Equipment
EG4 or Sol-Ark for a home backup build?
Why Solar Bear reaches for EG4 and Sol-Ark hybrid inverters on backup builds in PA, NY and NJ, what we will not install, and how to size the design.
Field Notes
Field notes from the Tri-State
Straight answers about solar, battery backup, roofing, and home comfort from the crew that installs them across Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey.
Battery storage
Can I add a battery to my existing solar?
AC coupling or a hybrid inverter swap? How we add a battery to a solar array someone else installed in PA, NY and NJ, and the systems we turn down.
Battery storage
Garage or basement for a home battery?
Garage, basement or exterior wall: where a home battery can live in a PA, NY or NJ house, what cold does to it, and what inspectors check first.
Battery storage
Home battery or generator in Pike County?
A straight comparison of home battery backup and a Generac standby generator for Pike County houses: fuel, run time, noise, upkeep and permits.
Battery storage
Which circuits should my battery back up?
How to choose the circuits a home battery backs up in Pike County and the Tri-State, starting from the loads that keep a house livable during an outage.
How solar works
Do solar panels work in a Poconos winter?
Snow, short days and a low sun angle change what a Tri-State solar array makes in January. The honest seasonal shape, and how the PA netting year covers it.
Bills and rates
What is the price to compare on a PPL bill?
The price to compare is the supply half of a PA electric bill only. How it is set, why shopping never lowers delivery, and what it means with solar.
Bills and rates
What is a net metering true-up in PA?
How a net metering true-up reads on a Pennsylvania electric bill: which kWh credits roll over, when the year closes, and what leftover credits are worth.
How solar works
When does solar permission to operate come?
What each utility interconnection letter means, from application to permission to operate, and how to tell whether your PA solar project is stuck.
Talk to us
Have a question we have not answered yet?
Tell us about your house and what you want it to do. We will look at the roof, the panel, and the utility, and give you a straight answer.