The questions people actually ask

Yes. Panels run on light, not heat, and they actually work more efficiently in cold air. Colorado winters are sunny; what you lose is daylight hours and the odd snowy day, so December might produce a third of June. We size from your whole year, so summer credits carry you through winter. Panels shed most snow on their own within a day or two, so please don't rake them.

Usually not yet. Panels last 25 years or more. Bolting them to a roof with 5 years left means paying to remove and reinstall the array mid-life (often a few thousand dollars). If your shingles are past about 15 years, we'll recommend re-roofing first, or waiting. About 1 in 6 of our assessments ends exactly that way.

Almost never, and be wary of anyone who promises it. You'll still pay your utility's fixed monthly charge, and energy you send to the grid is often credited below what you pay for it. A well-sized system often covers 80% to 95% of the energy part of your bill. We show you the bill to expect, not a fantasy one.

Most projects run 8 to 12 weeks from signed quote to permission to operate. The install itself is only 1 to 3 days. Permits and the utility queue take the most time, and they're mostly outside anyone's control. Ask us and we'll tell you this month's queue times instead of guessing.

Your home draws from the grid like it always has. Under net metering, extra solar you sent out earlier earns credits that cover that grid use. Cloudy days still produce, often 10% to 40% of a clear day, and the system is sized on a full year, so a gloomy week doesn't change the math.

Only if backup power matters to you. In our area, net metering already banks your extra solar as credits, so a battery usually makes payback longer, not shorter. If you're on an outage-prone road or want backup power, we'll quote one honestly, and say plainly that it's mostly insurance, not an investment.

We only install systems you own (cash or loan). Leases and PPAs put a third party's contract on your roof, often with a yearly price increase, and they can complicate selling your home. Once in a while one makes sense, and when it does we say so and point you to a provider, but the door-to-door version is usually the worst deal in the industry.

Panels are tested against roughly 1-inch hail at high speed, and in practice they often protect the shingles under them. A storm bad enough to break panels is a homeowners-insurance claim. We document your array at install so the claim is simple, and we do the repair work.

Almost none. Rain and snow handle most cleaning, and monitoring flags any panel that falls behind. The real maintenance item is the inverter: string inverters may need replacing around year 12 to 15 (microinverters usually carry 25-year warranties). We put that likely cost in writing up front.

Yes, and it's worth planning together. An EV often adds 250 to 400 kWh a month to your usage, so we size the solar with the car in mind. We check your electrical panel first; some homes need an upgrade before a Level 2 charger, and we'll tell you before you commit.

Yes. We service systems we didn't install, including ones whose installer has closed. We start with your monitoring data, give you a fixed price before any visit, and tell you if a repair costs more than it would ever earn back.

Studies generally find owned systems add resale value; the amount varies by market, and we won't promise you a number. Property-tax treatment depends on current state and county rules, so check with your assessor (we'll point you to the right office). Leased systems are a different story at resale; see the lease question.

The federal residential solar tax credit ended for systems installed after 2025, so we don't count on it. You may still qualify for state, local or utility programs, but they change often and depend on your address and tax situation. That's why we don't print incentive numbers on this site. Check current rules, or ask us: when we quote, we verify what applies to you and list each program as its own line. If a program changes before you sign, your quote changes with it, in the open.

Run our savings calculator for an honest ballpark, then book a free site assessment. We measure the roof, do an instrument shade study, and review a year of your usage. If the answer is 'this doesn't pencil,' that's what we'll tell you. It's a 90-minute visit, not a sales ambush, and 'no' costs you nothing.