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Solar Policy Progress!

We wrote a post in our blog explaining that securing sustainable solar policy is not a spectator sport, that it requires all of us to roll up our sleeves and do the work needed.  Leading that charge here in California are our friends over at CALSEIA, and I think it is helpful to motivate others to join in when they can see positive results. 

CALSEIA Staff and Members lobbying in Sacramento, August 2017.

After all, winning begets winning (well, ok, maybe it didn't in Game 7, but wait 'til next year!), and recently CALSEIA published a list of policy victories this year that I thought you would like to see. 

So check it out, so much winning!

AB 1070 - Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego)

Currently solar installers decide what information they will provide to potential clients, and it varies all over the lot, with many companies simply providing "generic" solar system quotes (i.e., this will be a 4.5 kW system for $4.50/Watt).  On the other end of the continuum are the quotes that we provide, calling out all of the equipment we propose to use, how much each line item will cost, a detailed analysis of your savings (using Energy Toolbase, the most sophisticated tool available) and payback over time.  We disclose all of our assumptions (such as energy costs increasing by 3%/year), and lay it all out in a clear and easy to follow format.

AB 1070 will drag some of those less forthcoming companies into the light.  From the legislative counsel's digest:

This bill would require the [CSLB], in collaboration with the Public Utilities Commission, on or before July 1, 2018, to develop and make available on its Internet Web site a disclosure document that provides a consumer with accurate, clear, and concise information regarding the installation of a solar energy system, as specified. The bill would require this disclosure document to be provided by the solar energy systems company to the consumer prior to completion of a sale, financing, or lease of a solar energy system, as defined, and that it, and the contract, be written in the same language as was principally used in the sales presentation and marketing material. The bill would also require, for solar energy systems utilizing PACE financing, that the financing estimate and disclosure form satisfy these requirements with respect to the financing contract, as specified. The bill would also require the board to post the PACE Financing Estimate and Disclosure form on its Internet Web site.

The bill would require the Contractors’ State License Board to receive and review complaints and consumer questions, and complaints received from state agencies, regarding solar energy systems companies and solar contractors. The bill would, beginning on July 1, 2019, require the board annually to compile a report documenting complaints it received relating to solar contractors that it shall make available publicly on the board’s and the Public Utilities Commission’s Internet Web sites.

This is something we have been advocating for a long time.  Hopefully the CSLB and the CPUC will craft an easy-to-understand document that will help consumers make meaningful comparisons between competing quotes.  We are also pleased that this requires the contract language to track the language of the sales presentation and marketing materials - which in many cases they do not.  On top of that is the requirement for the CSLB and the CPUC to document complaints against solar contractors and to publicize those complaints on their website for all to see.

This bill won't solve the problem of shady solar contractors, but it is a giant step in the right direction.

AB 1414 - Laura Friedman (D-Glendale)

It used to be that local jurisdictions could charge whatever they liked for solar permits, and getting those permits could take weeks, even for the smallest resi-install.  That was changed a few years ago and permit fees for small PV systems were capped at $500, although realistically, they are supposed to be limited to the actual cost of providing the service.  Some jurisdictions have done a lot to live up to the spirit of the requirement, and both the City of Los Angeles and LA County now have very reasonable permit fees.  Other jurisdictions, however, magically charge that $500 maximum no matter what.   Funny about that.

The cap on those fees was due to expire come January 1, 2018, but AB 1414 extends the cap for seven more years, and lowers the cap from $500 to $450, and extends the cap for both ground-mounted systems as well as solar thermal systems.  Big win.

Other Wins

Some other victories include:

• AB 634 - Susan Eggman (D-Stockton) - prohibits HOAs from establishing a general policy that forbids the installation or use of a rooftop solar energy system for household purposes on the roof of the building in which the owner resides, or a garage or carport adjacent to the building that has been assigned to the owner for exclusive use.
• AB 1284 - Matthew Dababneh (D-Calabasas) - Requires PACE lenders to make a “reasonable good faith effort” to ensure borrowers have the ability to repay their loans based on income, assets and current debt obligations.  Too often shady contractors prey on low-income and/or non-native English speakers to sign up for PACE loans that they really do not understand.  This law should help curb that practice, along with...
• SB 242 - Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) - Mandates that PACE providers have calls with all homeowners before they take out the loan to ensure they understand the terms.

Collectively these measures strengthen the solar industry in California, while providing important consumer protections.  CALSEIA's work - and that of its members - was key in achieving these results. 

But there's lots left to do - CALSEIA's legislative analysis list has many "Failed" entries on it where vital measures were either stalled or defeated outright.  So get involved - this is not a spectator sport!

How NOT to Advertise for Solar

We see lots of ads for solar companies - most banal, some clever, some downright fraudulent.  Sadly, it is the last of those three that concerns us today.  Not a day goes by that someone doesn't try to get us to sign on to their lead generation campaign, and we tell them we don't buy leads.  Here's why...

Consider this ad that we came across on Facebook:

There is so much wrong with this that it is hard to know where to begin.  This is a sponsored post, which means that it is an advertisement - but for whom?  They have a Facebook page, and a link to a website, but no information about who they are, or where they are located.  As of this writing they have 744 reviews, 723 are 5 star, but oddly the bulk of those came on the same day!   But moving on, let's check out the lede: "Attention CA Homeowners: There's a new 2018 policy your energy provider does not want you to know!" No, actually, there is no such "new " policy in  2018, at least as it relates to solar. Then the ad veers into making claims about Tesla's (not really a product) Solar Roof, so the reader would be forgiven if they assumed that this was a Tesla/SolarCity ad - but it is not.  (And the weird picture next to a Tesla PowerWall has nothing to do with the (not really a product) Solar Roof, so why is it there, other than to get the name Tesla before the reader?) But here's the real tease: "First 300 Qualified Applicants Even Have FREE Install. Click to see if qualify!"  (Nice proofreading there!)

Well, who doesn't love free?  Boy, I wonder if I can qualify?  Let's click and see...

Okay, kinda creepy that it knows I'm in Pasadena, but I wonder what that Solar Panel Program might be?  How about this gem of mangled syntax: "California Government has categorized the Solar Energy in one of its key campaigns, and now you can reap the benefits." What does that even mean? In case your sense of urgency is not high enough, they've got this incentive: "Solar programs are so popular that the California resident-only fund is running out of money." Let's be perfectly clear - there is no such "California resident-only fund" for solar.  Everything about this ad is misleading, and intentionally so. What happens if you foolishly click on "See if you qualify?"

They harvest your contact information and sell it to solar companies who purchase scammy leads like this.  And then your phone will start ringing, from both real people and robocallers, trying to convince you to buy solar from a company whose ethics are so sketchy that they agree to do business with these folks.

If you are thinking about going solar, please avoid traps like these.  They are plenty of real, honest, local solar companies that would love to help and not rip you off.  And hey, if you are reading this, you've already found one!

Preview of Coming Attractions…

We are very close to a major new product announcement, and we are really excited about it. So excited that we are taking December 1st off to attend a hands-on training behind the Orange Curtain. Assuming all goes as planned, we expect to start taking reservations in mid-December with installations to begin in 1Q18!

This is something that many of our clients have been asking about, and we are eager to tell you all about it! Watch this space…