If you’re seriously considering buying solar panels for your home, your first step should be to use our Solar Calculator to figure out the costs and investment returns of a solar power system for your home.
Our process is very simple:
The Site Visit
Because each house, roof, and location is different, we’ll need to come to your home to evaluate the solar potential of your home, gauging the amount of unshaded roof space you have available for solar panels.
Review Options
We’ll talk to you about the costs and benefits of different sized systems and sketch out what each system would look like on your home. You can choose how much of your electricity you want to offset with your panels (depending on available roof space) - ranging from 25% to 100%. The more panels, the more electricity your system generates. Most installations are limited by available roof space and provide 25-50% of the home's electricity.
Installation
Once you decide to move forward with the installation, you can sit back and relax. We’ll write up a contract and secure all necessary electrical and building permits. We’ll also help you fill in and file the paperwork for your rebates from the federal, state and local government. The installation usually takes 2-3 days.
All Astrum Solar installations are designed and supervised by NABCEP-certified installers (NABCEP is the National Board of Certified Energy Practitioners).
NABCEP certification is the one nationally recognized and credible standard proving that a solar panel installer is a professional who has put in the necessary time and training and exhibits the requisite knowledge to correctly design a solar electric installation to function properly and optimally. NABCEP certification requires experience and training and passing of a very difficult 4 hour exam. (Only a few installers in the state of Maryland have this certification.) Customers using NABCEP-certified installers can be confident they are receiving a well planned and high-functioning system. To locate installers on NABCEP's website, click here for the NABCEP Installer Locator agreement, which provides access to the Installer Locator page.
Enjoy Sunny Days More than Ever; We’ll Do the Rest
Once the installation is complete and the system is hooked up to the grid, you can begin to experience the daily joys that come from being solar, whether you’re watching your meter run backwards, confidently plugging in all your electronic devices, or beaming with pride at your electricity bill.
A team of 2-5 people will climb on your roof to install the racking system which then supports the panels. The panels will create DC electricity from sunlight which will then be converted into AC electricity used in your home by a device called an inverter.
As part of our commitment to research and provide the most advanced technologies for our customers, Astrum Solar uses micro-inverters in its installations. Unlike older bulky inverters, microinverters attach to each individual panel on the roof, avoiding the need to place a large inverter box in your basement. They also increase your system's production by about 9% and come with a 15 year warranty as opposed to the standard 10 year warranty usually found on traditional inverters. From the microinverters, a wire will run to your main electrical panel. An electrician (part of our crew) will make the connection between the inverter and the electrical panel and make sure the project meets electrical codes.
Once the system is installed, and inspected, your utility company needs to come out and connect it to the grid so that the system is net-metered and can contribute power to the grid. They will replace your meter for free with a new meter able to run backwards when you generate more electricity than you use. The system is also inspected by other state and local agencies to make sure it complies with various codes, which should be no problem.
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