I-Team: Hidden cameras reveal dark side of solar power

1. Vivint did the same thing here in hawaii….. Tons of people with solar on their roof but no permission from the electric company so they cant even use it 😂😂😂😂

2. Solar panels should be freestanding, NOT on your roof. Not hard and when I set up I'll fab a suitable steel mount on a flatbed trailer with provision to stow the panels in case of hurricane. Mobile construction solar equipment exists and you can use or copy that (unless you're in an HOA and chose your fate). Shingles require periodic replacement but homeowners forget that and solar companies profit from not reminding them.

3. Solar is only as good as the person scamming you.

4. Heck just hook the system to the house and disconnect from the grid. Maybe just keep the HVAC on the grid.

5. When solar panel actually becomes so cheap that you can make money from installing one, they would be renting your roof.

6. $400 for 25 years is insane what’s the point

7. The emoji sun is killing me 😂

8. DIY small system is best

9. With the exception of not pulling the right permits Rod Colver didn't get a bad setup. Its tiny don't get me wrong but he got 6kw worth of solar panels and a teeny 9kw battery (should be about 20-25kw) for backup for $43k. I paid 50k with no battery backup but I got 10kw worth of power generation… and my installer did pull all the right permits. The permit he needs is at most $500 and TBH he should do it because then he'd be set. Though he may also have to call his power company to set up net metering as well since who ever did the project manager is on that job couldn't pull the second permit he probably didn't call the power company either. Technically though he could go direct power from his panels (via a sub panel or "critical loads" panel which he probably has already due to his backup battery) and only use the grid for the big things like his central heat/air. Then he wouldn't have to hook it up to the grid at all.

   Pink energy had a class action lawsuit against them in 2023 and I think they are out of business now but don't quote me on that.

   What Andrew said was mostly correct though. MOST of the year you don't have a power bill (unless you have duke power who charges you a $16/mo line fee to have the grid connected because you know "F*k you give us your money" and then in June just DELETES all of your built up credits because again "F*k you give us your money") but that's if they size the system correctly based on your peak monthly power usage. The only time I have a power bill over $16 is in dec, jan, and maybe feb. Its never a good sales tactic to claim something before you know the facts but that's what sales people do all the time. The home could be partially shaded or facing the wrong direction, or like your spy house, have lots of weird angles that make a roof mount system a terrible idea. That's why I have suggested to several solar panel manufacturers to start making solar panels in triangles not rectangles. You can put 2 together and get a square (or rectangle depending on the type of triangle), and it will allow for more coverage over your roof at strange angles where you cant fit a full sized panel. So far no one has listened to my idea. Though elon musk did sort of repopularize the idea of solar shingles but I haven't heard that the market is shifting that direction or anything. Though they are closer to my idea.

   The other 2 quotes you got (if you look at the layouts) are terrible. Neither one of them filled the spots in the picture that had sun on them with panels. Neither one of them (I'm willing to bet) came out and looked at the house and saw where the sun was going to travel. They just looked at it on google maps and said oh we cant put panels on the back half of the roof because its shady in the picture. Well here's a hot tip for ya… THE SUN MOVES DURING THE DAY (yes I know its not moving astronomically but in the frame of reference your house feels like its standing still and the sun is moving across the sky)! So maybe they should do more than a 2 second google search and then try to sell someone 2 tesla power walls (which cost $13000 each), 18 of the 365w q cell panels (at $300 each), and 18 enphase micro inverters at $165 each… just the materials for creative solar was $34k. That's not including the racking for the roof mount, the PV wire, the permitting fees, or the install fee for the 10 guys they will probably send to install the thing in a day. So those quotes are misleading at best.

   At 3:59 you can see where Andrew was going to put panels on the home… it was WAY more panels than the other guys were going to put on. He has what looks like 25ish panels on his little display there. And for those of you who didn't gradjeeate the 3rd grade, 25 is MORE than 18. So if you were to compare apples to apples, Andrew was going to deliver 9.125kw in panels vs 6.57 from creative solar. Again… 9.125 is MORE than 6.57… because the sun moves across the sky and Andrew was looking at the setup 4th dimensionally. Of course in general Andrew was correct because most places offer net metering. He probably didn't have time to look up that specific home and its regulations like he would have if he had gotten the paperwork normally. You know as opposed to being bum rushed by a tv news crew. He was probably just giving the usual spiel about how solar works for the vast majority of people and you people got him fired over it. Good to see the media is still riding roughshod over things they know diddly squat about and acting like the good guys.

   Lastly you state that the tax credit of 26% (which is now 30%) was impossible to get because the producer you had acting as a disabled woman. That's not how that works for literally anyone else. In fact I don't think they would have legally been able to go through with the sale to someone on disability once they got past the initial sales consult. What you SHOULD have been talking about is how the sales people fail to mention that you have to pay that 26% (or now 30%) by your 18th payment and the way the tax credit works is you get whatever 30% of your total installation cost is set aside for you by filling out a form (I think its 5585 or something like that) with your taxes the year you install the thing and then your paid income tax liability is deducted from that each year till its gone. So if you make $50,000/yr and you installed a $50,000 system you have $15,000 in credit coming to you. However since its based on your tax liability you wont be paying 15,000 in taxes making 50k/yr. You will only pay about 5,000 in taxes after the standard deduction. So you will get a tax return of ~$5000 for 3 years. The problem is unless you install the system in December of the first year they only give you 18 months to pay off the 26% (now 30%)… so you get hit with a balloon payment at 18 months because you have at most only received 2 of the 3 portions of your 30% credit. THAT is the problem. THAT is the big lie. But you didn't even touch that part. Everything else were your standard sales tactics to get people to purchase the systems and some mistakes in permitting.

10. Stop buying Solar! They are scammers and have made millions off of this.

11. Wow, that company is a scam, get multiple bids

12. Companies in Illinois are making the same claims; total or reverse electricity bills. They also claim to be able to sell surplus energy back, and to energy store with battery backup system with no cost of the system at all because of state incentives, but when you look into it there is a huge $80-110k bill with hidden as leases to "rent" participating in the hook up to the grid with their system. This is how they can say the system is free, they charge for it being contracted in use (whether you use it or not) and it is a mandatory contract.
    They won't guarantee no roof damage or state what will happen if a panel needs fixing or replacement. I was told if that happens you may need to remove the system, not the one damaged panel, and replace it! This is why I won't do solar. All the companies make outrageous promises but won't show me any data in writing collected from jobs previously done locally. Why not? Transparency should be there.

13. I can't believe I could hear the Drone when I can go to capcut and keep the voice and remove the sound

14. arning: Replace your shingle roof before you install solar panels, neighbors had solar panels installed two years ago, shingle roof had to be replaced this year, it cost them $11,500.00 to have the solar panels removed and installed again….

15. Just another big money company skam!!

16. People need to do research regarding the equipment installed, how much it can deliver on a sunny day, how much battery backup they are buying, the equipment costs, and then divide all that by their monthly electricity bill. If you spend $150 on electricity per month, and buy $10,000 worth of equipment that will negate all energy use, you just prepaid for the next 66 months of use. Buying more efficient appliances, or having the home analyzed for heat leaks, etc. might be cost effective as well. If your house roof does not point in the best direction, you can't fully utilize the panels.

17. The whole nature of the solar business is nothing but an organized scam. You are saving nothing , but actually paying more and going in debt . Some solar companies are conniving like car dealerships. Shame on them.

18. Its cheap in Pakistan, payback time is less than 3 years.

19. This is why somebody needs to pay more attention in the Math’s classes.

20. Solar bros lie like rugs. Always go with your gut. Solar does work but each scenario is different because each home is different. Former military is a plus when dealing with salespeople. Ask for a veteran. Much less likely to lie to your face.

21. A friend had these put on his house. Payments over a 20 year period. Guess what the average lifespan of a solar panel system is? You guessed it, 20 years. What a rip off. I tried to warn him. Now he's stuck paying $40,000 off over 20 years. And if he sells his house the new buyers aren't required to take over payments so he would still have to pay the balance. Please people, put solar in yourself if you want but avoid these companies.

22. frauds?lying frauds? serious investigations are in order no?

23. Solar on 90% of homes is a scam we don't get enough SUN to offset the cost.

24. When it’s too good to be true. How u gonna out do the power grid??

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