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How Solar Works

Your Guide to Going Solar:
How It All Works

Going solar is one of the smartest ways to take control of your energy bills.
By generating your own clean electricity, you can drastically reduce what you owe to the utility company — or even eliminate it.

The best part? Many programs now make it possible to go solar with zero money out of pocket. That means you can start saving from day one, all while increasing your home’s value.

See Your Savings

Old Electric Bill

$234

Per Month

New Electric Bill

$17

Per Month

See How Solar Powers Your Home

Installing Residential solar panels gives you the power to reduce or even eliminate your electricity bills-and since sunshine is always free, you can even protect yourself from the rising rates of the power companies.
01

Solar Panels Capture Sunlight

Solar panels on your roof absorb sunlight and convert it into direct current (DC) electricity using photovoltaic (PV) cells.
02

Inverter Converts Power

An inverter takes the DC electricity from the panels and converts it into alternating current (AC), which is the type of electricity your home uses.
03

Power Your Home (and the Grid)

The AC electricity flows into your home to power lights, appliances, and devices. If your system produces more than you need, the extra electricity is sent to the utility grid.
04

Earn Credits Through Net Metering

When excess energy is sent to the grid, you earn credits through net metering.

Understanding Net Metering

Net metering is the key to making solar power work effectively for homeowners.

Although programs vary depending on your state and utility provider, the basic concept is simple: your solar panels generate energy throughout the day, often producing more electricity than your home needs. This excess energy flows back into the grid, earning you energy credits—essentially spinning your electricity meter backward.

These credits accumulate over time, much like rollover minutes on a cell phone plan. Then, when your solar system isn’t producing electricity—such as at night—your home draws power from the grid, causing the meter to spin forward again.

However, instead of receiving a bill for this electricity, you use the credits you’ve previously earned to offset the cost.

This process, known as net metering, is what makes solar energy truly beneficial for homeowners. The goal is to install a solar panel system capable of generating enough electricity to fully cover your home’s energy needs. Once achieved, your accumulated credits can dramatically reduce, or even completely eliminate, your monthly electricity bill.

During the day you will likely produce more power than you consume.
During the night you will likely consume more power than you produce.

Transitioning your home is simple.

Qualify Your Home

Not every home is eligible for solar — but about 1 in 4 homes across the Tri-State area are. The first step is to see if your home qualifies and learn how much you could save. With a variety of programs available based on your location, roof type, and energy usage, we’ll help you choose the option that makes the most sense. And if you qualify, you can get started quickly with no upfront costs.

Site Survey & Permitting

After your home qualifies, we schedule a professional site survey to gather detailed measurements and evaluate your home’s electrical system.

From there, we take care of all the heavy lifting—including submitting plans, obtaining local permits, and coordinating approvals with your utility provider—ensuring everything is ready for installation without hassle.

Solar Installation

With permits approved, our certified installers will professionally install your solar system—usually in just one day. Once everything’s inspected and connected, your system is activated and starts generating clean energy and savings. From start to finish, we make it simple, seamless, and stress-free.

See What Solar Could Save You—With Zero Upfront Cost

Here’s the best part: it can save you serious money on your energy bills.
And for qualified homes, there’s no out-of-pocket cost to make the switch. 
Click below to check your savings in less than a minute!
See Your Savings

Local, Reliable, Ready to Help

New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey each offer unique savings — see what's available for your home.

New Jersey

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New York

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Connecticut

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What our Customers say

Teresa
Estrada
Tony and GL his team with ActivSolar arrived on time and completed the job quickly and expertly. They were careful and respectful of our property. With every interaction, Tony has been kind and informative. I am grateful for having worked with him and ActivSolar and we’re so excited for our switch to clean affordable energy!
Emmanuel
Cadiz
Bryan the CEO to Anthony and Edwin to roofing guys and solar guys.i am very happy and satisfied.Thank you so much.more referrals to come.
Jordan
Clark
I went solar! Anthony educated me on everything about solar and how everything works I was sold after our first conversation. He was very helpful and hands on through the whole process & any questions I had got answered. Everything was completed in a timely fashion and I couldn’t be any more happier. Grateful for Anthony and the rest of the team that made this all possible!
Brenda
Melendez
From the beginning of this project, Anthony Jones was extremely professional, completely educated and explaining to me as what would to expect from beginning to end also patients of the saint all the time repeating details and sending the emails including the contracts and step-by-step details before getting permits and everything that is involved in switching to Solar.
Jennifer
Echeverria
Nick Pinn and company did a great job. Easy contract info needed and great knowledge base of company and solar. Good clean up after install.
Cee
DeeBee
The best decision we ever made was to go solar! My electric bill is a little more than $20- just the service charge. Thank you ActivSolar and thank you Anthony and Tim for your assistance and guidance!
Carly
Hwang
We recently worked with ActivSolar to install solar on our home. Anthony was fantastic to work with – he walked us through the entire process and made everything very simple. Installation crew did a very nice job, were respectful of our property and left everything spotless when they were done. My husband and I are pleased with the work. Would highly recommend.
Bill
Heyd
Anthony our rep was kind and knowledgeable and Brian was available for any questions or concerns. The installers were timely, knowledgeable, friendly and kept our yard and workspace clean. Happy we’re now powered by the sun! The website to view generated and used power is great.
David
Owen
Just finished installation process on my solar panels ActivSolar has been a very pleasant experience from Dave and Brian who mapped out our system to Anne in customer service who always got back to us quickly if we had any questions and if she didn’t know the answer right away she found someone who did and got back to us quickly in this day of so so customer support I would give ActivSolar 5 Stars.
Justin
Jimenez
ActivSolar was a great help with getting my family and I to the next level with a new roof and solar panels. Everyone was helpful, friendly and walked me through the process. I’m in construction myself so I appreciate great service. Hunter, our sales advisor, followed up with us every step of the way and made us feel comfortable with choosing his company to do the work.

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How Does Solar Work

Solar panels capture sunlight and turn it into electricity. The panels contain special cells that absorb energy from the sun, creating direct current (DC) power. An inverter then converts this into alternating current (AC) power, which is what homes and businesses use. Any extra energy can be stored in batteries or sent back to the grid.

The biggest misconception about solar is that it requires a big upfront investment. The truth is, if your home qualifies, you can switch to solar with no money out of pocket. There are programs and incentives designed to make the transition affordable, and our job is to help you find the ones you qualify for and show you how much you can save on your monthly energy costs.
You don’t have to worry about that. Solar panels are built to last for decades and come with strong warranties that cover equipment and performance. If anything does happen, the panels are repaired or replaced at no cost to you, so your savings and peace of mind are always protected.
Most homeowners start saving money the very day their panels are installed. On average, people save around $50,000 over the life of their system—and that’s money that would’ve gone to the utility company. Your exact savings depend on your home, energy use, and which programs you qualify for, but the sooner you switch, the sooner you start keeping more of your own money.
It’s simple—just click the “Request a Quote” button. Our experts will evaluate your home to see how much sun your roof gets and what incentives are available in your area. From there, we’ll let you know if solar is a good fit and how much you could save.
The expected lifespan of solar panels is about 25 years, but most continue working well beyond that. Even after the warranty period, panels typically keep producing energy—just at a slightly reduced efficiency—so you can enjoy the benefits of solar for decades.
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