Maybe you’ve seen the free solar advertisements on YouTube. I’ve seen them enough times that I wanted to take a closer look. In the YouTube video below, taken from my channel on solar, you can see whether or not these free government solar panels are a scam. If you prefer reading, I’ve created a blog post that follows the video and comes to the same conclusion.
Unraveling “Free Solar”
To get to the bottom, I clicked on the ads, filled out forms, and even had a couple of calls with the company making these claims. I wanted to understand exactly what’s going on, which companies are involved, and if this is something that could genuinely help your transition to solar energy for your home.
The Claims
The ads I’ve come across play up the “U.S solar company’s nasty little secret”. Intriguing, right? It turns out, they claim that if you live in Illinois, you can snag solar panels at absolutely no net cost. You just need to ask. For me, something like this typically rings scam alarms, but let’s give them the benefit of the doubt for now.
These companies also claim they’re trying to keep this information quiet, but it’s slowly getting out. All thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act our government announced just a year ago.
Now, this is partially true. The Inflation Reduction Act was indeed passed in 2022, introducing a plethora of solar incentives, including increasing and extending a major federal tax credit that certainly helps to lower your total cost of the system and shorten your payback period.
Navigating the Website
The ad leads you to a website that pitches the idea of millions of U.S homeowners eliminating their energy bills at zero net cost, thanks to solar incentives. Still sounds pretty good. Here’s the catch though – once you fill out the form with your personal details, nothing substantial comes out of it.
You don’t get an estimate or size of the system needed to offset your monthly bill information. In essence, it’s a lead generation site; they’re gathering leads for solar installers, making up the top of the marketing funnel.
The Real Process Behind “Free Solar”
Here’s what happened when I filled out the form on the website. The company, Sun Value, gathered my details and passed them on within 12 hours to another company, Solar America. Solar America then verified my information and handed me off to the actual installer, Sunrun – all within just 5 minutes of hanging up with Solar America.
What “Free Solar” Really Means
So, what’s the deal with Sunrun and the touted “free solar”? Sunrun does a ton of installations across the country through the use of solar leases and power purchase agreements (PPA). In both of these cases you can get solar on your home but you usually need to lock into a 20 or 25-year contract. Additionally, you will not own the panels and as such will not get any of the federal or state incentives. Personally, I do not recommend any homeowners get a lease or PPA and instead save up to pay in cash or if you have plenty of equity in your home possibly take out a home equity line of credit to pay for the panels.
Conclusion: Fact or Fiction?
Here’s the bottom line: “free solar” as it’s portrayed in these ads, is fiction. There’s no nasty secret. No government is giving you solar panels for free. However, there are a lot of incentives at the federal level, some states offer incentives, and even some local municipalities are in on solar incentives. You need a knowledgeable guide to help you navigate all these elements as it changes state-to-state and over time.
How to Get Reliable Solar Energy Information
If you’re looking for accurate solar energy information, we’re here to help. First, you can join our newly-launched Facebook group where homeowners, solar consultants, and I will answer any question you have about solar energy. If you’d rather talk to a consultant, click here.
We won’t be passing your information off; instead, we genuinely want to help you transition to solar energy and connect you with a local installer that we’ve worked with in the past.