FAQ

We compile all the information and start designing your solar system, keeping in mind safety and local regulations.

It depends, but we always offer you the earliest available appointment. In many cases, our homeowners receive a site survey appointment just a few days after singing their Monalee contracts.

They help us understand the electrical setup and condition of your roof so that we can design a safe and efficient solar system.

We will ask for a recent utility bill to confirm account information, such as your name, account number, service address, rate plan, and meter number. Once this is submitted, we move forward with completing your design and submitting it to your utility company to fully activate the system.

To get started, simply input your home address and monthly electricity bill amount, and we will provide you with a free and instant quote. This will be sent to you via email as well.

Solar panels work best in full, direct sunlight. That said, your home may still be a good candidate for solar even if your roof has shady spots. Along with direct sunlight, solar panels can absorb scattered sunlight. Our designers account for this when designing your system. Even with a small number of trees, solar panels can still generate plenty of power. If most of your roof is shaded for several hours during the day, solar may not be the best option for you.

To a certain degree, yes. In the northern hemisphere, a roof that faces south will get the most sun and therefore will be the most efficient.

It can make a small difference. Our team considers this when designing your system for optimum performance.

Yes! Every Monalee customer receives a custom design that accounts for the specifics of your home—including location, roof, peak sun hours, seasonality, and everything in between. When looking at your estimated solar offset, it’s important to remember that the number provided is an annual average. Your actual solar offset will vary monthly based on energy usage, system production, and seasonality, among other factors.

For every Monalee project, the goal is to create the most cost efficient design, as well as ensure that the design meets all current code requirements. Our patented AI uses millions of different data points to give you the best solar design based on your home and needs.

After a site survey is completed, our team compiles information from the survey and enters it into our internal portal. Photos from the site survey help our designers create the most efficient layout possible for the panels given the site conditions. These photos are also used to determine the best way to connect the solar system to the home’s electrical system.

Most permits we submit on behalf of Monalee homeowners are approved on the first attempt. If they aren’t for some reason—for example, if the jurisdiction updated how they want to receive something—we work to make the necessary changes and then re-submit the paperwork. Once permits are approved, along with any other required approvals from your utility company or HOA, we schedule the installation.

We’ll go ahead and schedule your solar panel installation. We will contact you by email and SMS to coordinate.

The short answer is it depends. Permitting can take up to six weeks depending on a variety of factors unfortunately outside our control. While we realize this is quite a range, it really comes down to local jurisdiction. Each jurisdiction has its own standardized review process and timeline. Historically, we’ve found that California permits tend to be approved right away whereas other states, such as Florida and Colorado, are more specific about how they want things done and can therefore take longer.

• Here are some state averages based on our experience:
• Arizona: between one and two weeks
• California: as short as one day and as long as three weeks
• Florida: between one and three weeks
• Texas: up to one week

The Monalee team keeps an eye on all outstanding permitting and regularly follows up with the local jurisdictions. We try to move the process along as fast as possible, given that the timing is mostly out of our control.

The county will only require a permit if it’s the authority having jurisdiction (or AHJ). This means they will only issue a permit if either A) you live outside city or town limits, or B) the city or town in which you live doesn’t have a building department that issues permits.

In most cases, you will need a simple building permit issued by the city or county where you live. In some areas, especially on the East Coast, you will be issued a combined building and electrical permit for your solar installation. As more U.S. homeowners switch to solar energy, a few things might happen. On one hand, delays might occur simply because there’s a bigger backlog of applications. The good news is that with more demand, the process should become more streamlined and efficient.

Before you can activate your solar system, two things need to happen.You’ll need to pass a local jurisdiction inspection and receive Permission To Operate (PTO) from your utility company. PTO is the official sign off from the utility company letting you know you may safely turn on your solar panel system. For many utility companies, this can take up to 60 days. For a more precise timeline, we encourage homeowners to speak directly with their utility provider.

Our standard installation will have conduit running along the roof and the side of your home. We will do our best to hide it when possible. If you like, you can add an attic run to your order. Attic runs are great at minimizing the appearance of unsightly electrical conduit on your roof.

We use weather resistant sealant on every project to ensure waterproof connections are made. As part of our ‘Monalee Promise,’ we offer warranties on parts (equipment), labor (workmanship), and performance. For context, most solar companies only offer guarantees on parts and labor. So, if you have any issues with your solar panels or any of your solar equipment down the road, we’ve got you covered.

We use roof material dependent attachments accompanied by large lag bolts and screws to fasten to the roof’s structural features. These attachments are reviewed by engineers to ensure they can hold the weight of panels.

Install crews typically arrive in the early morning and begin work by 8am. Your solar equipment will have already been delivered to your home one working day before, so the installation team is able to get started right away. In many cases, an installation takes about eight hours. Depending on the home’s electrical setup and whether one or more batteries need to be set up, installations can span two days or more.

Timelines for installation will vary by region and are subject to local permit and utility timelines. On average, our entire process from start to finish takes 50 days. This is still significantly shorter than if you go with a traditional solar company (their timeline is closer to 90 days). We created a guide that goes into detail about how we’re able to get our price–and timeline–down by half.

• Open the door of your Main Service Panel
  Open your Main Service Panel door and locate the Solar PV Breaker. If you do not have a Solar PV breaker or you are located in Illinois or Massachusetts, you may skip this step. PV breakers should have a red sticker adjacent to them or labeling that reads PV or Solar. Move this breaker to the ON position if it is not already there.
• Locate your AC Disconnect
  The AC Disconnect is a smaller box that will be visible from your Main Service Panel in most cases. This box will have a handle on the right side that moves between ON and OFF. Ensure the handle is in the up position and set to ON.
• Open you Enphase Combiner box
  Your Enphase Combiner box will be a gray box that has the Enphase logo on the top right corner, there will be two latches on the right side to secure it closed. Once the Enphase Combiner box has been opened, turn all of the breakers inside to the ON position.
• Verify LED Status lights
  Your Enphase Combiner box will have four lights inside at the top right location. To verify proper connection and functionality, lights 1, 3, and 4 must be green as seen to the left. The process of powering on can take up to 10 minutes, the lights will start flashing red but should turn solid green within the time frame previously mentioned. Once the lights mentioned are green, you can close and re-latch your Enphase Combiner box.
• Your system is now up and running!
  Once all of the previous steps are completed, your system is online and producing green energy!

If any of the steps above were unsuccessful or you need further assistance, please call Monalee Technical Support at 844.MONA.LEE Option 3 or email support@monalee.co

It’s important to remember that even though your solar panels are installed, you won’t be able to turn on your systems just yet.

Shortly after installation is complete, we request an appointment with your local jurisdictions’ inspection office on your behalf. This usually happens within 5-10 business days of you paying your remaining Monalee balance.

On the day of inspection, our technician will arrive during the scheduled inspection window provided by the inspections office to complete any minor work needed and prepare for the inspector’s arrival.

After the inspection, the inspector provides us with a report that we then submit to your utility company for PTO (permission from their utility company to activate your system). This can be the longest part of the process, sometimes taking up to six weeks. It all depends on how quickly the utility company works through the request.

As soon as PTO is approved, our technical support team will contact you directly and guide you through how to turn on your system and monitor its solar production. We also walk you through how to download certain applications so that you can monitor the system.