Q. How long of a rental agreement do I have to sign?

A. One year, five years, or 25 years. Over 80% of our customers sign the 25-year contract because that locks in your rate for the entire term of the contract. If you sign a shorter contract, your rate is recalculated according to current energy rates at the end of the term.

Q. What happens if I sign a 25-year contract and I want to sell my house in 10 years?

A. You have three options.

First, you can ask us to move the system to your new house. We do that one time for free.

Second, you can transfer the contract to the new owner. This can potentially add value to your house because if energy rates keep going up like they are and they are 40% higher in 10 years, your buyer would get a 40% decrease on their energy bill because of your foresight.

The final option is that you can contact us, tell us that you want to end the contract and we will remove the unit. With this third option you do lose your security deposit.

Q. Okay. I want a system on my house. How does it work? What is the process?

A. You sign up online and one of our Independent Ecopreneurs will help you each step of the way. There are some simple questions to answer about your amount of shade, the direction of your roofline, etc. Then, the later half of 2008, a solar engineer will come to your house to design your system.

Q. What if I don't like the design? Am I still obligated to the contract?

A. No. You can back out of the contract with no penalty.

Q. Okay. I like the design. I want the system. What's next?

A. A security deposit of $500 for the average KWp system is required, which you will get back at the end of the agreement, with interest. A few months later after all the permitting an manufacturing is done the system will be installed. The permit process can take as much as 90 days depending on how cooperative the local utility is, but we handle every step of the process and you don't pay anything until your unit is producing renewable, clean power for your home. The average installation usually takes about a day.

Q. What exactly do I pay? How is that calculated?

A. You pay a rental for the amount of energy that your system produces, which will be slightly less than what you pay your electric utility now. You are actually producing your own power from the sun. Our solar engineer will go through your past energy bills. Then, if you are interested, they will walk through your house and show you how to save energy. Taking all this into consideration, they will calculate how much energy your personal solar system will need to produce in order to supply electricity for all of your needs. They will then design the system to supply that energy. You simply pay the rate per kilowatt hour that is on your contract for all the clean, renewable energy that your system produces.

Q. Do you have any hidden fees, or maintenance charges?

A. Nothing extra. We have no connection fees or any of those"extras" that other companies like to tack on. The government is not trying to tax the sun yet.

Q. So will I have two bills? One from the us and one from my utility company?

A. Yes. You will pay us a rent for the power your system produces and you will pay your utility

company the same connection fees you pay now, plus you will pay them for any excess

power you use that exceeds the contract.

Q. What does that mean, exceeds the contract?

A. If, at the end of the year, you used more energy than what you contracted for and your system produced for you, then you would need to pay your utility company for the excess energy that you used.

Q. And what rate would I pay for that energy?

A. You would pay your utility's current rates. Sorry, we cannot do anything about their rates…but look at it this way. You will be using a lot less of that polluting power and the energy you rent from us will always be the same guaranteed low rate. No surprises. If you read about rising energy prices, you can smile to yourself knowing that your solar energy costs are locked in for the length of your contract.

Q. But in my first year, I am just paying the same rate that I was paying before, right?

A. Often it is actually less. We base our rates on the yearly average for your utility. So we have to base our rates on the prior year. Since rates tend to go up each year, many customers will save money on their first bill, and this will only increase as the years pass. We provide a calculator on our website that will tell specifically what they will save with their particular utility and their monthly usage. Many customers save over $10,000 just by upgrading to solar. Our whole mission is to help people join the solution and stop being part of the problem.

Q. Please give me an example of what my monthly bill might be…

A. Let's say you contracted for us for your system to produce 12,000 kilowatt hours for the year and your contract rate is 10 cents a kilowatt hour. Your total bill for the year would be $1,200 for the rental of our solar unit. With most utilities, you have some months that are higher and some lower. You never know. It is hard to budget. We have a system called "Even Pay" where, in this example, you would simply pay us $100 a month every month. Simple.

Q. What happens if I contract for a certain amount of kilowatt hours and then my kids go off to school or we want to travel 3 months a year?

A. Your system is remotely monitored automatically every day. If your solar engineer notices that your usage has dropped, they will contact you to see if this is a permanent situation or just a short-term fluctuation. If this will be a permanent decrease in your energy usage, they will come out and remove the proper number of panels and readjust your contract.

Q. And how much will that cost me?

A. Nothing. We make solar simple.

Q. What happens if something breaks or goes wrong?

A. We have a complete worry free performance guarantee. If the unit ever stops working, one of our franchises will rush out to fix it for free. The customer has no rental charges until the system is working again so we are motivated to get it fixed fast.

Q. What if my kid hits a baseball through one of the panels?

A. It is just like renting a car or any appliance. You are responsible for returning it in good condition. If you backed your car over your electrical meter, you would be responsible for replacing that, also. We recommend that customers contact their homeowners insurance to double check that the unit will be covered under their policy. Usually there is not a problem.

Q. Wouldn't I save money in the long run if I just bought a solar energy system?

A. Actually, no. Renting can save you a significant amount of money, and it protects you from a large investment risk. If you buy solar panels and invest $40,000 you are tied into that technology for a long time. If something new and better comes along, you can't switch because your $40,000 would be wasted. This is highly unlikely, but let's say a new technology comes out 10 years from now where you can get clean electricity for 2 cents a kilowatt hour and you have a contract with us for 10 cents a kilowatt hour.

If you break your contract with us you lose your security deposit, usually $500. Let's say your bill is $100 a month with us and it would be $20 a month with this amazing new imaginary, highly unlikely technology. So you would be saving $80 a month. You can simply contact us and tell us you would like to cancel your contract. You would lose your security deposit. But that is a lot better than losing $40,000.With our growing distribution channel and our Research and Development, it is likely that us will distribute any new technology like this and we will do everything possible to make our current customers happy.

Q. I understand that your manufacturing plant is not completed yet, is that right?

A. Correct. The first systems will be ready to install the second half of 2008. The plant will be the largest in the world... 600,000 sq.ft. and employ 3,500 Americans 24/7 in the NorthEast part of the US.

Q. So why would I sign up now?

A. First because you lock in your rate as soon as you sign up. With the way rates are increasing, this could save you a significant amount of money.

Second, you reserve your position so you can get your system sooner once the plant is producing.

Third, it also helps us show the market how many people will go green if we provide an offer that makes sense on every level, including economically.

Q. What happens if I sign the contract and you never finish the manufacturing plant?

A. The contract would be void and cancelled. We need to honor our end of the contract just like you will honor yours.But the risk is all ours... no deposit is required until after you have the solar engineer visit and design your system.

We understand that this is a revolutionary concept. The big power and oil companies have

been saying for years that solar power has no market. They have a vested interest in making

that claim. It is hard to see the truth when your paycheck depends on not seeing it.

We are proving them wrong. We have to. The risks are too big if we don't.

The only way that change is going to happen is if we create a better vision. For that vision to

be sustainable, it needs to make economic sense for all parties involved. Electricity

production is the number one source of pollution in the United States. We are not asking

you to sacrifice anything. In fact, you can save a significant amount of money by upgrading

your home to solar.

When was the last time you could save money and do the right thing?