fees that are not disclosed in a SUNation proposal.

Net metering allows residential and commercial customers who generate their own electricity from solar power to feed unused electricity back into the grid. Excess production is credited to your account each month and “stored” in an energy bank associated with your utility bill. If after 12 months your total energy production exceeds the total consumed, you’ll get a check from the utility company. Because the amount you’ll get is calculated at the “wholesale” rate, it’s important to design your system so that you use as much of the power you produce as possible over the year to maximize your revenue.

How Long Do Solar Panels Last?

A high-quality solar power system can last a long time. The high-efficiency, premium-quality solar panels and inverters that are used by SUNation for residential solar system applications have a 10-25-year performance warranty, dependent on the particular system installed.

However, studies have shown panels continue to operate at reduced efficiency long after the warranty expires. Investing in solar energy is a long-term commitment. Though the up-front cost of solar may be sizable, the investment pays for itself over time through monthly energy savings and tax incentives.

Let’s Do the Math

Here’s a little math to show you how: solar panels suffer a 0.5% to 1% efficiency loss every year. At the end of a 25-year warranty, your panels should still produce energy at 75-87.5% of their rated output.

Ultimately, if your panels still output energy, there’s no real reason to replace them. Panels frequently produce energy long after their warranty expires. According to a 2012 study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the average degradation rate for panels is between 0.5% to 0.8% per year.

How to Make Your Solar System Last

To make your solar system last longer, it is important to remember to replace the inverters and batteries when needed and account for efficiency loss. If your system output decreases or your energy usage grows, it’s possible to add capacity to your system, as long as the used and new parts are compatible.

Inverters converts the DC from the panels into AC for feeding into the home’s outlets and the grid, which is why they need to be serviced or replaced as often as needed. Keep in mind that the climate conditions in which you live can positively or negatively impact the lifespan of your solar panels.

Solar panels require very little maintenance to continue producing at optimal efficiency; however, keeping them clean can improve the module’s output. When you keep your solar panels free from debris—leaves, dirt, pollen, dust, bird droppings, fallen branches, and twigs—they will last much longer and are able to generate more solar energy. It’s also important to do routine maintenance checks on your solar system to make sure your it’s running smoothly and properly.

For example, systems installed in cold climates with extreme snow loads and high wind often degrade more quickly than in temperate climates. However, panels in intense desert climates often have the highest levels of degradation and may even produce less efficiently on extremely hot days. Solar systems are most effective when the temperature of the panels themselves ranges between 59- and 95-degrees Fahrenheit.

SUNation Solar Systems in Long Island is the local solar expert trusted by over 4,000 customers since 2003 for professionally installing the highest quality and most durable equipment. For more information on how to care for and maintain your SUNation solar system, contact us today.

SUNation uses calculators provided by NYSERDA and your local utility to determine exactly how much power your custom-designed solar system will provide for your home. This calculation is done for annual production and takes into consideration rainy days and days when your solar panels may be covered in snow. While no one can predict the weather, the premium products we offer have a guaranteed performance over time allowing us to usually predict (+/-) five to seven percent of average annual solar production.

There is a cost of $0.36 per day to stay connected to PSEGLI regardless of whether you power your home with SUNation solar panels or not. Con Edison’s basic service charge is around $16.00 per month. We can custom design a solar system for you that produces up to 110% of your previous year’s annual electrical consumption. If your system overproduces and you apply those credits to that basic service charge, yes, your final annual bill can absolutely be negative. And yes, PSEGLI or Con Ed may, in fact, send you a check in the end.

See above.  Yes, many of our customers receive checks from PSEGLI.

While most of our purchased solar systems do not require any out-of-pocket payments to get started for credit-worthy customers, there is a monthly payment made to a bank that REPLACES your current electric bill. SUNation customers generally start saving on their electric bills in the first month after their systems are installed. Most customers lock in their solar payments for a term of about fifteen years, protecting them from the increase in the utility rates that their neighbors who didn’t go solar must pay. The electricity their solar systems produce from year sixteen and beyond – up to about forty years – is free.

Do Solar Panels Require Maintenance?

SUNation offers only high-efficiency, premium-quality solar panels in Long Island with expert workmanship and installation. For the most part, solar systems of this quality require little maintenance over their lifespan, if any at all. The components we install come with 10-25-year warranties, dependent on the particular system installed, that protect you in the event of the slightest malfunction. SUNation installs monitoring hardware on every system that allows us and our homeowners to know when anything is wrong.  SUNation also provides a 10-year parts and labor warranty.

Solar Panel Maintenance

When deciding to purchase solar panels for your home or solar for your office, it is important to consider your solar panels’ maintenance requirements. Solar panel maintenance and repair helps keep your solar system working efficiently for years to come. Along with maintenance requirements, it is crucial to consider warranties offered on your panels. A strong, long-lasting warranty can give you peace of mind after your solar panels are installed, that way you know that your investment will be protected.

Solar panels are made of tempered glass, so they are built to withstand hail and other rough weather conditions. With the exception of tracking mounts, solar panel systems don’t have movable parts, which cuts down on the possibility of any issues.

Make sure you also are mindful of falling leaves and snow, so you can clear them away as soon as possible. If you live in an area where there is a lot of dust, smog, or dirt, you may see a decrease in your solar system’s production over time, but this can be easily remedied by cleaning your panels. Sometimes, panels are on the home’s roof, in which case, hiring a professional is recommended to avoid any injury.

The Durability of Solar Panels

Solar panels generally require very little maintenance. They are very durable and should last around anywhere between 10-25 years with little to no maintenance. The only maintenance you should ever need to perform is to wash them clean of any dirt and dust two to four times a year, which you can easily do with a garden hose. A basic cleaning routine ensures that the sun can shine brightly on the panel, maximizing the amount of light available to convert into electrical power. Generally, your solar system’s peak power output should not fall below 85 percent for the first 20 years of the panel’s productive lifetime.

Discover the bright side of a money-saving solar system, custom-built with the industry’s best warranty and zero out-of-pocket costs. Contact us for a free estimate or to find out more about our solar systems.

NYSERDA (the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) states, “Solar can work well in New York. During winter, systems produce less energy overall, given the shorter daylight hours, but will still produce plenty of electric energy. Solar power requires daylight, but not necessarily direct sunlight. In addition, solar electric is actually more efficient at lower temperatures.” The solar experts at SUNation custom design systems for our customers that take weather and seasonal length of days into account when calculating every system’s projected production.

When your panels are covered with snow they will not generate electricity. As soon as the sun comes out and the snow starts to melt, you’ll start making power again. No one should ever attempt to remove snow or ice from rooftop solar panels as it can be dangerous to you and harmful to the panels. SUNation takes weather into account when we project your annual solar energy production.

No. SUNation solar systems work in conjunction with the electrical grid, not as a replacement. The ability to send electricity back to the grid for storage at a later date (net metering) is a great way to use electricity you produced but didn’t use at the very moment it was made.

Those considering selling a home in the near future should absolutely consider going solar. Numerous reputable research organizations have published data showing that owned solar power systems improve home values, including the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the FHA, the Appraiser’s Institute and NY Sun Shot. For most customers, there is no out-of-pocket investment and an immediate increase in home value as an owned solar system becomes an asset. More importantly, for the remainder of the time that you spend in your home, a SUNation solar system lets you lock in your monthly electric bill, keeping you safe against utility rate increases.

Do Solar Panels Work on Rainy, Cloudy & Snowy Days?

Generally, yes. Solar systems do make power on rainy and snowy days, but at a level proportionately reduced to the diminished sunlight levels.

Solar panels require sunlight to generate electricity, so they do not work at night. However, solar systems have storage which allows homes to still have energy supply at night, during storms, or when the temperature and weather isn’t ideal. Solar systems absorb sunlight, also known as photovoltaic energy (PV), and converts it into direct current (DC) power. The DC power is sent through the system’s inverter to be converted to alternating current (AC) power, which is the type of power that most homes run on. Your solar then feeds electricity into your home. If your solar system is producing more electricity than you need or are using, then the excess energy goes back into the electric grid.

Solar energy output is directly affected by season and weather variations. Your panels operate most efficiently on clear sunny days. The highest energy production occurs during the time of day when the sun is at its peak, which is typically around noon.

How Solar Panels Work In Poor Weather?

Because solar panels can only produce power when there is sunlight, net metering and solar-plus-storage technology allow your solar panel system to access energy when solar production is dormant. This occurs through either connection to the electric grid or to a battery.  Because of the grid connections and solar energy storage, solar panels are sustainable for consistent energy solution.  Whether it’s rainy, cloudy, or snowy, your solar energy system will work because of its stored energy.

The ability to store solar energy for later use is important because it helps to keep the balance between electricity generation and demand. When your solar panels produce more electricity than you need or use in a certain time frame, the energy gets stored. Simply put, a solar-plus-storage system is a battery system that is charged by a connected solar system, such as a photovoltaic one.

Sometimes your panels produce more electricity than you need. This is where net metering and solar-storage comes in. Net metering is an agreement between solar customers and their utility company, where the utility company agrees to buy the electricity produced by their solar system as long as the system is less than 1,000 kilowatts. When your panels produce excess electricity, this causes your meter to run backward, earning you bill credits for the excess, which roll over month to month. At night or on cloudy days, you can use those credits to redeem your power.

At SUNation Solar Systems, we design panels for your roof, your budget, and your life. For a free estimate on SUNation solar systems, contact us today!

Solar-powered homes are still “grid-tied,” meaning they must send power back to the utility’s grid. In the case of a power outage, UL Code requires that inverters shut down and not produce power for the safety of utility workers. Going solar will not interfere with homeowners who have or wish to install a generator.

SUNation has a live answering service that will immediately get a message to our service department whenever a customer calls in. These customers are contacted shortly thereafter. SUNation’s main telephone number is (631)750-9454.

As part of our site inspection process, the SUNation engineering team will let customers know whether the condition of their roof is suitable for a solar installation. If a homeowner does require a new roof, SUNation will work with them to include a roof in their project before the system is installed. Many of our customers love the idea and take advantage of the opportunity to do both. When you work with SUNation’s experts, we leave nothing to chance.

No way. At SUNation, our panels are rated for up to 130 mph winds and are installed to the highest-quality manufacturer’s standards. We helped a lot of our Long Island neighbors after Hurricane Sandy – not because they lost any panels but because there was so much water in their homes from the storm that their electrical systems needed inspection and repair.

Each insurance company has different policies. We have seen some companies not increase a policy premium for a solar installation and others that have raised rates by less than $200 per year. The savings on your annual electric charges will usually offset any such insurance premium increases.

Your solar panels should produce plenty of power for 30 to 40 years. After that, there will be a minor decrease in production annually but that number is less than half a percent per year.

SUNation offers a full warranty on every installation. Having installed over 1,800 solar systems on Long Island, we’re the experts and our roofs don’t leak. In the event there is the slightest problem, our installation warranty has you covered!

The installation of a rooftop solar system has been proven to help extend the life of your roof as it prevents direct exposure to sun, wind and weather. Additionally, homes with our rooftop solar systems installed are often cooler inside because the panels – not your roof – will be the target of the sun’s energy.

Depending on your annual electrical consumption, we will custom design a system comprised of as many panels as you need to produce your own clean, renewable electricity from the sun.  We take into account the direction your roof planes face, the pitch of your roof, and your zip code (for weather data).

Provided that you have enough roof space for this scenario, here is a sample calculation:

A 9,810 watt system consisting of thirty 327 watt panels may generate up to as much as 12,000 kWh of power annually for your home.  Very simply, 30 x 327 watts equals 9,810 watts of power.  Once we calculate the pitch of your roof and its orientation, we can accurately predict how much electricity this system will generate on an annual basis.  Your Solar Specialist is highly trained and will design a system exactly matching your roof.  Again, the amount of roof space you have — along with the roof pitch and orientation — are factors used in determining the best plan.

Should your home use 6,000 kWh or less annually, a smaller system will be designed for you.

Absolutely! That’s one of the greatest things about using the best available solar panels. All of our panels offer a full 25-year performance warranty. Additionally, you can choose panels with an additional 25-year product warranty that covers the solar panel, testing, and shipping and labor (in case we need to replace one at any time during the first 25 years you have them).

Each and every one of the systems we currently install comes with inverters that are warrantied for 25 FULL years (unless customers opt out of SolarEdge Inverters and Optimizers as part of their recommended solar design).

Each system we install has an Internet-connected monitoring system. You can go online and see what every solar panel is producing in real time. You can also view historical data showing how much power you’ve made over time. You can even download a free smartphone app so you can check your solar on the go!

Yes, you can add to your system at a later date if your energy needs increase.

No, SUNation solar systems generate electricity – not heat — for your home.

In cases of a pitched roof, the North side is usually not an area that the sun shines on for an extended length of time. So installing solar components on this surface will have very minimal benefits.

Absolutely! The best reason to install a SUNation solar system is the huge savings that producing your own power from a high-efficiency, premium quality system will generate over time. Whatever percentage of your electric bill that can be replaced by the electricity you produce with your SUNation solar system is savings to you over the next 30 to 40 years.

The high-efficiency, premium quality solar systems that we install are based on simple, established Solar Photovoltaic principles. Sure, ten years from now the panels may produce slightly more power, but let’s look at the power you could have produced – and the savings you could have generated – in that ten-year time frame. For example, if ten years from now a new system can generate $200 worth of additional power annually — but you missed out on saving $2,500 per year for that ten years while you were waiting ($25,000 you didn’t pay to the utility) — you’d lose out.

If a SUNation solar system can generate all of the energy you use in your home (and we’ll show you how to implement energy efficiency measures to lower your consumption from what it is now), you’re powering your home for free. Free doesn’t get any more free!

We design custom solar systems using the best equipment on the market.  SUNation proudly uses LG, Panasonic, and Silfab panels; SolarEdge and SMA inverters, and SnapNRack racking.