5 questions to ask a real estate agent before selling your solar home

There may come a time when you decide to sell your solar home. At that point, you will want a solar-friendly real estate agent that understands the ins-and-outs of solar-powered homes to be able to explain all aspects of your solar energy system to potential buyers, as well as home inspectors, lenders and appraisers. A knowledgeable solar-home listing agent will help achieve the highest valuation possible for your solar home, while demonstrating to others how your solar-power system adds value to your home.

How do you know if your real estate agent will help you get the most value for your solar home? You know your solar home well, and you need a listing agent that is both experienced in selling solar homes and willing to learn the specifics of your solar home. Here are five questions to ask any potential listing agent to determine if they’ll be best for helping to sell your solar home.

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100-watt solar panels: are they enough for you?

As you’re evaluating your solar panel options, one of the top metrics to consider is a panel’s power rating, often referred to as its wattage. The number of watts in a solar panel indicates its overall capacity to produce power, and 100-watt solar panels are on the lower end of the spectrum. Higher wattage panels, like those over 300 watts, are capable of producing more electricity.

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Best solar battery chargers: marine, RV and car battery chargers

Among today’s many uses for solar energy, one increasingly popular way to harness sunlight is with battery chargers that can power common home products. Outside of rooftop and utility-scale photovoltaics (PV), battery chargers might be the next best use for solar energy in terms of efficiency and practicality. A small panel can easily be placed next to a window to charge a phone, and a portable charger can be an easy way to power your car’s battery through the sunroof. In this article, we’ll discuss the many ways a solar battery charger can be useful, including how solar works with cars, boats, RVs and small devices.

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Looking into the future: highlights from the 2019 IREC Vision Summit

On March 6, 2019, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) hosted their inaugural Vision Summit, a conference designed to bring industry thought leaders and policy analysts together to discuss what a clean energy future might look like and what it would take to achieve that vision. EnergySage joined these industry leaders down in Washington, DC to participate in the Summit and to engage with the question of how solar will contribute to the renewable energy transition. Here are our key takeaways from the event.

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AC modules: an overview

When you’re buying a turnkey solar installation, a portion of your total cost is attributed to the labor required to set up your system. Manufacturers are constantly innovating new technology to cut down the time, labor, and costs of installations. As a result, there’s one type of solar panel that’s becoming increasingly popular throughout the solar industry: the alternating current (AC) module, or AC solar panel.

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Q&A with Sol Systems

If you’re a homeowner in a state with Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs), one decision to make as you’re installing a solar panel system is how to sell your SRECs.  There are a number of SREC aggregators who will sell your SRECs for you. One of the most popular of those companies that solar panel system owners elect to work with today is Sol Systems. EnergySage conducted a Q&A with Sol Systems to learn more about their company, what customers should consider when choosing an SREC aggregator, and how they differ from other SREC aggregators.

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