Solar Brokers USA Helping the Environment while Helping Yourself save money

Article by: Aya Furin-Campbell

With the rising prices of electricity and the environmental need for less greenhouse gas emissions that directly contribute to global warming, solar panels are a perfect solution for people to help themselves while also helping the planet. As solar panels increase in popularity, more and more homeowners are asking themselves whether this is the right decision for them. Wayne Brechtel is the owner of Solar Brokers USA, which provides solar systems for residents in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware and Washington DC. He has been in the solar industry for 11 years working to help spread the word about the vast benefits of solar energy and increase the number of solar-powered homes across the country.

According to Brechtel, with every new home powered by solar energy, that’s another house not needing energy from the coal plant. Not only that, but this sustainable energy source will “bank” any extra energy from really sunny days to utilize on cloudy days or at nighttime, this is done through the program called net metering. Going solar is also financially rewarding because it not only opens doors for incentives such as county, state, and utility company incentives, Solar Renewable Energy Credits, federal tax credits, and energy grants, but also once the panels are paid off, that homeowner no longer has to worry about paying anything for their electricity!

“You can pay a coal plant for the rest of your life with no end in sight. Or you can get an electric generating machine that doesn't make any noises, doesn't hurt anything, just goes on your roof and comes with a 25-year warranty,” Brechtel said, in explaining some of the benefits of solar panels. “There are no moving parts, it never has to be oiled or greased or anything. There are no engines involved. The sun just hits it, the power is sent to your electric panel, and it makes all the electric devices in the house work from your pool to air conditioning to your lights to the everyday fridge. If it’s connected to your electric panel, then the solar will take care of it, and you will not notice a thing.”

What makes Solar Brokers stand out from some of the other solar companies is that Solar Brokers will work to ensure that as many homeowners as possible who are interested in solar panels can find a way to get them installed, independent of certain specific factors about their house that may make it more difficult. Solar Brokers is set up with some of the main solar installers in the area and will go over with you the best options and pricing that fits your needs and home. They are a group of experienced solar sales consultants with thousands of combined customers throughout the area, with a goal of finding the best options, finance programs, and pricing for the customer.

Another way that Solar Brokers helps its customers with its versatility, is by providing the option to buy the solar through a solar loan with no upfront costs, or lease the solar panels. “Leasing was really popular when solar first came out because the cost of the system was prohibitive,” Brechtel said, “But now since there are so many incentives and the economies of scale have brought the pricing down, buying has started making more sense, and especially in certain areas like Maryland where there are so many incentives.” However, Brechtel still believes that a PPA lease, or a power purchase agreement lease, can be a great choice. In that case, a homeowner could lease the solar with a lower monthly payment than they currently pay the utility, and then eventually can buy the system one day down the road after year 5 if they’d like. In the end, consumers could end up fully owning the solar panels and having no electric bill to pay anymore which is the goal as the recent inflation over the last year or so has caused electricity rates to skyrocket.

Between the attention to the needs of their clients and the adaptability within the offered services, Solar Brokers USA has gained a strong reputation among consumers leading to extensive recommendations and referrals. “We have so many great customers and we get a lot of feedback from them. We want to stay in contact with our customers so we know the expectations that were set were met.” “We want people to spread the word because sometimes there’s nothing better than talking to a homeowner that says, ‘I had installed a year ago, my bill has been zero with the utility like you said, and I’ve gotten all these incentives back and my solar system is already half paid off, and hopefully in the next few years it’ll be paid off completely and I’ll never have another electric bill!”

So why not go solar? On top of all the incentives and environmental benefits, according to Brechtel, technology has developed so that the panels typically make 100% of that homeowner's electricity. “There are so many roofs that are just facing the sun all day. The shingles are just collecting the heat and putting it into the attic. What a waste, and put that roof to work!” Brechtel said. He and the rest of his team truly believe that solar energy is the future, and he likes to point out that there are over 250,000 Marylanders that already have solar.