A home that already has solar is a great buy. The panels are on the roof, the permits are done, and the system starts working for you the day you move in. A little homework before closing, plus a few simple steps afterward, makes sure you get the full benefit.
This guide covers what to ask the seller, how to move the system into your name, and how to get even more from it with a battery.
What owned solar brings with the home
When the seller owns the system outright, it's part of the house, just like the water heater or the windows. It transfers with the sale, and from your first electricity bill, you're making some of your own power instead of buying all of it from the utility.
Electricity rates in California have risen steadily over the past decade, so a home that produces some of its own electricity is a real advantage. You also skip the design, permitting, and installation steps entirely. The system is already there and running.
The first question: owned or leased?
Ask early whether the system is owned or leased, since that changes the paperwork. An owned system simply transfers with the home. A leased system or power purchase agreement involves an agreement with the leasing company, and the seller's agent can walk you through how that transfer works for the specific contract.
The rest of this guide focuses on owned systems.
Paperwork to ask the seller for
A complete set of documents makes ownership easy. Ask the seller to gather these before closing:
- The installation contract and system details. This shows who installed the system, when, its size, and the equipment it uses: the panels, inverters, and any battery.
- Warranties. Panels, inverters, and batteries each carry manufacturer warranties, and the installer usually provides a workmanship warranty too. Our look at solar panel warranties explains what each one covers.
- Permits and final inspection. These confirm the system was permitted and passed inspection with the city or county.
- Permission to operate. This is the utility's approval to connect the system to the grid. It's a short letter or email, and it's good to have on file.
- Monitoring access. Most systems have an app that shows production. Ask which app it is and how the seller will transfer access.
- Recent production history. A year of production data, or a screenshot of the monitoring app, gives you a clear picture of how the system has been doing.
- Service records. If the system has been serviced or had any parts replaced, those records are helpful to keep.
A seller who has owned the system for a while may not have every item at hand, and that's common. The installer can often fill in the gaps, and so can we.
Questions worth asking
Beyond the paperwork, a few simple questions tell you a lot:
- How old is the system, and who installed it?
- Has the roof been worked on since the panels went in?
- Does the system include a battery? If so, is it set up for savings, for backup, or both?
- If it's a backup system, which circuits does the battery back up?
- What rate plan is the home on with the utility?
The rate plan question matters because solar and battery results depend partly on the plan. Our post on PG&E peak hours explains how time-of-use rates work.
Putting the system in your name after closing
Once the house is yours, a few quick steps make the system officially yours too.
- Set up your utility account. Open your electricity account in your name. The solar connection stays in place, but your new account should reflect the existing system. If you're unsure, the utility can confirm.
- Take over the monitoring app. Ask the seller to remove themselves from the monitoring account, or contact the equipment maker to have it moved into your name. With Tesla and Enphase systems, you usually do this through the app or the manufacturer's support team.
- Register the warranties. Many manufacturer warranties transfer automatically, and some manufacturers require a transfer form. Registering them in your name keeps everything in order if you ever need to file a claim.
- Keep the documents together. A single folder, paper or digital, with everything from the seller saves time later, including if you sell the home yourself one day.
Getting a fresh set of eyes on the system
Even a system that looks perfect benefits from a post-move-in check. A local solar team can confirm everything is running as it should, look over the equipment and connections, review the monitoring setup, and answer your questions about how it all works. It's a good way to start ownership with confidence.
Our service team works on systems no matter who installed them, including systems whose original installer has since closed. If you bought a home with solar and want a local team looking after it, we're happy to be that team. Once you're settled, our post on tracking your solar production shows you how to keep an eye on it from your phone.
Adding a battery to the solar you bought
Many homes with solar were built before batteries became common, so yours may not have one yet. That's one of the easiest upgrades a new owner can make.
A battery stores the power your panels make during the day so you can use it in the evening, when electricity costs the most. A Savings Battery stores and discharges every day to help lower your electricity bill. A Backup Battery does the same and also keeps your chosen circuits running during an outage. We can add a battery to your existing solar and design it around how your household uses power, which may differ from how the previous owners did.
Planning for how you'll use the home
You may also use more electricity than the last owners did. An electric car, a home office, or an ADU in the backyard can all add to your usage. If that's in your plans, we can add panels to the existing system along with a battery, so the system grows with your household.
A local team for the life of your system
Buying a home with solar means owning equipment built to work for decades, and it helps to have a local company that knows it. We're 100% employee-owned, we've worked across Marin, Sonoma, and Napa since 1984, and we've installed more than 9,000 systems. We're licensed as a General Contractor (B) and Electrical Contractor (C-10), and we were one of the first companies in California to earn the state's C-46 solar license.
If you're selling instead, our post on selling a home with solar covers the other side of the sale.
Bought a home with solar, or about to? Contact SolarCraft or call Sonoma/Napa 707.778.0568 or Marin 415.382.7717.
