1. OC Solar Owned                 PPA – Power Purchase Agreement

• This is by far the most popular program

• If your home qualifies, there is $0 out of pocket

• Cost for the equipment and installation is covered by the Federal Solar Credit

• The first time you will pay anything is after you are installed and producing your own energy. Then you start paying your lower flat monthly bill.

• Your power expense typically reduces 25 – 40%

• We own, maintain and replace the equipment over the 25-year period at no additional cost to you

• That includes replacing the batteries about every 10 years ($13,000 per battery)

• It’s a “Set It and Forget It” program. You have zero responsibilities.

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2. Customer Owned                Cash or Loan

• Customer is responsible for the equipment and maintenance

• There is a 25-year product warranty on solar panels and 10-year product warranty on the battery

• Product warranties mean the cost of the product is covered within the warranty, yet there will be charges for service to repair

• During the 25-year period, batteries are expected to be replaced approximately 2+ times (about every 10 years). Since they will be outside of warranty, the cost for the batteries ($13,000/battery) and service will be the responsibility of the customer.

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Another Important Difference is the Federal Solar Credit

• OC Solar owned (PPA) qualifies for the 30% Federal Solar Credit, making it much more cost-efficient

• No longer are there any credits for Customer Owned

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Input from Discussions with Homeowners​​​

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Many people automatically think that it’s best to own the equipment. Owning used to make sense, yet with requirements for batteries, changes to the Federal Solar Tax credit and high finance rates, achieving a good ROI is difficult.

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Some say “I’ll wait until the next administration – maybe they will be more supportive to reinstate credits.”  That will be years from now and it still might not happen. In the meantime, your Edison bills will continue to skyrocket. In 2025, Edison increased rates 15%. How much do you think your Edison bill will be in 5 years? Remember, solar costs will increase also to keep track with inflation.

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Let me Show you Both Options

It's much easier to make decisions when you are looking at real life numbers for both options. Send me your latest power bill and I'll run a free energy audit for your home. If it makes sense to you, I can help see if your home qualifies. If you're not a fan - no worries. I'm not a high pressure sales guy.