Frequently Asked Questions

We believe solar should be affordable for everyone, and offer multiple financing options. You can opt to host panels on your roof, paying nothing for their installation, and simply pay for the electricity. Or, you can purchase the system outright, or finance your system with 0-10% down. We’re happy to talk through your options with you.

We’re glad you asked, and we wrote a whole blog post on that exact question. DC’s solar incentives, like Solar Renewable Energy Credits, or SRECs, as well as the 30% federal solar tax credit, make it possible for us to offer no-cost solar. Through our program, we count as the system owner, so we receive the incentives, which help us cover the cost of installation. You receive cleaner energy and lower electric bills!

Uprise installs solar on flat and pitched shingle roofs. South-facing roofs are ideal for solar panels, but east- or west-facing roofs work well too, and we assess your roof’s condition before we install panels. If your roof is nearing the end of its lifespan, you may want to consider replacement or a new coating (in the case of flat roofs) before solar. We’re a roofing company as well as a solar company, and have an in-house experienced roofing team to help get your roof in great shape before solar. We’d be more than happy to talk you through your options! Learn more about which roofs work well for solar here.

You’ll want to find out if a solar company is certified, licensed, and insured. You’ll also want to see if they have experience installing in the DMV, and check out their reviews. Here are 10 questions we recommend you ask any solar installer before you make your decision, and red flags to watch out for so you can avoid solar scams.

Your power bills help us optimize your solar design, and figure out how much solar will save you. We want you to get the most out of rooftop solar, and your past electric bills will help us ensure you do. Find out more in our blog post.

Each solar panel has 60 or 72 solar cells, which include a semiconductor, typically silicon. The silicon converts sunlight into direct current electricity. Then, your solar system transforms this direct current electricity into the alternating current electricity your home consumes. Read more about how this works in our Solar 101 blog post!

Solar typically saves homeowners 50 to 80% on electricity bills. Your precise savings will depend on how much electricity you use, how many panels are installed on your roof, and how much of your electricity use those panels offset. Your utility costs with solar should be significantly less than they were before solar (and if they’re not, we want to know so we can help troubleshoot!).

If you receive solar through Uprise’s no-cost solar program, you’ll pay Uprise for the electricity your panels generate (at a lower rate than what you’d pay your utility company), and you will continue to receive a bill from your utility company for any power you need at night or when it’s not sunny.

Yes! This is called net metering. When your rooftop solar panels generate more electricity than you use, you sell the excess power back to your electric company, which then gives you a credit on your power bill. Read more about how it works on our net metering page, and in our blog post about what your power bill will look like with net metering.

If you purchased your system, in DC you’ll break even in around three to five years, thanks to the 30% federal solar tax credit, thriving Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) market, electricity savings, and net metering. Elsewhere in the DMV, the solar payback period is longer since SRECs are not as valuable, but we estimate customers will break even in seven to nine years in Maryland, and eight to ten years in Virginia.

Installation typically happens over one to two days. Check out our blog post to learn more about what you can expect on install day.

Technically, you don’t need to install any batteries with your solar panels. Batteries give you more options and may save you money, but they can be expensive. We walk through the pros and cons in our Energy Storage 101 blog post.

The short answer: no, you don’t need to clean your panels! Our rain in the DMV often does the job for you. That said, if we ever go through a dry spell, you can spray your panels off with a hose. (Avoid using chemical products like Windex or harsh scrub brushes to avoid scratching the panels.) If it’s not safe to get up there and clean them yourself, you can call us to come clean them for you. Learn more about solar panel cleaning in this blog post.

Our expertise isn’t just in installation, but in maintenance as well. If your solar panels aren’t performing as expected, please reach out to us and we’d be happy to troubleshoot for you. Learn more about solar panel maintenance here. We provide maintenance even for systems we didn’t install.

Solar panels still produce power on cloudy, foggy, or rainy days, just not as much as they would on a sunny day. They can also generate electricity in light snow, but again, not as much as they would in direct sunlight. (They do love cold and sunny days!)

Systems tied to the grid — aka your solar panels — go out also. It is not safe to send power out to the grid when utility workers are attempting to fix a power outage. If you have batteries, your system can continue operating, but you won’t be able to draw power from or send power to the grid until the outage is resolved.

If your roof has room, it’s possible. When the Uprise team puts together the design for your roof, we account for space and which direction your roof is facing. Solar panels generate the most power on south-facing roofs; so if you have room on a north-facing side, for example, or a very shaded side, it may not make sense to add more panels. But we’re always happy to talk you through your options. Just give us a call or email us.

No, your home will still be connected to the grid after we install solar.

Yes! According to Zillow research, houses with solar panels sell for around 4.1% more. Buyers today are more conscious of a potential home’s sustainability. Zillow’s Consumer Housing Trends Report showed over 80% of home buyers find energy efficient features to be important.

Nope! DC, Maryland, and Virginia all offer property tax exemptions for solar.

We do recommend telling your insurance company. While solar won’t necessarily raise your insurance rates directly, you might need to increase your coverage to account for their added value to your home. This could lead to a modest premium increase, estimated to be around $50 per year on average. Contact your insurance provider to get a precise quote for your situation and ensure your investment is fully protected.

If you own your solar panels, you can sell them along with your home. If you financed your system, you can either pay off the loan when you sell, or you can transfer the loan to the new homeowner. (Just remember that transferring the loan is subject to the lender’s loan terms.) And if you went solar through Uprise’s no-cost solar program, let us know you’re moving and we can transfer the contract to the new owner. Here’s our blog post on why we think it makes sense to install solar even if you plan to move.

The panels Uprise recommends have a 30-year warranty, although some solar panels may last 40 years or more. It’s important to note solar panels can still generate clean energy after those 40 years, they’ll just be doing so with less efficiency. Find out more in our Solar 101 blog post.

Once we install your panels, we’ll provide you with access to a monitoring app, where you can track how much clean energy your panels are generating, and how much your home is consuming. And rest assured that Uprise monitors all the solar projects we install as well. If there’s an issue with your panels, chances are we’ll catch it before you do!
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There are several ways to conserve energy, from switching to energy efficient appliances to installing LED lightbulbs to using a smart thermostat. Check out our blog post on 10 DIY energy efficient projects you can do to upgrade your home and save power!

Not to worry! Uprise offers one uninstall and reinstall if you need a new roof within 20 years.

We love talking solar with you! Get in touch by calling us at (202) 280-2285, emailing us at info@uprisesolar.com, or filling out our online form. We look forward to hearing from you.