Anonymous
05/08/2026 10:56
Subject: Declines in solar panel output
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Yes, this sounds like exactly the kind of disappointment a lot of homeowners are waking up to.
5 to 10% output loss per year is not normal for properly functioning solar panels. Most reputable systems degrade closer to about 0.3% to 0.8% annually, not massive yearly drops. If someone is seeing that kind of decline after only five years, something is wrong, whether it's inverter issues, failed panels, poor installation, wiring problems, shading changes, or misleading original projections.
And that is where many people feel scammed. The sales pitch is usually "huge savings, guaranteed returns, low maintenance," but when production underperforms, suddenly the homeowner is stuck chasing warranty claims, arguing over monitoring data, and finding out there is no real guarantee of savings at all.
We know someone dealing with the same thing. Big promises upfront, then later it becomes "well results vary" and if the system is not functioning properly or underperforming, you may get little or nothing back while still having paid the full install cost.
This industry has been way too full of aggressive sales tactics, unrealistic payback timelines, and companies disappearing or dodging accountability after the install. Some systems work well, but far too many homeowners were sold dreams instead of real numbers.
Disagree that this is common. I actually wonder if it happened at all. There may be some shady operators out there (I certainly wouldn’t buy a tesla solar roof) but it isn’t hard to find a solid one. There are lots of solar coops that manage group purchasing and get good deals with solid companies.
We do know there are lots of people out there trying to spread FUD about solar because it threatens their investment in fossil fuels etc.
Tesla is the best one
Tesla may be the best solar ROOF. But for traditional panels, I did not find their options or prices competitive. We had installed SolarCity panels on our old house before Tesla acquired them, on a prepaid 20-year lease (the net cost to us was quite low, like under $1,000, because SolarCity passed us the D.C. tax incentive that was in place back then). When we moved, I looked into Tesla for our new house. They wanted to install lower-output panels for more money than any other firm I talked to.
Anonymous
05/05/2026 17:06
Subject: Re:Declines in solar panel output
Most of the “services” use the absolute cheapest-made panels manufactured in China with the bare minimum / worst materials.
You’ll be blocked from finding out who actually made the panels themselves.
Usually, a failure component = total system shutdown until it’s replaced.
5 to 10% output loss per year means it’s the lowest-quality, cheapest-made panel possible.
You’ll be blocked from finding out who actually made the panels themselves.
Usually, a failure component = total system shutdown until it’s replaced.
5 to 10% output loss per year means it’s the lowest-quality, cheapest-made panel possible.
Anonymous
05/05/2026 08:33
Subject: Declines in solar panel output
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Yes, this sounds like exactly the kind of disappointment a lot of homeowners are waking up to.
5 to 10% output loss per year is not normal for properly functioning solar panels. Most reputable systems degrade closer to about 0.3% to 0.8% annually, not massive yearly drops. If someone is seeing that kind of decline after only five years, something is wrong, whether it's inverter issues, failed panels, poor installation, wiring problems, shading changes, or misleading original projections.
And that is where many people feel scammed. The sales pitch is usually "huge savings, guaranteed returns, low maintenance," but when production underperforms, suddenly the homeowner is stuck chasing warranty claims, arguing over monitoring data, and finding out there is no real guarantee of savings at all.
We know someone dealing with the same thing. Big promises upfront, then later it becomes "well results vary" and if the system is not functioning properly or underperforming, you may get little or nothing back while still having paid the full install cost.
This industry has been way too full of aggressive sales tactics, unrealistic payback timelines, and companies disappearing or dodging accountability after the install. Some systems work well, but far too many homeowners were sold dreams instead of real numbers.
Disagree that this is common. I actually wonder if it happened at all. There may be some shady operators out there (I certainly wouldn’t buy a tesla solar roof) but it isn’t hard to find a solid one. There are lots of solar coops that manage group purchasing and get good deals with solid companies.
We do know there are lots of people out there trying to spread FUD about solar because it threatens their investment in fossil fuels etc.
Tesla is the best one
Anonymous
05/05/2026 05:42
Subject: Declines in solar panel output
Anonymous wrote:Yes, this sounds like exactly the kind of disappointment a lot of homeowners are waking up to.
5 to 10% output loss per year is not normal for properly functioning solar panels. Most reputable systems degrade closer to about 0.3% to 0.8% annually, not massive yearly drops. If someone is seeing that kind of decline after only five years, something is wrong, whether it's inverter issues, failed panels, poor installation, wiring problems, shading changes, or misleading original projections.
And that is where many people feel scammed. The sales pitch is usually "huge savings, guaranteed returns, low maintenance," but when production underperforms, suddenly the homeowner is stuck chasing warranty claims, arguing over monitoring data, and finding out there is no real guarantee of savings at all.
We know someone dealing with the same thing. Big promises upfront, then later it becomes "well results vary" and if the system is not functioning properly or underperforming, you may get little or nothing back while still having paid the full install cost.
This industry has been way too full of aggressive sales tactics, unrealistic payback timelines, and companies disappearing or dodging accountability after the install. Some systems work well, but far too many homeowners were sold dreams instead of real numbers.
Disagree that this is common. I actually wonder if it happened at all. There may be some shady operators out there (I certainly wouldn’t buy a tesla solar roof) but it isn’t hard to find a solid one. There are lots of solar coops that manage group purchasing and get good deals with solid companies.
We do know there are lots of people out there trying to spread FUD about solar because it threatens their investment in fossil fuels etc.
Anonymous
04/28/2026 21:59
Subject: Declines in solar panel output
Yes, this sounds like exactly the kind of disappointment a lot of homeowners are waking up to.
5 to 10% output loss per year is not normal for properly functioning solar panels. Most reputable systems degrade closer to about 0.3% to 0.8% annually, not massive yearly drops. If someone is seeing that kind of decline after only five years, something is wrong, whether it's inverter issues, failed panels, poor installation, wiring problems, shading changes, or misleading original projections.
And that is where many people feel scammed. The sales pitch is usually "huge savings, guaranteed returns, low maintenance," but when production underperforms, suddenly the homeowner is stuck chasing warranty claims, arguing over monitoring data, and finding out there is no real guarantee of savings at all.
We know someone dealing with the same thing. Big promises upfront, then later it becomes "well results vary" and if the system is not functioning properly or underperforming, you may get little or nothing back while still having paid the full install cost.
This industry has been way too full of aggressive sales tactics, unrealistic payback timelines, and companies disappearing or dodging accountability after the install. Some systems work well, but far too many homeowners were sold dreams instead of real numbers.
5 to 10% output loss per year is not normal for properly functioning solar panels. Most reputable systems degrade closer to about 0.3% to 0.8% annually, not massive yearly drops. If someone is seeing that kind of decline after only five years, something is wrong, whether it's inverter issues, failed panels, poor installation, wiring problems, shading changes, or misleading original projections.
And that is where many people feel scammed. The sales pitch is usually "huge savings, guaranteed returns, low maintenance," but when production underperforms, suddenly the homeowner is stuck chasing warranty claims, arguing over monitoring data, and finding out there is no real guarantee of savings at all.
We know someone dealing with the same thing. Big promises upfront, then later it becomes "well results vary" and if the system is not functioning properly or underperforming, you may get little or nothing back while still having paid the full install cost.
This industry has been way too full of aggressive sales tactics, unrealistic payback timelines, and companies disappearing or dodging accountability after the install. Some systems work well, but far too many homeowners were sold dreams instead of real numbers.
Anonymous
04/19/2026 21:25
Subject: Declines in solar panel output
OP, do you have one or two inverters? One of your inverters may have failed and needs to be replaced. You need to have your system checked.
Anonymous
04/18/2026 21:18
Subject: Declines in solar panel output
Anonymous wrote:You need to clean them. We live in SoCal and clean ours every year.
That's because it doesn't rain where you are. It rains and snows here, so we don't need to clean them.
OP should probably clean them just to show the installer that's not the issue, but this really sounds like bad equipment. OP, what was promised in the sales paperwork?
Anonymous
04/14/2026 16:36
Subject: Declines in solar panel output
Clean them and see if your output improves.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:How often are you cleaning them?
We’ve never cleaned them. I posted on the home forum asking for a recommendation for a cleaner and everyone said that you don’t need to clean them around here.
Anonymous
04/12/2026 16:38
Subject: Declines in solar panel output
You need to clean them. We live in SoCal and clean ours every year.
Anonymous
04/12/2026 16:29
Subject: Declines in solar panel output
Anonymous wrote:How often are you cleaning them?
We’ve never cleaned them. I posted on the home forum asking for a recommendation for a cleaner and everyone said that you don’t need to clean them around here.
Anonymous
04/11/2026 10:29
Subject: Declines in solar panel output
How often are you cleaning them?
Anonymous
04/11/2026 10:27
Subject: Declines in solar panel output
They should lose 1% or less per year. Of course conditions may be more or less favorable for generation at any given time but our experience is that over a year that more or less balances out.
I have never heard of anyone losing 25-50% output in 5 years but if that really happened you should talk to the installer.
I have never heard of anyone losing 25-50% output in 5 years but if that really happened you should talk to the installer.
Anonymous
04/11/2026 10:21
Subject: Declines in solar panel output
We had panels installed 5 years ago. Looking back over archival data, it looks llle the panels are on average decreasing in output 5-10% per year. Is this normal? I’m regretting getting them because it seems like this is not really worth while. This March, the 18 panels produced 400 kWh.