Understand solar before you sign anything.

The first question isn't which system. It's whether solar fits your life for the next 20–25 years. Four factors tend to matter most: your monthly electric usage, the condition and orientation of your roof, how long you plan to stay in the home, and how you want to pay.

A homeowner with a $90 bill, a north-facing roof, and plans to move in three years is rarely a good candidate — even if the sales pitch is compelling. A homeowner with a $220 bill, a south-facing roof in good condition, and no plans to move is usually a strong fit. Most people fall somewhere between those two, which is exactly what the Solar Decision Framework™ is designed to sort out.

Buying or financing means you own the system. You get the federal tax credit, keep the incentives, and typically see the largest long-term savings. You are also responsible for the asset. Most homeowners finance rather than pay cash.

Leasing or a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) means a company owns the system on your roof. You pay a fixed monthly rate (lease) or a per-kWh rate (PPA) that is usually lower than your current utility bill. Zero upfront cost, no maintenance responsibility — but no tax credit, smaller lifetime savings, and a 20–25 year contract that must be assumed or bought out if you sell.

Neither structure is a scam and neither is universally right. The real question is: are you trying to own an asset or lower this month's bill? Answer that first.

If you own the system outright, it stays with the home and generally increases the sale price — studies from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have documented a modest but real premium. Financed systems can either be paid off at closing or transferred with the mortgage buyer's approval.

If you have a lease or PPA, the new buyer has to qualify with the solar company and formally assume the contract. Most do, but some buyers get spooked by the added paperwork, and a small number of deals fall through because of it. This is not a reason to avoid leasing — it is a reason to think carefully if a move is likely within the next five years.

A typical asphalt-shingle roof lasts 20–25 years. Solar panels are designed for roughly the same lifespan. If your roof is more than halfway through its life, the right sequence is: replace the roof, then install solar. This avoids paying to remove and re-install the system a decade from now (typically $2,000–$5,000).

A qualified installer will assess roof condition during the site visit. If a reviewer waves off the roof and pushes you to sign immediately, treat that as a red flag — not a green light.

Three incentives typically stack in New Jersey:

• Federal Residential Clean Energy Credit — a percentage of system cost credited against your federal tax liability. You need enough tax liability to use it.
• SuSI / SREC-II payments — New Jersey's successor to the original SREC market, paying homeowners for the clean energy their system produces.
• Net metering — see the chapter below.

Programs, rates, and eligibility change. What was true two years ago may not be true today. Ask for a written breakdown with dates, not verbal promises.

A home battery stores your solar production so you can use it at night or during a grid outage. In states with time-of-use pricing and unreliable grids, batteries make strong financial sense. In New Jersey, with full-retail net metering, the financial case is weaker — most of what a battery would do, net metering already does through the grid.

Where batteries shine is resilience. If losing power for a day would genuinely disrupt your household — medical devices, a home office, a septic pump, a family member who can't handle the heat — a battery may be worth it even without a payback period. Buy it for what it actually delivers.

When your solar panels produce more electricity than your home is using, the extra flows back to the grid. Your utility credits your account at the full retail rate for each of those kilowatt-hours. At night, or in December, you draw power from the grid and use those credits.

Over a year, most well-sized systems in New Jersey offset the vast majority of household usage. Two things to expect: (1) you'll still see a bill each month for delivery charges and connection fees, and (2) the utility "trues up" once a year, which is when unused credits are settled.

• "Solar is free." It isn't. Even a $0-down lease is a 20–25 year payment obligation. The right framing is: is this a better long-term deal than what you're paying the utility today?
• "Panels don't work in the winter or when it's cloudy." Production drops, but it doesn't stop. Annual sizing is designed around all four seasons.
• "Solar will destroy my roof." A proper install is more likely to protect the roof underneath the array than to damage it. Sloppy installs cause leaks; that's an installer issue, not a solar issue.
• "I have to decide today to get the price." No. Any real incentive is documented and available for weeks or months. Pressure to sign on the first visit is a sign to slow down, not speed up.