Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to install solar panels?

Installing a residential solar panel system safely and professionally takes us 2–5 days onsite. Your particular solar panel installation may vary depending on the size, location, and type of installation (ground mount, steep roof, flat roof, tile roof, typical composition shingle roof, etc). 

Prior to installing solar panels we also perform a required onsite pre-design inspection and then have our solar engineers design the solar project — this process is done in a few weeks. The longest task is waiting for permits for a solar installation from the city/county/AHJ and grid interconnection permission from your electric utility, which usually takes at least a month. A realistic timeline for installing solar panels start to finish is between 2 and 4 months.

How much do solar panels cost?

Home solar panels today typically cost less than $300 per panel. Solar panels were once incredibly expensive and their cost made up the bulk of the price of an installation. Today’s residential-sized solar panels (about 6’x3.5’) are rated at about 410 W and wholesale at about $250 each, which is less than the cost of a similarly-sized car windshield (also made of extremely tough tempered glass).

The cost of a full solar panel installation can vary considerably depending on a number of variables, like project size and the type of installation, and includes design, engineering, materials, labor, permits, and taxes. A typical residential solar installation in Kansas or Missouri is about 7 kW (approximately 18 panels) and, after the 30% tax credit, will often cost between $14,000 and $20,000. 

Are solar panels worth it?

Of course solar panels are worth it, otherwise we would not be in this business! Besides the massive environmental benefits of clean solar power both locally and globally, there are huge financial benefits to installing solar panels. Solar panels increase your home’s resale value and create energy savings every month on your electric bill.

Studies show houses with solar panels sell faster and for more money than non-solar homes, with this added value sometimes even exceeding the cost to install solar in the first place! But luckily you don’t need to wait to sell your home to realize a return on your solar investment as you will be saving on your electric bill every month. With rate hikes from your utility the value of your savings actually increases each year!

What are Tier One solar panels?

Cromwell Solar has never installed anything but a “Tier One” solar panel. The Tier One rating is the highest panel rating available and denotes a quality solar panel from an economically stable manufacturer. The Tier One rating is given by Bloomberg and denotes solar panels that banks can lend money for, and be comfortably assured the product will perform and the manufacturer warranties are good.

Can you install solar panels yourself?

You can install solar panels yourself, but installing them and integrating that power to your home’s electrical panel is very complicated. It’s more on a par with the skills needed for upgrading your electrical panel than installing a ceiling fan. 

If you do have the skills and knowledge to install solar yourself, you will need to check with your local code officials to see if you have the authority to perform the installation. If you are able to install your own solar, Cromwell Solar can still help as we sell solar panels, inverters, and all the other equipment needed to install your own solar.

Is leasing solar panels better than buying them?

There are several ways to purchase solar for your home including buying (either buying outright or using cash financing to buy) and leasing. The difference between buying and leasing solar comes down to who owns the solar system. For instance, if you purchase the solar you naturally own it and get the tax credit, but with leasing the bank “owns” the system and thus gets the tax credit. 

Leasing used to be the only way to get solar for your home without an upfront expense but today amazing solar loan options exist that allow you to get solar with no money down and receive a big tax credit. With great options now to finance solar panels, leasing solar is very rare.

What is a Tesla Powerwall?

A Tesla Powerwall is a brand of lithium-ion whole-home battery designed to power a home. A Powerwall can be installed either with or without solar panels, and functions as a battery backup. A big advantage of installing a battery backup system is that, like having a generator, your electricity stays on during power outages.

Unlike a generator, a Powerwall is silent and your home or business will transition from grid to battery power without a second of power loss. Additionally, if “time of use” electric rates are available, a Powerwall can recharge itself in the middle of the night during cheap electric rate times, a process called “time-of-use” metering, and then power the home during the daytime when rates can be as much as ten times higher than at night.

How hard is solar panel maintenance?

One of the great things about solar panels is the lack of required regular maintenance. Amazingly, solar panels work without any moving parts that would wear out and need service. As the panels need to see the sun to work, any buildup of dust or pollen can reduce their efficiency — but in all but the driest climates, natural rainfall will clean solar panels just fine and no cleaning is needed. 

Can hail damage solar panels?

Solar panels are made of the same tough tempered glass material as a car windshield and do not damage easily. The tough solar panels that Cromwell Solar uses can take a golf-ball-sized hailstone hitting it at over 100 mph. Cromwell has now installed hundreds of thousands of panels in the storm-prone Midwest over the last 40 years and we have had no more than a handful of individual panels damaged by hail. If your solar panels are damaged, we can repair or replace them for you.

What do I need to know about getting solar panels in Kansas? What do I need to know about getting solar panels in Missouri?

Going solar in Kansas or Missouri is a straightforward process. Federal law requires your utility to allow you to install solar panels, so no matter where you are in Kansas or Missouri, you have the right to go solar. 

Kansas and Missouri both have a great solar resource managed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and both states have plenty of rain to keep the panels clean and performing great. Using a high-quality and local solar installation firm is important as most national companies are dazzling at in-home sales but fall woefully short in delivering what they promise; subcontracting the design and installation to the lowest bidder, resulting in poor quality and a lack of service or repairs later on. 

Can I connect solar panels to the grid in Kansas? Can I connect solar panels to the grid in Missouri?

Since 1978, federal law (the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, or PURPA) has required your utility to allow you to get solar panels and connect to their grid. No matter where you are, including anywhere in Kansas or Missouri, you have the right to go solar. Whether you have residential solar or commercial solar, all utilities in the U.S. have to allow solar panels to be connected to the grid.

Can extreme weather damage solar panels?

Extreme wind and hail make Midwestern solar panel installations different from those done in other areas of the U.S. An experienced, professional, and conscientious local solar installation firm like Cromwell Solar will only use top quality hail-rated panels and installation methods designed for winds over 100 mph. We have even had several of our solar systems get very close to direct tornado hits — one of our systems was still working great despite a 2x4 that had speared through one of the panels (we replaced one panel and they were as good as new). With the correct solar panels and installation methods your solar panel installation will handle extreme weather very easily.

What is net metering for solar, and do we have it in Kansas and MIssouri?

All utilities in the U.S. must allow solar to connect to their grids (according to federal law dating from 1978). Most of these utilities, including in both Kansas and Missouri, allow that connection to be done using a policy of “net metering.”

True net metering is where the utility takes any solar energy you make in excess of your building’s immediate needs and gives you a 1:1 credit for that power that you can use another time when your system is not actively producing all the power your building needs.

All of the major utilities, and most of the minor ones, across Kansas and Missouri have a policy of true net metering. At Cromwell Solar we know all of the utility policies in Kansas and Missouri (from the more than 100 utilities!) and will model your solar panel system according to your local policies. We’ll even fill out the paperwork you need to ensure that you get the best possible rate in your area.

Is my roof good for solar panels?

A roof that is in good shape and has direct sun at least part of the day is great for solar. Most roofs we see are in good enough shape to install solar panels on. But in some cases repairs or replacements might be a good idea prior to solar installation, especially because solar panels will last for 40 years. Cromwell can even repair or replace your roof as needed!

For a pitched roof, any roof face not facing north will work. Those facing south, southeast, or southwest perform slightly better than those facing due east or west. As part of the process of getting a quality solar proposal, we perform computer modeling of your proposed solar project to calculate your estimated solar power production based on your location and the pitch and orientation of each solar panel on your roof. If your roof is too shaded for solar, we can recommend which trees to trim or, if you have the space available, we can propose ground-mounted solar panels.

Can I install solar panels on my garage roof, barn or outbuilding?

Absolutely, we often install solar panels on buildings other than homes. Putting solar panels on detached outbuildings like garages and barns is often a great choice. The building doesn’t need to have electricity itself, we can get the power to your main building.

Can you install ground-mounted solar panels in my field or yard?

For properties with available land, like rural homes, businesses, and farms, we can install solar panels on ground mounts. Ground-mounted solar panels sit up above the ground a few feet (to avoid weeds shading them) on their own frames. As ground-mounted solar panels need to have a frame built, they cost a bit more than a roof-mounted solar project, but we can perfectly adjust the pitch and orientation to get optimized power output from a ground-mounted solar array.

Can you build a solar panel pergola?

Yes! We have built many custom wood pergolas with solar panels for both homes and businesses and have installed solar on some pre-built shade structures as well. A solar panel pergola provides shade and produces power.

What are the advantages of a solar carport?

For businesses, installing a solar panel carport is great as you improve the function of a parking lot by providing shelter from the sun and elements to parked cars while producing energy for the nearby building. A solar carport is a dramatic feature that projects an image of a forward-thinking business.

Can you install solar panels on a flat roof?

Yes, you can put solar panels on a flat roof. Solar is often installed on flat roofs using a ballast system that does not penetrate the flat-roof membrane. Many of the largest roof-top projects Cromwell Solar has installed have been on the flat roofs of warehouses and industrial buildings, and we have done many solar installations on residential houses with flat roofs as well.

Where do you work?

Cromwell Solar has done projects in eight Midwestern and Mountain states so far, but mostly installs solar panels in Kansas and Missouri. For residential solar we work throughout Kansas and Missouri. 

Can I combine solar panels with battery backups or a generator?

Combining solar panels with a battery backup system or generator is great, as long as it is installed correctly. Most solar installers do not have the technical skills to combine solar with a backup system. Cromwell is often asked to fix systems that others have done incorrectly! Many people imagine solar panels with batteries as an off-grid, totally independent setup. But we can, and normally do, install battery backups or generators with solar and stay connected to the grid until there is an outage, in which case the system becomes independent and keeps your power running.

Do solar panels work at night?

Whenever your building power needs are not 100% met by your solar panels, any additional power that is needed is drawn from the utility grid. So at night when your solar panels do not produce energy, your home or building is being powered by the grid. Excess power produced during the day is fed back onto the grid and under net metering is credited to you to use at night. If you have a battery backup system installed alongside your solar panels, you can charge your system with excess power during the day, and draw it at night to reduce your reliance on the grid.

Does solar work in the event of a grid outage?

Some solar systems do work during a grid outage, but not all of them. Solar panels that are connected to the grid will feed excess energy you don’t need back onto the grid. Power being fed back onto the grid during an outage could harm linesmen working on the grid, so a solar project without batteries (that can self-isolate) shuts down. If your solar panel system is connected to a battery, you can continue to receive power seamlessly during blackouts by switching to battery backup power.

Are there incentives for solar panels?

Federal solar incentives increased significantly in 2023 for both residential and commercial solar. A 30% federal solar tax credit now exists for both residential and commercial solar, battery, and/or EV charger projects. Commercial solar projects also receive a very generous bonus depreciation on the costs of going solar. Rural businesses may also receive a USDA REAP grant worth 50% of the cost of going solar. In Missouri, depending on your utility, you may qualify for an additional solar rebate typically worth $0.25 per watt (about 8% of the cost of installing solar panels).

Can I go off-grid with solar panels?

Cromwell does install off-grid solar systems, but they can get pricey as we need to increase the number of solar panels in the project and add plenty of batteries and typically a backup generator for use during extreme situations. Most of our truly off-grid systems are small, isolated buildings needing limited power, but we have worked with some interesting super-low-energy and “net-zero” homes that we have taken totally off-grid with solar.

Are solar panels covered by homeowners insurance?

Solar panels are typically covered by your existing homeowner’s insurance and will require no additional coverage or cost. We always recommend checking with your insurance carrier to make sure that yours is not one of the few exceptions, but as most home insurance carriers cover solar panels there are plenty of options to switch to if yours is problematic.

Can an HOA deny solar panels?

Many states including Missouri have “solar access laws” that prevent a homeowners association from banning solar panels. As of 2023, if you live in Missouri your HOA cannot stop you from installing solar panels on your roof (they may still restrict ground-mounted solar). Unfortunately, Kansas has no such law preventing the denial of solar, though Cromwell is advocating for one. Almost all HOAs in the Sunflower State do allow solar, though some may ban them on the front of the house or have other restrictions. Even if you live in an HOA neighborhood that denies solar in Kansas you can always ask for an exception. Cromwell has worked with many homeowners in Kansas to get their HOAs to allow solar.

If I finance solar panels, can I transfer the loan to the new homeowner?

Most solar financing companies do allow a transfer of a solar loan from one owner to the next. Naturally, the new owner would have to qualify for the loan. The financing firms Cromwell Solar works with allow transferability and have no prepayment penalties if you wish to pay them off early.

Do solar panels increase home value?

Installing solar panels on your home or commercial building will increase its value and decrease the time it takes to sell. One definitive study led by Berkeley Lab and Sandia National Laboratories found an increase in home value at over $4 per installed watt of solar. That worked out to about $15,000 in increased home value for an average solar installation. With an average cost of residential solar at about $3 per installed watt, that means installing solar panels could increase your home’s value by more than they cost to install!

Are solar warranties and interconnection agreements transferable to new homeowners?

Yes, both warranties and interconnection agreements for solar panels can be transferred to new homeowners.

Can I get solar panels if my roof is shaded?

When Cromwell Solar proposes a solar project, we model the performance of each individual panel and account for expected shade. Our modern software uses a series of aerial images taken at various angles to predict the shade of your roof at various times throughout the year. This modeling can help inform us where we should place solar panels on your roof (or where the ground-mount solar should be located) and whether we’d recommend tree trimming.

What is net metering and is it different from parallel generation?

Net metering and parallel generation are two ways utility companies handle excess power sent back onto the grid. In net metering, excess power produced by your solar panels is credited at a 1:1 rate for use later. Whereas in parallel generation you sell the excess power to the utility at a wholesale rate.

In both net metering and parallel generation, when your solar panels are making energy that your building needs, you use that homemade energy first, avoiding buying it from the utility so you are always getting full retail value for that energy. A professional engineering-based solar company like Cromwell knows how to size a solar project according to the utility buy-back policies and will correctly model any excess power you are expected to produce.

How long do solar panels last?  

Solar panel technology is mature and proven and high quality Tier One solar panels should last 40 years or more. While solar panel performance does decrease slightly with age, these declines are small. Most panels are guaranteed to produce 90% of the power they would when brand new even after 20 years.