Does anyone else pay more for monthly energy now than before solar?

[mustardjo]

Was wondering if anyone else is paying more now that they have solar panels installed than they did pre-solar? We have had our solar panels installed two years in may. ESP Energy Service Partners installed them. We actually pay about $2000 more for our energy since we had them installed. We were under the impression solar was going to save us money...NOT with ESP! Plus we have a UCC lien on our home. RUN for your lives if a door-to-door salesman comes knocking. If it is ESP....he won't be registered...he will tell you a bunch of lies...he will run off after he gets paid...and ESP won't honor anything he told you because "our salesman was not an employee of ESP...he was an independent contractor. ESP does not have to honor anything he says." Then you will get stuck with a 20-year $30k loan/lien that actually raises your average monthly energy costs.

[Mike 134]

When you say more it's because of the cost of the loan/lease correct? You see less Kilowatt Hours used every month, no?

[azdave]

I'm guessing that the drop in his monthly electric bill is no where near enough to compensate for the new solar loan payments.

There is little we here can do for you after the fact. You appear to have been sold a bunch of promises by a salesman who only wanted a quick commission. It is an industry where customers are easily fooled into believing the promised savings are worth the risk. Sadly, you aren't the only one being taken advantage of in the residential solar market. There are hundreds of people being fleeced by these folks.

About all we can probably help you with is to confirm that what you have on the roof is performing properly so you get as much benefit as possible. If you feel your system is not performing properly, you can post up all the details of your system and run it by the folks here or go to the PVWatts website and enter the data yourself to compare your performance to others in your area.

https://pvwatts.nrel.gov/

[mustardjo]

We feel more should be done thru state or federal law to protect consumers from this type of scam.

[J.P.M.]

We feel more should be done thru state or federal law to protect consumers from this type of scam.

Kind of like door-to-door siding peddlers huh ?
Can you explain the reasons for the $2K increase in energy cost(s) ?
I'm sorry that you probably got screwed, but more self-education and due diligence on your part would probably have lowered the probabilty of you being dissatisfied.
Relying on others to come to the rescue, including and mostly gov. bureaucracy usually comes to a bad end.
Caveat Emptor applies as always.

[RichardCullip]

I doubt I have missed out on any bargains, but my standard answer to any one who rings our doorbell to peddle something is "No Thank You". The sole exception is for Girl Scout cookies.