Under the right circumstances, you will end up paying nothing for solar…because you will have lower bills that will cover the costs…eventually.
The company that sells you the panels is going to finance them with loans that will be taken in your name. They will get the energy credits and keep them. So you will sign an agreement to pay a standard monthly rate based on your usage for the duration of the contract which is typically 20 years.
So…your monthly bill will be for the standard utility connection, plus any electricity you use over the output of the array you buy.
There will be times when you won’t generate enough with your solar…and other times when you have a surplus…it balances out in the end. And it balances out over the YEAR.
Actually…really, you are taking a loan…after 20 years you will have paid for the panels and they will be yours.
You will STILL be paying something. But you will be paying less for your energy costs during the purchase time…that 20 year period…than if you bought directly from the grid.
That 20year lease of the solar panels stays with the house…and you cannot buy it out. It transfers to the next owners of your house. And this can be a good thing…because your new owner will know their electric bill for the duration of the remainder of the 20 years.
If you want to do this…you need to talk to the company…they will evaluate your house, the efficacy of solar installation, and whether this is really worth their while (you need to be able to get enough power via solar…or it isn’t worth it to the solar company). The two young folks can facilitate getting your site evaluation done.
If you are going to be in your house more than ten years…it’s worth considering.
ETA…it’s a Loan…and the more you put down…the less you will be paying per month.
You CAN buy the solar system outright…and own them from the get go…but that would cost $30,000 on average.
The reason most people do a loan…is because the company than assumes any maintenance issues.
You can buy outright and get a maintenance warranty in addition.