One reason solar is the new energy standard is that it pays for itself, unlike virtually any other big purchase. However, it’s still a big-ticket item, and we consumers like to see our big-ticket purchases before we sign on the dotted line. If it’s a car, you go to the dealer, look at various models, […]

For ages, I and many other solar advocates have been saying solar benefits all, not just those who own it, by reducing utility costs which should translate into lower rates for utility customers. Now, hard proof is emerging that these benefits are materializing as solar becomes established as the new energy standard. How does solar […]

Big news: New England Clean Energy is now #2 in the entire country for the number of consumer reviews on SolarReviews.com, the largest consumer-generated solar reviews website in the U.S. That’s out of more than 3,000 solar companies represented on the site. Not bad for a small local company! We remain #1 in New England–actually […]

Update: In summer 2018, the Massachusetts Legislature approved an energy bill that made some changes to this situation. However, those changes are not crystal clear. It appears Eversource’s MMRC, as approved by the DPU, will not go into effect as planned. However, the utility can re-submit a new MMRC to the DPU. More information will […]

(NOTE: This post relates to purchased solar energy systems, which increase home re-sale value and decrease re-sale time. Leased systems are notorious for hampering home sales, as I discuss in this earlier post.) Not surprisingly, as more homeowners install solar, more homes with solar are being bought and sold. Data backs up the common sense […]

As solar has become the new energy standard, homeowners want to buy it as quickly as possible, sometimes without anyone measuring the roof in person. While technology has made solar energy systems easier to design and install than ever, solar is far from a one-size-fits-all product that you can pluck off the shelf like a […]

Our Operations Manager Rick snapped this great photo of our new truck rolling out of our Hudson, MA parking lot in the early morning light. It’s so pretty I had to share.

I get it. Warranties are boring. And sometimes unnecessary (think extended warranties on kitchen appliances). But when it comes to putting a small solar energy “power plant” on the roof of your biggest asset – your home –  you want to be confident in the workmanship, and that you are getting the performance and savings […]

Did you know investor owned electric utilities (IOUs) including Eversource, National Grid, Unitil, and Liberty Utilities don’t make money on the generation of electricity? I know that sounds strange, but it’s generally true. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, utilities in New England produced or generated electricity, and delivered it to homes and businesses. […]

Customers regularly ask me, How soon will my solar panels become obsolete? or Should I plan on replacing my panels when the technology gets better? Panel technology is improving, but very slowly. So don’t worry. Today’s solar panels are not going the way of the rotary phone or console TV anytime soon. You do not […]