“Some companies don’t even climb on customers’ roofs to take measurements,” says Mark Byington, owner and founder of Cobalt Power Systems, Inc. in Mountain View. “They just use aerial photos to create a bid. Climbing on a roof, assessing its materials and condition, and taking precise measurements are important factors in designing the right solar photovoltaic (PV) system.”
To design a solar PV system that maximizes return on investment (ROI), the contractor must also understand the homeowner’s electrical usage patterns. “It’s not enough to know the total kilowatts that are used per hour,” says Mr. Byington. “The contractor should know things like if the customer has a pool and how often they use air conditioning. Factors like that make a difference.”
Maintaining solar PV systems should be relatively easy, because they’re built to be essentially maintenance-free. Mr. Byington suggests washing them with water every six months or so and making sure you have time-of-use (TOU) metering. “TOU metering measures not only how much energy you use, but when you use it,” he explains. PG&E pays for solar-generated power during peak daylight hours at three times the rate it charges for electrical usage at night. Since owners of solar power systems are likely to be net generators of power during the day (when the sun is up) and purchasers of electricity at night, TOU metering maximizes the amount of money they can make from the system.
