We put a bid on a house with a contract that sounds similar to this. Glad we didn't get it for a lot of reasons and the solar contract is one of them.

You are letting someone else use your roof for free, for a set period of time you can't get out of. Replacing your roof becomes a huge pain. You are also likely agreeing to a set price for the electricity, a price they will tell you is a good price but there are no guarantees. I talked a friend in Boston out of signing one of these and guess what, they are really glad they didn't go with it because the price of electricity they are paying went down significantly due to a city program. They would have been paying.more to this company.

Don't do it.

Leased solar can affect your ability to sell.

Does anyone know anything about Sustainable You, specifically their free solar program for DC home owners? They work with investors who get all the tax advantages from covering the costs and the homeowner just gets the reduced energy bills. We do not currently have funds to invest in purchasing on our own. We have a small rowhouse with a flat roof and no shade so I believe we’re good candidates.

They seem to do all the work with applying to Pepco, designing the array, and managing the installation. Downsides or catches I’m not thinking about?