Titan Solar

We had Titan Solar gives us a quote for a 10kw system. They disappeared, and when asked questions, they took weeks to get back to us with wrong answers.

We asked for references and received one person's contact information. They were not Titan Solar fans, unfortunately. So, we asked for a positive reference, and Titan Solar disappeared again. We have not heard from them in over 100 days.

From the beginning, we wanted to get solar because it's good for the environment. During their pitch, they told us these lies. 1. We will never have to pay an electric bill again.

2. The solar panels add value to the house. 3. The loan for the panels will be paid by the home buyer.

Let me begin from the beginning and address these lies. We live in an area serviced by an electric cooperative, and our cost-per-kilowatt is just over ten cents. When we moved out here 10 years ago, the cost was four cents per kilowatt. Our house is small, and we rarely have an electric bill over $200 a month.

We asked the solar company to quote us a 10-kilowatt system. They came out, took measurements, and disappeared. The number we were given was out of order, and no one else ever called us back. We knew they pulled the permit because we ran into the county official at the grocery store, and he told us.

Six months later, they called to ask if we were ready to install the system. This was when we finally received the quote. It was $4.96 per watt, for a total of $47,000. This was approximately $170 a month for 25 years.

They promised a warranty for those 25 years. Having heard from homeowners' estimates of what they paid for their solar system, we asked for references. This quote was about twice the cost per kilowatt of what we expected. It also did not give us any monthly savings.

When I questioned the quote, they poured on the hard sales tactics. They told us that the solar would increase the value of our home by $30,000. This is a blatant lie. I have searched the peer-reviewed scholarly research and found nothing indicating buyers are willing to pay more for solar.

In conversations with three local appraisers, they tell me the same. I posted the question on my Facebook business page and hear from another Tallahassee appraiser who said the same. The solar panels add NO VALUE to the house. We spoke to our electric cooperative about installing the system.

They pay way less for our panels' electricity than we are charged by them for electricity from the grid. They need to cover their expenses. They did tell us that if we had the bigger 12-kilowatt system we were considering, we would have to carry additional insurance to cover the electric coop. This was in case any of their linemen were accidentally hurt by our system supplying power to a line they thought was turned off.

This is Florida, so finding an insurance company offering the solar rider that the energy company required was difficult and expensive. Even if you do not carry the additional insurance required by the electric company, you will need to increase your personal property coverage to cover the costs of the panels if they are damaged in a storm. By the way, unless you install batteries, you will need to stay connected to the grid for power overnight. The electric company does charge you monthly for that connection.

So, even if you can generate three times the electricity during the day than you use at night, you are STILL GOING TO HAVE A BILL from the power company. Since this is a loan for a system attached to the house, it would present a cloud on the title at closing. This means it would need to be paid off or assumed by the new buyer if the property changes owners. In Tallahassee, lenders are not allowing buyers to assume the loan.

One more comment about the roof installation process. The solar guys were going to install the panels on our roof. Our roof is 10 years old. It will need to be replaced in the next ten years for insurance purposes.

That would mean removing the panels and having them reinstalled with the new roof. When the installers showed up unannounced, they were not roofers. They had no business touching our roof when they were not licensed to do so! Beware!!

Roofs installed by non-roofers may not be insurable and fail at higher levels. Their argument that the monthly bill for electricity would stay the same for 25 years was their strongest argument. If true, it would add to a lot of savings over time.

This was the only argument that had any merit, and it assumes that there will be no repairs or panel replacements in 25 years. It's doubtful any system can survive 25 years in our brutal heat and rain without a repair.

Titan Solar Power - North Carolina n- Purchase Agreement signed August 9, 2021. New system was activated on May 18, 2022(!) (Titan held 78% of the final cost for 7!

months before system activation.) Intermittent production began on December 28. Technician arrived 16 days after requesting service. Said to call SolarEdge (inverter) next time it happens. Intermittent production starts again on February 2.

SolarEdge says it is a grounding issue - call Titan. February 28, 2023 - Called Titan - they say two to three weeks out to get service. Voice message from Titan on March 13, saying technician will be out on March 31. So far, nearly three months since the problem began.

$31,142.50 for a system that is not currently working at all... Those are the facts.