Financing From the Library
The Payment Jump Built Into 2026 Solar Loans
Many solar loans reset to a higher payment unless you prepay about 30 percent, money that was meant to come from a tax credit 2026 buyers no longer get.
The Installer's Lens
The Library
Clear, independent analysis for homeowners, written by someone who spent years on the installer's side of the table, now working for yours.
Before you sign
Installers, proposals, and architecture, before any signature.
National vs. Local Solar Installers: The Honest Answer Nobody Gives You
Most comparison sites earn a commission on your choice. We don't. The subcontractor problem, and the five questions that separate serious installers.
The Most Important Solar Decision Nobody Tells You to Make
String inverter, power optimizers, or microinverters? The architecture shapes reliability, monitoring, and repair costs for 25 years. Nobody explains it.
The Solar Proposal Is Built to Sell You. Here's How to Read It Anyway.
A solar proposal is a sales document first. Here's how to read every line (system size, production estimate, escalator, dealer fee, financing) and spot what the design hides.
Financing
Loans, dealer fees, and the payment structures under the pitch.
The Payment Jump Built Into 2026 Solar Loans
Many solar loans reset to a higher payment unless you prepay about 30 percent, money that was meant to come from a tax credit 2026 buyers no longer get.
The Hidden Fee Inside Your Solar Loan
Most solar loans hide a dealer fee of 10 to 30 percent inside the system price. What the fee is, and the three questions that drag it into the light.
Tax & incentives
What credits and programs remain, and who can claim them.
SGIP Is Closed. Here's What's Actually Available for California Batteries in 2026.
California's battery rebate budgets stopped taking new funding at the end of 2025. Who can still get help through RSSE, and what is genuinely left in 2026.
The 30% Solar Tax Credit Still Exists. It's Just Not Yours Anymore.
Section 25D expired at the end of 2025. Section 48E lives on, but the system owner claims it, not you. What that means for a 2026 lease or PPA.
Recovery
Your installer is gone. The system is fine. Here is the sequence.
Which Solar Warranties Survive When Your Installer Doesn't
Manufacturer warranties on your panels, inverter, and battery survive your installer's failure. The installer's own promises do not. How to tell them apart.
The FTC Holder Rule: What It Actually Gets You When Your Solar Installer Is Gone
Your solar loan holder can be held responsible for what your installer did wrong. Here's how the FTC Holder Rule actually works, where it stops, and how to use it.
Solar Installer Went Out of Business? What to Do, Step by Step
If your solar installer is gone, here's the exact recovery sequence: documents to gather, who to call, how to move your warranty, and how to find a new servicer.
Bankruptcy
What a filing does and does not touch.
Freedom Forever Bankruptcy: What California Homeowners Should Do Now
Freedom Forever's sale collapsed and it has moved to liquidate. If they installed your system, here's what changed for your warranty, your monitoring, your payments, and what to do now.
What Happens When Your Solar Company Goes Bankrupt
If your solar installer filed for bankruptcy or stopped answering, here's what it actually means for your system, your warranties, your payments, and why this keeps happening.
Equipment
Hardware decisions, recalls, and the physics behind the numbers.
Tesla Recalled the Powerwall 2 for Fire Risk. Check Yours This Week.
Tesla recalled about 10,500 Powerwall 2 batteries for fire risk, and affected units may be running with reduced backup right now. How to check yours in the Tesla app this week.
Understand the terms
Plain definitions for the vocabulary the industry hides behind.
kW vs kWh: The One Idea That Makes Every Solar Number Make Sense
kW is size; kWh is how much energy you use or make over time. Get this one distinction and every number on your solar proposal and utility bill suddenly makes sense.