Question 1

Is this an estimate for my actual roof?

Accepted Answer

When reconstruction succeeds, we fit roof faces from public USGS LiDAR inside a matched Microsoft building footprint and place modeled panels only on supported faces. We display those boundaries and candidates over Louisiana DOTD / NORPC aerial imagery. Coverage starts with the Greater New Orleans survey; ambiguous buildings or insufficient roof data return no estimate. The 2021 LiDAR and 2025 aerial imagery may not reflect recent changes, and aerial building lean can shift elevated roof surfaces even when the map viewport matches. A candidate layout does not confirm roof condition, structural capacity, setbacks or permitting.

Question 2

How is solar production estimated?

Accepted Answer

An hourly pvlib model combines PVGIS typical-year weather, reconstructed roof pitch and direction, and local LiDAR shading. It includes panel-glass reflection, approximate diffuse-sky shading, module temperature, equipment losses and inverter conversion. Monthly AC sums the selected panels’ modeled output. The no-local-shade comparison uses the same weather and equipment; it is not independent validation. Seasonal tree changes, distant obstacles and generic equipment assumptions remain limitations.

Question 3

Are the electricity rates specific to my utility?

Accepted Answer

Choosing Entergy New Orleans loads the variable rate and customer charge from Entergy’s October 2026 published 1,000-kWh example, then models NM-4 monthly kWh credits carried forward against later usage. Choosing Entergy Louisiana loads its published $0.0259331/kWh export rate effective April 1, 2025 and uses generic net billing. These are editable starting points, not verified account tariffs. Check your own bill, current riders, eligibility and interconnection agreement; use twelve monthly kWh figures when possible.

Question 4

What does the savings range mean?

Accepted Answer

It varies production by 20%; generic net-billing scenarios also vary direct use by 15 percentage points. Rates and costs are held constant. These are chosen stress scenarios, not a statistical confidence interval, measured weather variability or a guarantee. Roof/shading uncertainty and financial assumptions are disclosed separately. The recommendation compares supported system sizes, including no installation, by 25-year net present value.

Question 5

What does 25-year net present value mean?

Accepted Answer

Net present value (NPV) converts 25 years of modeled solar bill savings and costs into today’s dollars using the selected discount rate, then subtracts the upfront payment. The model includes entered financing, maintenance and replacement. A positive NPV means discounted bill savings exceed those modeled solar costs; a negative NPV means they do not under the entered assumptions. This is a bill-economics comparison, not a verdict on outage resilience, emissions, property value, insurance or tax effects.

Question 6

Does the estimate include incentives or financing?

Accepted Answer

No incentive is deducted. The IRS says the homeowner Residential Clean Energy Credit is unavailable for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. Cash purchase is the starting choice, with optional fixed-rate financing and editable maintenance and replacement budgets. New Orleans has approved separate battery incentives, but launch and eligibility remain separate from this solar estimate.

Question 7

Would a battery increase bill savings or provide backup power?

Accepted Answer

Possibly, but those are separate questions. Under modeled Entergy New Orleans NM-4 rules, monthly exported kWh already become banked kWh that can offset later use, so storing them does not automatically add bill savings and battery losses can reduce usable energy. Under net billing, storage may replace low-value exports with later avoided purchases, but accurate savings require hourly household load, solar output, battery dispatch, tariff data and an actual battery quote. Standard grid-tied solar normally disconnects during a utility outage; backup requires a properly designed, permitted and commissioned islandable system with compatible inverter, isolation or transfer equipment, storage and defined backed-up loads. None of that battery cost or value is included here.

Question 8

Do I need to share my contact details?

Accepted Answer

No account or contact details are required to use the roof estimate. New Orleans address suggestions use a local copy of the city’s public address points; searches without a local match go to Photon / OpenStreetMap. Our server reconstructs public LiDAR and building data; weather and aerial-image requests send location coordinates or a viewport to PVGIS and Louisiana DOTD. Cached analysis jobs contain coordinates, not the address label you selected. Installer introductions separately require contact information and consent. Our privacy policy explains data handling and data requests.

Question 9

What happens if I request an installer introduction?

Accepted Answer

Your inquiry is reviewed for eligibility and may be shared with an approved installer under the consent shown in the request form. Matching and response times are not guaranteed. We may receive a referral fee. You should independently check licensing, insurance, references and written proposal terms before hiring anyone.

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