- How much energy does an electric car really use? An electric SUV uses about 29 kWh per 100 miles; the gas version burns the energy of about 120 kWh. EPA figures, and what charging adds to your home's use. Read the answer →
- SunPower app not working? Here's what happened The SunPower (mySunPower) app broke when SunPower shut down in September 2024. Why it stopped, whether your panels are fine, and how to see your data now. Read the answer →
- Local-only or cloud: which SunPower monitor should you get? A local-only monitor keeps your solar data at home with no account. A cloud monitor can reach you when you're away. What each one gives up, side by side. Read the answer →
- How to monitor SunPower solar without a subscription Three ways to see your SunPower production without a monthly fee: SunStrong's free tier, an Enphase gateway swap, or a monitor on the gateway you own. Read the answer →
- The SunPower web portal shut down — where did it go? The SunPower web portal, the mySunPower app, and the support line all shut down on September 20, 2024. What replaced them, and how to get your data back. Read the answer →
- The SunPower app now charges a fee — why, and what your options are Why the SunPower monitoring app now costs about $9.99 a month, what the free tier still includes, and how to see your own solar data without a subscription. Read the answer →
- How to get panel-level data from SunPower and Enphase microinverters Per-panel output, temperature, and voltage from a SunPower PVS6 — what the local interface exposes, why the free tier hides it, and how to read it yourself. Read the answer →
- Why is my electric bill going up when I have solar? Six reasons a solar home's bill climbs — rate rises, true-up timing, time-of-use, added use, degradation, and faults — and how to tell which one is yours. Read the answer →
- My SunPower PVS6 has failed — what are my options? When the PVS6 gateway itself dies: whether your panels still work, whether a used one off eBay is safe, what commissioning involves, and when to walk away. Read the answer →
- SunPower went bankrupt — is my warranty still worth anything? The company warranty is gone, but the equipment warranties from Enphase, Maxeon, Qcells, Fronius, REC, and Fimer survived. You claim from each maker yourself. Read the answer →
- Selling or buying a house with SunPower solar: does the warranty transfer? Owned: the surviving equipment warranties follow the house, but each manufacturer sets its own transfer rules. Leased or PPA: it is a contract assignment. Read the answer →
- PVS6 returning 403 unauthorized? Here's what's actually going on A PVS6 403 doesn't mean what most guides say. What we measured on real gateways, the actual local auth call, and what it takes to keep a local setup running. Read the answer →
- Can't log in to SunStrong? There are two different logins SunStrong has two logins: one to pay your bill, one to watch your solar. Which is which, and what to do if you own your system outright. Read the answer →
- Who is SunStrong, and why do they have my solar system? Who SunStrong Management is, how they got your SunPower or Sunnova system, which login you need, how to reach support, and what you still control. Read the answer →
- Can't get hold of SunStrong? Here's what actually works SunStrong support routes, why owners report long waits, the public complaint venues that exist, and how to see your own solar production while you wait. Read the answer →
- Does cleaning solar panels actually make a difference? Most roofs never need cleaning — rain does the work. When it genuinely matters, the risks nobody selling it mentions, and how to measure any change. Read the answer →
- Enphase quoted me for a monitoring upgrade — do I need it? Enphase's monitoring upgrade kit is not cheap. What Enlighten gives you free, when the upgrade is genuinely the right buy, and what a cheaper box does. Read the answer →
- Enlighten app not working — what to check Enlighten down, stuck loading, or not updating? Your panels are almost certainly still producing. What to check, in order, and what the outage doesn't cost. Read the answer →
- Does WattHacker work with my solar system? WattHacker supports SunPower PVS5 and PVS6, Enphase IQ Gateway, and Tesla Powerwall with either. Where SolarEdge, APsystems, and others stand, and how to ask. Read the answer →
- How to tell if a solar panel is shaded or broken Shade has three shapes in per-panel data: starts late, stops early, or a bite from the middle. How to tell it from a failing panel, and what it costs. Read the answer →
- How a solar panel and a microinverter work together Where DC volts and amps actually come from, what the microinverter does with them, and the three reasons it deliberately caps your power — from a real roof. Read the answer →
- Why solar panels make less power when they're hot Hot panels make about 1.5–2% less power for every 10 °F. Why heat does it, what's normal, and how to tell heat and shade from a panel that needs a look. Read the answer →
- Plug-in solar in California: what SB 868 actually allows SB 868 makes plug-in solar legal in California from January 1, 2027: up to 1,200 W, certified kits only, no utility approval or fees. What it leaves open. Read the answer →
- Adding plug-in solar to rooftop solar in California: will it cost you NEM 1 or NEM 2? SB 868 doesn't stop a solar owner adding a plug-in kit, or protect your net metering. The 10%-or-1-kW rule, the open questions, and what to check first. Read the answer →
- Can plug-in solar go in a regular wall outlet? Do I need a new breaker? California's SB 868 says 'a receptacle', not 'a standard outlet'. Why the wording changed, the breaker problem behind it, and what to check first. Read the answer →
- Do I need a permit for a heat pump in California? What SB 222 changes Yes, but SB 222 caps it at one permit: $150 for a heat pump water heater, $200 for heat pump HVAC, with online permits and remote inspections coming. Read the answer →
- Will a heat pump lower my electric bill in California? On PG&E's 2026 rates, RMI models most Bay Area homes saving with a heat pump on the Electric Home rate. Older-rate bills were near break-even; why they differ. Read the answer →
- Will my gas utility pay me to go all-electric? AB 2313 explained AB 2313 makes California gas utilities offer cash to go all-electric instead of replacing your gas line, if it's due within five years. Amounts are set later. Read the answer →
- Balcony solar vs. rooftop solar: what does each really cost? Plug-in kits cost $1.23–$2.16 a watt; rooftop solar $2.60–$3.36 installed. Per kWh, about 6¢–9¢ vs 8¢. Payback, the tax credit, and why kit size matters. Read the answer →
- Best balcony solar kits: we worked out the payback on 10, and one clearly wins 10 U.S. plug-in kits ranked by delivered price per watt. Bright Saver's 360 W pays back fastest, 4.2 years at the U.S. average rate, but ships to seven states. Read the answer →
- How much power does balcony solar really produce? A 400 W panel on a south-facing railing makes about 323 kWh a year in Seattle to 504 in Denver. Hung straight down, 61–70% of a tilted panel. Six cities. Read the answer →
- Is balcony solar legal in my state? Permits, PTO, and the 2026 list Ten states have signed plug-in solar laws, from Utah to California, and New York's awaits the governor. Limits, start dates, permits, and the rules elsewhere. Read the answer →
- Will balcony solar affect my net metering? Plug-in kits get no net metering credit under any state law we found, and Vermont bars net-metered homes from adding one. What a kit can do to your NEM. Read the answer →
- Is balcony solar legal in Connecticut? Yes. Connecticut's law took effect October 1, 2026. It allows one plug-in kit per electric meter, up to 1,200 W, with no utility approval or fee. Read the answer →
- Is balcony solar legal in Virginia? From January 1, 2027, Virginia allows up to 1,200 W with no utility approval or fee, but you must notify your utility first. Until then, normal approval. Read the answer →
- Is balcony solar legal in New Jersey? From about March 1, 2027, New Jersey allows up to 1,200 W with no utility approval, fee, or notice. Until then, a kit needs your utility's permission. Read the answer →
- Is balcony solar legal in New York? Not yet. New York's SUNNY Act passed May 28, 2026, but was unsigned when we checked October 26. Until it is, a kit needs your utility's approval. Read the answer →
- Is balcony solar legal in Pennsylvania? No. Pennsylvania has no plug-in solar law; HB 1971 has sat in the House Energy committee since October 2025. Until one passes, a kit needs utility approval. Read the answer →
- Is balcony solar legal in Texas? No. Texas has no plug-in solar law, and we found no bill. A kit falls under the same rule as rooftop solar: apply to your utility before you connect. Read the answer →
- Is balcony solar legal in Florida? No. Florida has no plug-in solar law and no 2026 bill. A kit follows the rooftop solar rules: an interconnection agreement with your utility first. Read the answer →
- Is balcony solar legal in North Carolina? No. North Carolina has no plug-in solar law; bills H1129 and S957 have sat in committee since spring 2026. Until one passes, a kit needs utility approval. Read the answer →
- Is balcony solar legal in Michigan? No. Michigan has no plug-in solar law; HB 5764 has sat in the House Energy committee since March 2026. Until it passes, a kit needs your utility's written OK. Read the answer →
- Is balcony solar legal in Ohio? No. Ohio has no plug-in solar law; HB 755 and SB 383 have sat in committee since March 2026. Until one passes, a kit needs an interconnection application. Read the answer →
- Is balcony solar legal in Massachusetts? Not yet. Plug-in solar is in a Massachusetts energy bill in conference committee since July 2026. Until it passes, a kit needs your utility's approval. Read the answer →
- Is balcony solar legal in Arizona? No. Arizona has no plug-in solar law. Two 2026 bills, SB 1606 and HB 2843, were held in committee. A kit needs the same utility application as rooftop solar. Read the answer →
- Is balcony solar legal in Georgia? No. Georgia has no plug-in solar law. A 2026 bill, HB 1304, got a committee hearing but no vote. A kit needs the same utility application as rooftop solar. Read the answer →
- Make your water heater into a thermal battery Smart water heaters can follow a temperature schedule, like a furnace thermostat. Set one to store cheap, clean afternoon energy as hot water. Solar optional. Read the answer →
- Heat pump water heater rebates in California: what's left in 2026 The federal tax credit ended with 2025, and California's two single-family programs are fully reserved. What's still open in October 2026, and in what order. Read the answer →
- Already have solar panels? Pair them with a heat pump water heater A solar water heater adds collectors to the roof. If you already have panels, a heat pump water heater turns their electricity into about four times the heat. Read the answer →
- The efficient water heater, and the bacteria question nobody asks out loud Does a cooler heat pump water heater grow Legionella? What the evidence says, and the cheap way to stay safe while saving energy: one hot hour a week. Read the answer →
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