I too worked with Chad Thompson and found him to be 100% professional, attentive, and honest. Chad clearly explained the process, the timeline, and the different options. I would strongly recommend buying the panels as opposed to renting them for several reasons.
First, when you buy the panels yourself, an honest company like Solar 360 will set you up so your net electrical bill will be $0 over the course of the year. They don’t sell you more panels than you need. We needed only 14 panels and they were able to install all of them on the back of the house where they are not even visible from the street. If you see a house where the roof is completely covered with panels, you know they are leasing them and their Solar company is using every square inch of their roof to maximize their profits (they sell the extra energy that is collected, while you still pay them for what you use).
Secondly, when you buy the panels, you – the homeowner – benefit from the tax credits. Finally, the panels you purchase stay with your house, increasing your equity when you sell your home, as opposed to having to find a buyer who is willing to negotiate a new lease with the existing Solar company.
Anyhow, Solar 360 detailed the whole process for me so I knew what to expect. They handled everything, with the exception of my HOA. Installation was seamless and very quick – A day and a half from start to finish. They used the finest panels available (see the video on their site) and did everything they could to make the installation appear seamless.
We’re two months into summer and I still have $150 credit on my SCE bill and we’ve been running the A/C whenever we want. I expect the panels to pay for themselves in 6-8 years, plus add a significant amount of equity to my home.
Thanks, Solar 360!!!