The Truth About Solar
Posted on February 27th, 2023
How many of you have watched the movie “A Few Good Men,” which stars Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson? Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Cruise) is a military lawyer defending two U.S. Marines charged with killing a fellow Marine at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. However, the Marines were most likely carrying out a “code red” order from a commanding officer. Kaffee takes a risk by calling Col. Nathan R. Jessep (Nicholson) to the stand to uncover the conspiracy.
There’s an iconic scene that still lives today in pop culture. Lt. Kaffee is cross-examining Col. Jessup about the code red that was issued. Col. Jessup finally breaks and blurts out one of the most famous lines in movie history, “You can’t handle the truth!”
In order to handle the truth, you must know the truth. Here’s the truth about solar:
Claim: Have an electric bill as low as $15 a month!
Fact: First Electric has a Service Availability Charge that is currently $25 a month. A fixed charge designed to recover the basic monthly costs of providing poles, wire, transformers, meters, billing, etc.
Claim: The out-of-pocket cost to YOU is ZERO DOLLARS!
Fact: Solar isn’t free OR cheap. If you finance your purchase, it comes at an expense. Especially, if you roll the 30% Federal Tax Credit (FTC) into your solar payment. Your payments are calculated using the sale price minus the FTC; however, the FTC is just that – a credit on your taxes. Your payments will adjust to a larger dollar amount, after a period of time, without reducing payment by the FTC credit amount.
We strongly encourage you to consult a tax advisor for details.
Claim: The electrical production created from solar panels will help offset your electric bill by reducing our dependency on less eco-friendly means, such as coal and natural gas generators.
Fact: There’s a misconception that we can replace gas or coal (baseload generation which is dispatchable 365/24/7) with solar (intermittent electricity). All forms of energy have their strengths and weaknesses, and we continue to balance all forms of energy to achieve our mission of being reliable, affordable and responsible.
If you have a code red, do your homework. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Feel free to reach out to us with questions. We’re happy to help shed some light on it.
Sincerely,
Rick Love
© <a href='https://www.123rf.com/profile_virtosmedia'>virtosmedia</a>, <a href='https://www.123rf.com/free-images/'>123RF Free Images</a>