SUMMIT NATIONALENERGY
THE HOMEOWNER’S SOLAR GUIDE
Cash: buy the system and take responsibility for ownership. PPA or lease: preserve upfront cash, with a long-term payment agreement. Both can leave a utility bill.
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YOUR NEXT MOVE
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Upload my bill →TWO WAYS TO GET SOLAR
Cash is a purchase. A power purchase agreement, or PPA, is a long-term agreement to buy electricity from a system someone else owns. Some markets offer a lease instead: you pay for use of the equipment.
CASH PURCHASE
Pay for the installation upfront. No ongoing solar purchase payment or financing interest. You still pay for electricity you need from the utility.
MONTHLY PPA / LEASE
Eligible $0-down programs avoid the system purchase. The provider owns it; you make contracted payments and retain a utility bill for remaining charges.
$0 down and program availability are subject to eligibility and approval. Axia financing overview · California Solar Consumer Protection Guide
You do not have to choose today. Request a side-by-side estimate based on your bill.
Compare my optionsTHE NUMBER THAT ACTUALLY MATTERS
Compare your total electricity spending for the same period. A PPA is a shift in where you buy power, not a promise that your utility bill disappears.
Ask for first-year costs, future scheduled payments and a no-utility-rate-increase scenario. An escalating PPA payment is a contract obligation. Rising utility prices are an assumption.
Payback is when accumulated net savings recover your upfront cost. Include remaining utility charges, upkeep and replacements, and only verified incentives. No interest does not mean instant payback.
A production guarantee is not a savings guarantee. California export credits can differ substantially from the retail price of electricity, so generation alone does not establish bill savings. CPUC net billing information
KNOW WHAT COMES WITH EACH OPTION
Ownership gives you greater flexibility over the asset. Changes still need to respect warranties, permits and utility interconnection requirements.
The complete installed price, equipment, battery and backup scope, site adders, payment milestones and separate warranty terms. Compare installation workmanship, roof penetrations, panels, inverter and battery coverage individually.
Our eligible cash-project offer includes Solar Insure’s SI-30 Solar: a 30-year limited warranty for covered panels, inverters, optimizers and racking, including parts and labor for covered repairs. It is not included unless confirmed in your written quote; activation requires certified-provider enrollment and an issued warranty certificate.
Eligible equipment defects and failures are covered under the warranty terms. Roof protection is limited to resealing and reflashing within 3 inches of solar installation penetrations, not a whole-roof warranty.
Battery coverage is separate. With Powerwall 3, the integrated inverter also needs explicit coverage confirmation. We confirm the exact equipment and coverage in your proposal.
Workmanship, wiring and property damage are not blanket-covered. General electrical workmanship and production or performance guarantees are excluded. Solar Insure is not a replacement for homeowner’s insurance or the installer’s warranty.
Review Solar Insure’s terms and exclusionsNo. It depends on your price, tariff, production, costs and time in the home. Cash avoids financing interest, but ties up capital. Compare lifetime net benefit and payback, not a PPA’s monthly savings against a cash purchase price.
For new installations placed in service after December 31, 2025, the federal residential clean energy credit under Section 25D is unavailable. We do not subtract an assumed 30% credit from your cash price. Other incentives need separate verification.
Check the IRS guidanceNo. Grid electricity, fixed charges and how exports are credited can leave a bill. Storage may improve self-consumption, but it does not eliminate every charge.
Axia describes a 25-year monthly program. Your actual state-specific agreement controls the product, payments, service coverage and exit options.
No. A loan finances a purchase. A PPA charges for electricity generated; a lease charges for using equipment. Neither a PPA nor a lease makes you the system owner. We identify the actual offer in your comparison.
It may. Compare the quoted starting rate or payment, annual escalator, billing basis and total scheduled cost. Axia training describes both no-escalator and escalating choices; availability must be confirmed. Check whether the displayed payment assumes autopay.
Provider-managed service reduces the work you manage, but it is not “zero liability.” Check exclusions, damage responsibility, roof work, access requirements and battery replacement terms. Covered repairs do not erase your payment obligations.
Review buyer qualification, transfer, buyout pricing, removal and renewal deadlines before signing. Ownership does not automatically become free. Do not assume an unrestricted buyout after year five or a cost-free early exit.
FTC consumer guidance · Axia payment options. Confirm the current Aurora-generated agreement before committing.
DESIGN FIRST. PAYMENT SECOND.SAME HOME. SAME DESIGN.
Our starting design pairs Qcells 430W panels with Powerwall 3 when storage is appropriate, subject to Axia availability and site review. Do not compare a solar-only price with a solar-plus-backup offer.
BEFORE YOU SAY YES
You review the proposal before any decision. If you proceed with monthly solar, eligibility checks and program onboarding follow; Axia’s current process includes a video welcome call. “No consultation required” applies to getting your estimate, not a promise of no verification calls or credit checks later. Engineering, permitting, installation and utility approval follow the agreed process.
TURN CLARITY INTO YOUR OWN NUMBERS
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