The biggest negatives for the solar panel lease game:
1. If you sell your home, the new owner must accept the lease. This limits re-sale customer pool.
2. You must accept a 2.9% annual increase in your electric bill, regardless of market conditions. The pitch: look how fast you electric bill is rising the past few years. The risk: the increases in rates may have reached a peak for a while, but you signed up for 2.9% increase while your neighbor’s bill goes down.
“1. If you sell your home, the new owner must accept the lease. This limits re-sale customer pool.”
I for one would like to see this challenged in court. For example, the initial homeowner could simply dismantle the solar installation, deliver same to the “leasing” company, and photograph it along the way.
Bottom line as I understand it: solar never pays, without government subsidies. And most consumers need the extra push of monthly payments, be they leases or time payments on the initial cost of installation.