Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, Tiger Solar will arrange a convenient time to meet you at your home and perform a free site assessment. 

Net metering describes a two-way relationship between a solar energy producer and their utility. Traditionally, a home or business’ relationship with the utility is a one-way street – you pull power from the grid and are charged for how much you pull every billing cycle. Net metering allows a solar energy producer to feed kWh back onto the grid – resulting in their meter going backwards and offsetting future use. This backwards movement of an electrical meter results in the accumulation of energy “credits.”

When the sun is hitting a solar array, the electricity generated goes directly to power the loads that are running. Any excess will be sent back to the grid and stored as credits for future use – resulting in a meter that runs backwards. The beauty of net metering is that it doesn’t matter when you produce energy or when you use it. As long as you’ve sent back to the grid the same amount as you’ve pulled from it, you’ll be a net-zero power purchaser. A common way this often plays out is that solar producers build up most of their yearly credits in the spring, summer, and fall, and use them up in the winter when power usage tends to be higher and the sun is out less.

We consider the life span of the solar panels to be between 25 and 30 years. The solar cells responsible for producing electrons degrade over time; but any panel we use will have a minimum performance guarantee from the manufacturer of 80% production at year 25. Not bad compared to your water heater, HVAC unit or car!

The most common solar incentive is the 30% Federal Investment Tax Credit, or ITC.  This incentive is available to our commercial customers nation-wide. Read more about the ITC and how it can work for you and your solar project here.

Individual states may also offer incentives based on the size and nature of your project.  We recommend exploring the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, or DSIRE. They offer extensive information about rebates and incentives in your state, along with links to start the application process.

Finally, some states offer sale of Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) on their markets. These are energy credits your solar system will begin to produce at the start of operation, and are entirely separate from your net-metering agreement with your utility. Once registered to sell on the market, you can receive quarterly payments from a market brokerage for the energy your solar array produces. Learn more about SRECs here.

Most solar installations are net metered only and do not provide backup power during an outage. The solar inverter is designed to shut down to prevent back-feeding onto the grid which could potentially be dangerous to the linesman working to get power restored. Additional equipment is needed to isolate your electrical system from the grid and provide backup power. This is most commonly done with a battery bank. When batteries are included, it allows the system to function as backup power to designated emergency loads.