FAQ

Top 10 questions we get asked

Who are we?

A highly experienced team of people dedicated to improving our health and environment by providing affordable solar energy solutions for everyone.

We do this by specifically focusing on solar energy solutions and how you use that power in your households. Our team brings the experience of over 4,000 installs to ensure each new installation meets the highest standards from decades of knowledge.

What should I expect?

  1. Proposal and In-person meeting from an experienced Solar Advisor to walk you through it all
  2. Signing meeting with your Solar Advisor to help you feel comfortable with the decision your making
  3. Visit from Site Inspector to get the more detailed measurements for the finalized plan
  4. Site inspection report for you to sign off on the finalized plan
  5. Dedicated Project manager keeping you informed of all progress in regards to all applications and booking your installation.
  6. Sunly installation crew shows up with smiling faces to complete your solar installation
  7. Sunly electrician arrives to connect the installation to your home
  8. Project Manager books the final connections with your local electricity provider.
  9. You start enjoying savings on your electricity bill monthly

How much will a system cost?

Multiple factors play a role in your system cost. Sunly does not aim to offset 100% of your usage but instead designs a system that optimizes your savings while considering the costs associated with that.

The price per watt across the country can range today from $2.30 - $3.50 and installations can range from 5kW to 15kW+. It all depends on your specific home.

This is why we offer the complimentary Solar assessment so you can understand the specifics to your house.

What’s included in my installation

  • Labor

    Engineering- A structural engineer will get the information to ensure a well thought out plan is correct and assess for things like load capacity on the roof. Don’t want to find out someone installed a system that ended up caving in their roof because of too much snow or poor/old support beams!

    Panel installation- A team of highly trained installers set up the racking, panels, inverters and critter guard on your roof to enable energy production and get it ready for the electrician to make the final connections to the house.

    Electrical Installation- An electrician is deployed to your house to prepare all the electrical components for the solar energy generation

  • Administrative

    Permitting costs- Electrical and Building (prices vary on region)

    Project Management- Someone needs to keep everything flowing along (helps makes sure documents are filled out correctly, site inspection scheduled, liaises with engineering, creates final inspection report for a client to approve before proceeding, permitting is scheduled, installation is scheduled, plans inventory, books final inspection)

  • Materials

    Panel- The panel is the raw materials farm. It essentially harvests the sun for DC power

    Inverter- The Inverter is the processing facility. It converts the DC power in the panel into usable AC power for your house

    Racking- This holds the panels onto your house

    Critterguard- This protects your system from harm. Your security guard from birds and small wildlife that love to nest under the panels and chew your wires.

How will I pay for my system?

Monthly Savings from your electricity production

Typically each month you are saving 60-100% of your monthly electricity bill. These savings can be used to pay any monthly loans or refill your savings account if you purchased in cash.

Typically loans/leases are 10-12 years and fairly close monthly payments to the amount you save on your electricity bill.

Rebates

Many levels of government offer different incentives to reduce the cost of solar. This can sometimes come in the form of rebates or low rate financing options. This has a benefit to you but it also benefits all of our futures.

With the price per watt installation being anywhere from $2.30 - $3.50 the rebates could reduce your overall cost by 30% or more. Typically the rebates are based on the size of your system.

Here is the tricky part though: Filling out the forms correctly!

Solar is likely a whole new world for you and the people administering the programs for creating home efficiency. The terminology, the processes, the numbers and what they mean. If you don’t fill out the form right the first time, it could delay your project. You may not know where to get all of the information from.

This is where the Sunly helps you. Your dedicated project manager will be assisting you every step of the way by undertaking the tasks on your behalf or giving you the details you need and explaining everything. When you’re assisted with the applications, the whole project will go much smoother and your chances of being approved for the rebate are much better.

Financing

Let me start off by saying that investing in solar is not always a good option for everyone. Yes you can save money on your electric bill, but you need to compare this to how much you have to spend.

The cost of solar panels and installations in Canada can vary. It will even vary depending on whether you’re looking for solar power in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, or any other province.

Conservatively saving between 60% to 90% off your electric bill could mean over $1,000 worth of savings every year.

First you have to consider the cost of Solar:

Lets look at 3 different system sizes @2.6/watt + HST:

8kW could cost $23,920 (8,000W x $2.60/W)

10kW could cost $29,900

12kW could cost $35,880

*price per watt varies. This is just an average.

That is essentially the price of a new car. Luckily in these cases there is a government incentive. So with the incentives it can lower the cost considerably.

There are 2 main options to finance at this time. You could pay with cash, apply for an energy efficiency loan

What goes into an accurate estimate?

So you have gotten your solar estimate and you have been told you need X amount of solar panels and it will produce Y amount of electricity every year! By investing in solar now you can save $$$.

There are a few things you might want to consider when reviewing the proposal. Do they have a picture of your roof with the proposed layout of the solar panels? Are they covering anything important, like a vent or a skylight?

We have done initial proposals before where we identified the roof from a satellite image and it was the wrong roof. Either because pin fell on the wrong property or it was outdated. Now always confirm the view of the house with the homeowner before even preparing a proposal. If you don’t see an aerial view of your roof then don’t assume the system is the right size.

Does your proposal include factors like shading, weather and roof pitch and direction?

  • Shading

    If a tree is blocking the sun from 20% of your panels for half the day then those panels are not going to be optimally producing. It is best practice to put panels in places with the highest exposure.

  • Weather

    Anything that gets between the sun and your panels will impact their production. If it always feels gloomy in your area because of snow/rain then your panels will probably feel this way too. It doesn’t mean solar panels don’t make financial sense, it is just a factor estimators need to consider. Luckily there are heaps of weather data and irradiance data that is put into a proper assessment to ensure accurate estimates.

  • Roof Pitch and Direction

    The optimal pitch or slope varies depending on your location/latitude. Knowing the pitch allows for a more accurate estimate. The closer to south your roof is oriented in direction, the higher the production.

With all those factors considered estimates become a lot more reliable. It is important to note that some years the solar system will produce much more than the estimate while some years a little less.

Materials: Not all solar panels and inverters comparable. There are high quality modelling software systems available that allow an installer to include the actual products being quoted as well as the electrical configuration and weather loses. This allows for a more accurate estimate of expected annual energy output.

Of course there will always be variables you can’t control installing solar panels Canada, such as trees growing over time, apartment buildings being built next to you, or an extra long and gloomy winter/summer.

The main point is at least your estimate has accounted for known factors to allow for a more realistic idea of how much you can save.

What is net metering?

Net metering is where you produce electricity from solar panels throughout the day and use most of it but the rest goes to your local provider. This excess electricity gets banked as credits. When you need that electricity (like when watching scary movies) you will automatically get it from the grid. That draws down your credits, and if you use more than your credits, the electricity company will just charge you for that little bit of usage you did not have covered by your solar panels

net metering image

Can my system supply me with backup power during a power outage

No. The system shuts down immediately and does not produce electricity until power returns. This is a North American wide standard to protect the people working on the electrical system during an emergency.

What questions should I be asking when shopping around for quotes?

  • How long is the warranty on the panels?

    Typically there is a 25 year performance warranty on the panels. Visually it is hard to know if a panel is ‘broken’. Since a monitoring system is installed on your system you can understand if the panels are under performing, if you have panel level monitoring. In those cases it is important to get the system fixed in order to ensure you are producing energy efficiently.

  • Great my panel is broken, what do I do now?

    It is important to understand what commitment your installer will make to you. Some may be just for installation, some may protect you for 2 years free of charge, and some may offer a longer term commitment. When an installer is offering a longer term commitment it is important to think about the size of the company providing the commitment and their track record. A long term warranty is only valuable if the company is still in business.

  • What about animals messing with my system?

    After years of battling different types of animals most installers will now add in a ‘critter guard’ to your installation. This is basically a protective skirt going all the way around the system and attached to the roof. This prevents anything from getting in and nesting or damaging the wires. We will actually not install a rooftop system without critter guards now due to the number of issues we have seen. We recommend that if this is optional with the installer you choose ,that you most definitely should add critter guard to your contract.

  • Will it damage my roof?

    We have to put holes in your roof. It is the only way to attach the racking that will hold up the panels on your roof safely. But it is important to remember that we weatherproof these holes to ensure no leakage. We use high quality aluminium flashing with redundant seals to make sure water and ice won’t be an issue. Ask your installer about what flashing they use and check reviews online. If your installer doesn’t use flashing and says that they use caulking, run far and run fast!

  • Do you have experience with the local utilities and provincial programs?

    The installer should be able to help you with all applications and permits with regards to the solar systems. This applies to solar panels PEI and all over Canada. Many things should be taken care of prior to installation. Post installation, there are also final inspections and connections to be made to make sure you are going to start saving!

  • Should I replace my roof before installing?

    Depending on the condition of your roof it may be better for you to replace it before getting solar. The panels are going to be up there for 25-35 years producing energy for you.

    If your roof is in fairly good condition and you don’t plan on replacing a roof anytime soon then that is great. But when you do go to replace the roof you will have to take down the solar system and put it back up after.

How do I prepare for solar?

For most of us, producing solar energy to offset our electric bills is a whole new world. Likely you became aware of solar because you saw a news article talking about government solar rebates making it an affordable option or an advertisement targeting the problem of “ever increasing electricity bills”.

After that you might have done some research to find out the cost of the systems, potential rebates and the overall cash savings you might expect to receive.

Now that you know that solar is affordable and that it will save you money, you are now ready to move forward!

One big problem – You have never bought solar before so you probably do not know what to expect. At Sunly.ca we have you covered!

Here is the top 12 considerations you should be checking off:

  1. Does your proposal include factors like shading, weather, roof pitch and direction?
  2. Are there any potential hidden costs that could arise?
  3. Does it make financial sense?
  4. Are there government rebates and do you qualify?
  5. What is the warranty on the equipment? Find out here.
  6. Have you secured a net metering agreement with your electricity provider?
  7. Do you understand the rules for accumulating credits?
  8. Have you chosen a contractor?...checked their references?
  9. Does your contractor commit to future service requirements?
  10. Is your roof in good shape or do you think you will need to replace it in the next 5 to 10 years?
  11. How is the contractor getting up to your roof when they come
  12. Will your contractor have an engineer confirm that there are no structural or electrical issues that need to be dealt with?

Have a question that’s not covered here? Give us a call or send us your questions via the form!

Want to know how much you can save?

Get a free assessment

Benefits

The Sunly Advantage

When we install solar panels, we take extra care to make sure it will stand the test of time.

Structural Engineering Image

Structural Engineering

to ensure the load on your roof is safe

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Flashing

4 levels to protect against roof leaks

Critter Guard Image

Critter Guard

to protect against animals

Reviews

Don’t take our word for it. Take theirs.

Review people images